Thursday, May 23, 2013
Participants in the June 30 bike rally along the Woodward Avenue corridor from Detroit to Pontiac and back will have the opportunity to win raffle prizes, including a Shinola bicycle valued at $3,000.
Organizers of the Gran Fondo, undeterred by skeptics and impending road work, say the event will go on June 30 with a revamped bike rally format. The Gran Fondo originally was conceived as a race, but without full support from all of the communities along the route, organizers opted instead for the more casual road rally format that lets participants join in at the most convenient point for them and ride all 54 miles or just pedal to a couple venues. "It's about getting a lot of people out there so next year is a bigger event so that all of the cities are running to us saying we want to be a part of it," said Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop owner Jon Hughes, whose dad Dale Hughes conceived of the event. "We're really doing it from a grass-…
Friday, February 1, 2013
Royal Oak officials' resistance to Gran Fondo, or 'big ride,' won't stop cyclists from riding on Woodward on June 30, says Jon Hughes of the Downtown Ferndale Bike Shop.
A Ferndale business owner is hoping at least 2,000 people will join him on June 30 to take part in a 54-mile bike ride on Woodward Avenue. His plan comes after organizers put the brakes on the proposed Gran Fondo, or "big ride," event scheduled for that day involving a professional bicycle race from Detroit to Pontiac and back followed by a massive community bike ride. Since December, the Woodward Avenue Action Association (WA3) has been unsuccessful in convincing officials in Royal Oak and other communities that it had a viable plan for the event. Royal Oak city officials have expressed concerns about the event's safety and whether it would be a drain on city services. On Monday, Heather Carmona, director of the WA3, addressed the Royal …
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
The Woodward Avenue Action Association is proposing the Gran Fondo - or 'Big Ride' - special event for June 30, 2013.
The Woodward Avenue Action Association is looking to bring a professional bicycle race and community bike ride to Woodward Avenue next summer, and Ferndale city leaders will soon weigh in on the proposed event. On Monday night, the Royal Oak City Commission discussed the Gran Fondo or 'Big Ride' planned for June 30, 2013 by the WA3. Most commissioners expressed enthusiasm for the professional bike race portion of the event, which would go down Woodward Avenue from Detroit to Pontiac and back, but commissioners were less excited about the community bike ride aspect. "We see this as a very high risk/low reward event,” said Royal Oak City Manager Don Johnson, pointing out safety concerns. Read more about what Royal Oak officials had to say …
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11:21 am on Thursday, May 23, 2013
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