Hey Everyone,
Apparently those posters that Amos Kennedy made us have gotten the word out: Bike The Blizzard is upon us! There is a lot of hype and we’ve been getting phone calls and emails so I wanted to set some things straight and let you know the best way to participate.
First, to set things straight, Bike the Blizzard is not a group ride. We WILL NOT be massing up and following a set path. We aren’t getting streets shut down, nor having a police escort. There is nothing wrong with those types of rides, but this isn’t one of those.
What Bike the Blizzard IS: a fund raising Bike-a-Thon. Folks that have contacted us and registered as a rider for Bike the Blizzard are collecting donations right now. Friends, family and fans are giving these folks donations of all different amounts. You can donate per mile or give a donation of any amount towards the ride. Some riders are offering personal incentives if you donate to them…
These riders will ride at their own pace. Some will kick out the miles alone, others will enjoy the ride with others. At mid-day we hope to get in one big group and do one large loop together around the Cass Corridor and Midtown. Last year folks rode anywhere from 30 to 110 miles throughout the day. Most folks stayed on a 5 mile loop in our neighborhood, but others made their own path around the city.
This event is pretty bare bones as far as the support we can provide. For registered riders, we will provide pick up in case their bike breaks down, entrance into our shop to warm up and snacks to keep energy up. Our friends at Carhartt have also donated some jackets to the ride, so those that raise the most money and ride the farthest will get free Carhartt jackets! Awesome.
I didn’t register for the ride, how can I participate?
- You are welcome to come ride with us. Besides the fundraising, this ride is to show that bicycling is a year round activity in Michigan. So the more bikes we can get out on the road on January 26th the better! However, if you haven’t registered at this point, we won’t be able to provide you with any ride support – you are on your own. Also, no matter how far you ride, we are gonna get those Carhartt jackets to those that registered in advance. We are also going to need to restrict access to Back Alley Bikes to only those folks that have registered to ride with us and our volunteers. Keep an eye here on the website later this week when we will announce a time for everyone to join in and ride a lap together with our riders.
- You can donate to a rider. You can see the list of riders right here.
- Help us get the word out. If you are a photographer or videographer, come get some sweet images and share them with us! We’ve got a small staff, so telling our story is often difficult when our photographer is also the person running the event and putting in miles themselves.
- Provide In Kind Donations. We’ll be buying snacks for the riders to have throughout the day, but if you are an awesome chef and you want to show off your gastronomical talents – feel free to bring some snacks by the shop for the riders. Though for dishes, please label ingredients for folks with allergies and dietary restrictions. Thanks!
Things to look out for this week
- The Detroit News came by and took a picture of some of us that are riding this Sunday. So look for their preview of the event this week (I think it’ll be in there on Thursday?)
- Our Adult Mechanic Class will be CANCELLED this Sunday. Sorry about that. We’ll be back next week on February 2nd.
- Check out our Facebook and Twitter pages which we will be updating all day on the 26th. So even if you are sitting at home wrapped in a blanket, you can get updates on all the action as it happens.
Looking towards the future
Interest in our second Bike the Blizzard has been overwhelming considering it was a spur of the moment idea last year that just happened to turn into a success. Please send us your ideas for the third Bike the Blizzard in 2015. We are looking at making a registered group ride in the mid day that everyone can take part in with the 24 hour Bike-a-Thon still happening all day.
In other words, if you wanted to participate in 2014 but couldn’t, check back here later this fall to register for the 2015 Bike the Blizzard ride (or Bike-a-Thon if you really want to ride a lot). We’ll have more details as we come up with them.