In advance of National Bike to Work Day, Ypsilanti cycling coalition hopes to get more people on two wheels
Bike Ypsi organizers Andy Claydon, Kristen Cuhran and Natalie Holbrook.
Tom Perkins | For Ann Arbor.com
Andy Craydon dreaded his daily commute into work. The Ypsilanti resident's 15-minute drive was followed by another 10 minutes of circling the crowded parking lot hoping for a spot.
Craydon found an alternative. He began bicycling instead of sitting in a car for 25 minutes.
“I can ride here in 20 minutes,” Craydon said. “It’s easier, and I feel a lot better after riding home.”
Craydon and his fellow members in the Ypsilanti Bicycling Coalition hope more people follow in their bike treads, particularly with Friday’s National Bike to Work Day.
Formed in the summer of 2007, the Ypsilanti Bicycling Coalition, or Bike Ypsi, originated to foster communication and awareness between cyclists and local law enforcement. The volunteer coalition encourages people to forgo cars for bicycles and promotes safe riding and routes.
Throughout the month, Bike Ypsi has participated in a variety of Bike to Work activities. The League of American Bicyclists promotes May as National Bike Month.
A group of 20 Bike Ypsi members made the ride at last year’s National Bike to Work Day.
Member Kristen Cuhran expects a similar-sized group to make the trip from Ypsilanti to the Ann Arbor Farmers Market, either down Packard or along Huron River and through Gallup Lake Park.
A Bike Commuting Expo will await riders at the Farmers Market. Bike shops and cycling advocacy organizations will attend to answer questions and endorse the advantages of cycling.
“We’re mainly interested in getting people on bicycles,” Cuhran said. “We do some advocacy, but the main goal is to get folks, who typically use their car, and get them riding.
“We also teach how to ride safely and ride according to the law.”
The Bike to Work events serve as opportunities to recruit new members.
“It really is an evolution thing,” said Craydon. “It’s not something you get up one day and say, ‘I’m going to start riding.’'
Bike Ypsi celebrated its largest event of the year - its Spring Ride Festival on May 2.
Seventy-five cyclists participated in a series of rides, while another 50 people shopped among the vendors. The group also distributed 50 helmets for cyclists.
"The really neat thing for me is different people coming out," said group member Natalie Holbrook. "I thought it was an underattended spring ride because of looming thunderstorms, but there were new people who hadn’t been there before.
The group also organizes smaller weekly rides every Sunday, scavenger hunts and a fall ride in October. Bike Ypsi's Google Group lists 240 members.
“I really like what we’re doing,” Cuhran said. “We really engage people who’ve never ridden, and we want to promote safe riding by reaching out to the general community.
“I’d like to keep it in the same trajectory. I don’t want to become nonprofit, but just keep providing good rides and safe routes.”
Riders who would like to participate in Friday's Bike to Work Day can meet members of Bike Ypsi at Bombadill's Cafe in downtown Ypsilanti at 7 a.m. The group will depart for Ann Arbor at 7:15 a.m.