Bicycle tour hits Mount Pleasant, continues to Mackinaw City
Although the Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinaw Bicycle Tour took a well-needed stop in Mount Pleasant this week, the crew involved with it was just getting started.
Bicyclists camped in front of Rose Pond Wednesday night and continued their five-day tour Thursday morning to Mackinaw City.
“It is kind of a love hate relationship,” Brighton resident David Walters said. “It helps us get in shape but it’s very tedious — it takes a lot of time.”
The bicyclists began at the Michigan State University Pavilion in East Lansing. Walters has been participating in the tour for the past five years.
DALMAC is a bicycle camping tour founded in 1971 by former State Rep. Dick Allen.
The tour promotes bicycling as a healthy means of transportation and recreation. The tour also raises awareness for the needs of bicyclists among citizens of Michigan.
The 350-mile bike ride is held every year over the Labor Day weekend. Bicyclists ride about 82 miles a day, Walters said.
Four of the five routes beginning in East Lansing end in Mackinaw City. The exception is the five-day upper peninsula route which ends in Sault Ste. Marie.
“We got here at around 8:10 this morning and got here around four,” Walters said.
DALMAC is sponsored by the Tri-County Bicycle Association. The TCBA also organizes camping locations and provides food for the bicyclists.
Trucks carry the bicyclists to the next stop.
A crew of massage therapists, a bike repair specialist and a medical wagon travel with the bikers.
“Some people came with their whole families,” said Chicago resident Deborah Jones. “Some people travel alone, others ride together.”
About 500 people participated in the trip, Walters said, and about 2000 participate in the DALMAC tours each year.
“We will be here next year right under this tree at the exact same spot,” said Ann Arbor resident Bruce Wilson. “Our spouses consider us crazy for doing this.”
