Two Grand Rapids bike events, the MSU Gran Fondo and Herman Miller Brickyard Criterium, brought Michigan cyclists together
Thank you, Grand Rapids Bicycle Community, for an awesome bike-centric weekend!
Two of West Michigan’s best bike events were held last weekend: The MSU College of Human Medicine Gran Fondo and the Herman Miller Brickyard Criterium. The MSU Gran Fondo is an annual non-competitive ride to raise funds for skin cancer awareness, prevention, and research. Participants have the choice of riding 12, 25, 40, or 80 miles. The Brickyard Criterium is a competitive race in Downtown Grand Rapids, which attracts some of the strongest racers in Michigan and makes for great spectating due to the technical nature of the course.
It was great to see the community get behind both events and Bike Law Michigan was excited to participate as one of the MSU Gran Fondo sponsors. From beginning to end, we couldn’t have asked for more. The event gave us an opportunity to visit with old friends, meet new friends, and spend quality time on our bikes.
Registration and packet pick-up for the event started on Friday afternoon and continued until late into the evening. We commonly have a booth at events like this and are consistently approached by cyclists who describe horror stories of encounters with motorists. At the Fondo registration, we had a few Grand Rapids cyclists tell us about being harassed, or even struck, by motorists. However, what struck me was the large number of Grand Rapids residents who expressed optimism about the future of biking in Grand Rapids and acknowledged everything the City is doing to make their community a better place for bicyclists. We couldn’t agree more!
The Fondo was scheduled to roll out on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. Roughly 2,000 cyclists lined up at the start, beginning at 7:30 a.m. At the start line, I noticed a tandem lined up directly behind me. Any seasoned rider knows that when a strong tandem duo is riding flat or rolling terrain, that is a wheel you want to follow. This tandem duo was sporting USA Cycling vests, which made it clear that this was not your typical recreational tandem team. The captain, Mackenzie Woodring, and stoker, Shawn Cheshire, explained that they are the reigning U. S. National Paracycling Champions and are currently training for the World Championships, which will be held in Switzerland at the end of July.
As expected, Mackenzie and Shawn provided the perfect draft for the first 40 miles. A number of other riders from OAM NOW/Athletic Mentors, Founders Racing, Fusion Cycling, Leadout Racing, and a number of other teams were also willing to take their turn out front, which allowed the group to maintain a fast pace for the first 40 miles. Thanks to a police motorcycle escort, we were able to make it all the way to Lake Michigan with only one stop at an intersection.
At the halfway point, the sun had just broken through, there was a sandy beach, and we had beautiful views of Lake Michigan. As with everything associated with the MSU Gran Fondo, the rest stop was perfect. There were numerous smiling volunteers who offered words of encouragement, an amazing spread of fruit and salty foods, water and Gatorade refill stations, and an adequate number of port-a-johns.
While Team Bike Law took a brief moment to enjoy the view and refuel, a number of riders decided to continue without stopping. As a result, we lost the police escort and were forced to ride the 40 miles back to Grand Rapids on our own. The smaller group and a strong east wind made the ride back to Grand Rapids far more difficult than the ride to the lake. We created a small pace line to help each other fight the headwind. As we worked in harmony, we swept up smaller groups of cyclists along the way and our group continued to grow. This allowed us to gain speed and strength over the final miles of the route, and also allowed us to ride with a number of very strong and friendly riders.
By the time we hit the finish line, the afterparty was in full gear. There was live music, unlimited food, and a variety of craft beers provided by New Holland Brewing. As we enjoyed the food, music, and beer, elite racers zipped by in the Criterium. The finale of the day was the Pro/Category I/II Race. It was hard to break away from the Fondo celebration, but I wanted to watch Brad Neagos, one of our former legal interns, compete as a member of the Bissell-ABG-Giant elite team. With over 40 laps to go, Brad and two other riders (brothers Nate and David Williams) broke away from the group. Shortly after the break, I can remember the announcer saying that even though Brad and the Williams Brothers had a large lead, they would likely get swallowed up by the field. That appeared to be a fairly safe bet, particularly given the strength of the field, which included Mac Brennan (Hincapie Racing) – the winner of last year’s race. However, Brad and the Williams Brothers not only held the field off, they eventually lapped the field! In the end, Brad sprinted for 2nd — not bad for a law student!
In summary, Grand Rapids gave cyclists from around Michigan a very special day. It offered them short recreational rides, fast and long group rides, and a taste of competitive bicycle racing.
We all owe a big thank you to Huntington Bank, Priority Health, Family Fair Supermarkets, MVP Metro Club, New Holland Brewery, all the other sponsors, and the numerous volunteers that made this event possible. Also, a special thank you to Kate Follett and Kim Kordecki for all of their hard work. We can’t wait to do it again next year!
