by Paul Selden
I was prompted to write this article by the great ideas submitted in our recent discussions about Special Interest Groups. Talking to some of our newer members at our January Recovery Party added further motivation to get 'er done. We'll be working to post a version of this to our web site as well, so that new members to KBC can get a quick update on the many biking opportunities in greater Kalamazoo as time goes on.
Bicyclists new to the area or to the Kalamazoo Bicycle Club have a huge variety of biking opportunities available to them, with a growing number of possibilities in the works each year. The following is an overview of the area's current bicycling smorgasbord, plus a glimpse into the not-to-distant future, and is not intended to be a complete catalog. If you are aware of other categories not mentioned below, please let me know and they can be added to the list. Who knows? Maybe one day we'll see a resurgence of BMX in our area.
Adventure / Touring: If a bike ride through Europe or scenic parts of the U.S. is your thing, you are thinking about what is otherwise known as adventure touring or vacation bicycling. Adventure touring often takes place on a grand scale, with national and international self- and leader-guided tours available. Many of our KBC members have participated in the annual multi-day Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinaw tour (DALMAC). Also, in 2011, the 20th Annual Michigander Bicycle tour passed through Kalamazoo County.
A quick web search or browsing through bicycling magazines should turn up plenty of additional ideas, since groups like the League of Michigan Bicyclists, the Adventure Cycling Association, the Michigan Trails and Greenways Alliance (just to name a few) feature many group tours and self-guided routes in Michigan. More local touring opportunities are available, however. Our region is filled with many parks, lakes, rivers, places of historical interest, ice cream parlors, and wineries, all of which make great destinations for a day trip or practice runs for overnight adventures.
Bike Camp: The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club hosts an annual Bike Camp, an event that no newcomer to road riding should miss. The camp is great for kids, but it is especially important for adults of all ages who might want to brush up on how to ride in a group. Over the course of an orientation meeting one evening and four Saturday mornings of hands-on presentations and riding, Bike Camp covers skills that are not usually learned by casual riding, growing up as a kid. The camp covers critical topics such as rules of the road, ingredients for riding and equipment safety, proper helmet and bike fitting, nutrition and hydration, bike maintenance, how to ride in a pace line, and many more. The modest fee includes covers snacks, many worthwhile handouts, and entry to our annual KalTour. Bike Camp is currently held at the Portage YMCA, in late May through early June. Watch for announcements in the Pedal Press.
Bike Commuting: The area is home to many bike commuters, and people who like to save the environment and their dollars by using their bikes to run errands. (One of our members bikes from his home in the Oshtemo area to Battle Creek many times a week, year round.) Major cities in the county (including Kalamazoo and Portage) have trail and on-road bike lane systems that are too extensive to describe here. Many of the surrounding communities take advantage of the fact that the county boasts more paved rural roadways than almost any other county in Michigan. Of course, Michigan winters pose seasonal challenges to riding year round; some of our busiest major streets do not always have dedicated bike lanes. Nevertheless, many KBC'ers regularly find a way to commute and run to the post office on a regular basis.
Century and Metric Century Rides: A century ride is a 100 mile long social ride held on a specific date. In the Kalamazoo area, KBC hosts the annual KalTour, which features a century ride, plus shorter rides such as a "metric century" (62 miles long), and fractions thereof, all the way down to a group 13 mile (20 km) family ride. Some of the shorter riders are led by an experience group leader and followed by a "sweeper" who keeps slower riders company, so no one is left behind. A century ride is not a race. Within guidelines set by ride organizers, riders may start when they want, stop for refreshments and rest along the way, and finish whenever they arrive back at the starting point. KBC's KalTour is set among scenic western portions of Kalamazoo County, with portions taking place in neighboring Van Buren County. Riders may expect to encounter hills, lakes, and vineyards are along the way. There are so many century rides available in the region that avid riders vow to do a "century of the month." Check our web site for more KalTour information.
Cyclocross: Cyclocross activity in the Kalamazoo area is heating up, big time. If you are not familiar with this sport it may because it is relatively new to the biking scene. Cyclocross takes place on such varied terrain that competitors are more or less forced to get off and carry their bikes up and over the steep hills and rugged obstacles they encounter along the way. Mud, sand, tight corners, short, steep inclines, and low, hoppable obstacles are common course features, but since the riding often takes place during colder months of the year, snow is also possible! Courses are shorter than many other bike races, and they end after a certain amount of time has elapsed (such as an hour) rather than after a set number of laps. The shorter course sometimes allows spectators to watch riders' progress over more of the course than in some other events. If you are new to the sport, you don't need to pit yourself against anyone but yourself. A common goal among cyclocross racers is simply to finish the event!
Mountain / Off Road: Many people buy a mountain bike because their shock absorbing features and wider knobby tires make them an apparently good choice for biking in just about any terrain, then they never ride them off road! There are many opportunities to take a properly equipped, good quality mountain bike off road in Kalamazoo and neighboring counties, however. North of Kalamazoo is a set of trails in Yankee Springs. On the eastern edge in our county near Augusta is the most highly developed set of mountain bike trails in the area, in Fort Custer. Within Kalamazoo County, there are trails in Al Sabo preserve (access is from the Rota Kiwan Boy Scout camp drive off of Texas Drive).
Randonneuring: Randonneuring is a long distance endurance road ride based on historic traditions of rambling about the countryside on a self-supported bike tour. The rides, or brevets, cover varying distances from 200-1200 km (about 125 to 750 miles) and are open to many types of human-powered vehicles from road bikes to tandems to recumbents. Brevets are not races, but they must be completed within specified timelines and rules. For example, in the U.S., a sanctioned event 200 km long must be completed within 13.5 hours. For certification, riders must stop at checkpoints to receive an official stamp on a course ride card ("brevet card"). Completing the card (and sometimes a successful completion of some questions or delivery of other evidence) entitles riders to his or her new status. Those who successfully complete a sanctioned brevet may consider themselves to hold a variation of the historical title, "Audacious Randonneur," and may purchase a medal attesting to the fact (depending on the course and its sanctioning). Randonneuring is somewhat unusual in that the sanctioning body can authorize do-it-yourself (free route) approaches not limited by an official group start time or set course. Three such courses are sanctioned in northern Michigan. Kalamazoo is the starting point for the first permanent randonneuring free route in the Lower Peninsula, a 200 km route from Kalamazoo to South Haven to Battle Creek and back. See www.rusa.org and articles such as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Randonneuring for more information.
Road Racing: Kalamazoo area is home to a variety of road races, competitive events, and race teams, including at least one finisher in the ultra-endurance coast-to-coast Race Across America). Road riders from the area are very talented; among our own membership we count at least two 2011 State Champions. KBC is proud to help sponsor the CMS Race Team; a number of our members also race for the Priority Health Team. One major annual race in the area is the BTR Race that takes place on the beautiful new campus of Western Michigan University's Business Technology Park. The BTR Race is a so-called criterium ("crit"), a shorter course that takes place on a closed loop that allows many opportunities to follow progress as laps are completed. Another is the Priority Health Race for Wishes, which takes place among 13 miles of scenic roads in nearby Lawton. Qualified riders of all categories may enter; as sanctioned races, those participating for the first time are urged to become familiar with the rules and entry requirements governing each races. Membership in the governing body is a typical requirement. Michigan is home of many road races; see the Michigan Bicycle Racing Association's website at www.mbra.org.
Road Rides: Greater Kalamazoo has a very active road riding community, offering organized rides to riders of almost any ability, every weekday during the season. The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club starts its Monday-Friday evening rides at various locations in Kalamazoo County, with rides of various lengths, timed to end before sun down. Most of KBC's rides take place in the four western-most townships, span 15-30 miles or so, and are open to non-members as long as our ride protocol is followed (which includes wearing a helmet). Organized evening rides also head out at various times and distances out of two downtown bike shops: Pedal Bicycles and Alfred E. Bike. These rides tend to head north. Rides out of Johnson Cycle Works, located near Gull Road and Sprinkle, tends to head north and east. These latter rides are also open to anyone, within the guidelines of the ride leader/sponsoring group. In addition to the weekly rides, KBC offers a number of longer rides on an annual basis, including the W Ride (a 48 miler from one end of the county to the other and back on W Avenue), a 102 miler to and from South Haven, and our Anniversary Ride (various lengths) in September. The Kalamazoo Bicycle Club offers a great insurance benefit along with our modest membership fee. Consult our web site for the latest information about this benefit, and many more.
Time Trials: If head-to-head road racing is not your cup of tea, you may be up for the personal challenge offered by KBC's Tuesday Night Time Trials. We run ours as an individual challenge against the clock on a square, relatively flat 10 mile course on the scenic country roads of Pavilion Township in Kalamazoo County. Riders are started at intervals, as individuals, and the course and timing are monitored by volunteers. You can tell the more avid time trialists by their specialized aerodynamic bikes and gear, but bicyclists of many styles and levels come out to see what kind of times they can turn in. Generally speaking, the adrenalin surge caused by seeing a rider ahead, and knowing one is about to be launched behind you, makes for faster personal efforts than when trying to ride this type of route solo. It's a great way to test your personal fitness from year to year, and a great way to enjoy competitive bicycling without worrying about anything but achieving your personal goals. KBC runs its Tuesday Night Time Trials as a local, fun event. Riders interested in sanctioned time trial competition (both individual and team) can go to calendars such as found at http://www.usacycling.org/nttc/ for more information.
Trail Riding: The greater Kalamazoo area is a hub of groomed and paved bike and multi-use trails, with more on the way. Riding on such trails through woods, along rivers and creeks, and over and down the more hilly areas makes for a great family ride, or outing with friends, or just a solo commune with nature. From the lakeshore town of South Haven, the Kal-Haven trail follows an old railroad grade, through the northwestern part of our county, all the way to downtown Kalamazoo. Riders can take the Jack Coombs trail from Kalamazoo all the way to where the Kalamazoo River Valley Trail (KRVT) winds through more wonderful scenery at the Kalamazoo Nature Preserve. The Kalamazoo River Valley Trail system will eventually extend eastward, generally following the Kalamazoo River, connecting with the trail system in Battle Creek.
The City of Portage offers an extensive system of biking trails that meander along pretty little Portage Creek, winding through the north of the city off Kilgore Road and Lovers Lane, to the south at the Portage District Library, from Celery Flats on Garden Lane winding through the Haverhill and Amberly neighborhoods all the way to McGillicuddy Lane near Milham. Shortly, the City of Portage trail system will connect with the City of Kalamazoo's near Milham Park, so riders will be able to ride into downtown Kalamazoo without having to leave the trail. The campuses of Western Michigan University and K-College are developing similar links.
Triathlon: You can often spot a devote of the triathlon by their cool swept-back helmets and their crouched-over posture as they lean on those comfy elbow pads with their hands stretched out straight ahead on aerobars. A number of triathlons are hosted in Kalamazoo County throughout the warmer months. Triathlons are race events that combine a sequence of swimming, biking and running. If you don't think you are up for the Ultra distance version we most often hear about as the "Ironman" courses of a 2.4 mile swim, 112 mile ride, and a 26.2 mile run, take heart. Typical courses vary in length, including the shorter Sprints (750 meter swim, 20 km bike, 5 km run). Triathlons are a well developed sport with too many sanctioned races in the area to list here. More information is available at the web sites of http://www.trifind.com/mi.html and http://www.spiritracing.us/. An active local multisport club, the TriKats, is dedicated to the sport. There are many triathletes among KBC's members.
