Ride of 275 miles from Great Lake to Great Lake draws the biking faithful
Mark Wedel | Thursday, September 19, 2019
“Later in the day, after many of the riders have passed through, Alysa Babcock of the Friends of the Kal-Haven says, “The ages — that shocked the hell out of me! I think the average age must be 65, it might even be more! You have a lot of older folks, and you think, jeeze, I’m 50 and I’m not in shape. But somebody who’s 75 is out here? Riding 40 miles a day? That’s amazing!”
“Some are quite fast, but “it’s not a race,” Babcock says. “You gotta stop and see the wildflowers. See the wildlife. Blue heron, sandhill cranes… It’s not a race, you can stop and enjoy the beauty. And learn about the history.” She points to one of the Michigan Trail Heritage signs the Friends helped erect along the trail this summer, next to a planter full of A.M. Todd’s favorite mint. “Mentha was the world leader in mint, how many people know about that?”
“Matt Metzger, Michigan DNR ranger, arrives on his bike. He helped to plan the ride, and he’s on his bike to “encourage them on to Kalamazoo.” He’s often on his bike for his work on the trail, so Metzger knows why people might want to ride a bike across the state.”
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