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July 19, 2005 Special to the Record-Eagle From left, Katherine, Evan, Colin and John Williams will ride their quad bicycle in the Tour de TART. Touring in style on a bike built for fourQuad carries whole family and the dogByRecord-Eagle staff writer TRAVERSE CITY - The Williams family won't be the only group riding in the upcoming Tour de TART, but they'll probably be the only foursome pedaling on a single bike. "It's a rolling party," said John Robert Williams, describing the quad bicycle he'll help pilot on Friday's 19-mile trip to Suttons Bay. Williams and his wife Katherine bought a tandem bike as a wedding present and added carriers as each of their two sons - Evan, 12, and 9-year-old Colin - were born. That soon became unwieldy, and the idea for the quad bike emerged. "Cycling has always been a passion of mine," he said. "I don't golf, so I have a lot of bicycles." Williams custom-designed and ordered the bike as a surprise family Christmas gift in 1999. Since then, they've taken it with them everywhere from Washington, D.C., to the Florida Keys. Its wheels come off to fit in the family van. The bike even tows a carrier for Daisy, the family dog. The family has cruised in several other Tour de TARTs, even passing up an acquaintance on a mountain bike a few years back. "This guy couldn't believe how fast we were going," Williams said. "There's this whole thing about efficiency when everybody's on one bike. The thing really flies." The Tour de Tart ride from Traverse City to Suttons Bay will benefit TART Trails Inc., which supports a network of four trail systems in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties. They include the TART Trail in Traverse City, the Leelanau Trail, the Vasa Pathway and the Boardman Lake Trail. The one-way Friday night bike ride will start from McLain Cycle, 750 E. Eighth St., with check-in between 5-7 p.m. Two water and cookie stops are included in the flat, easy-ride course, suitable for cyclists of all abilities and ages. Cyclists will dine on a buffet dinner at the Suttons Bay marina at the end of the trip. Bikes will be loaded on trucks for the return voyage to Traverse City, which riders will make via school bus. About 10 miles of the route's southern end is paved, up to Lakeview Road. Another half-mile section south of Suttons Bay is also paved. In between is the railroad bed, an alternately grassy and gravely surface. Registration is $25 per person and $55 per family. Forms are available at the TART Trails office at 232 E. Front St., at Traverse City bike shops and online at www.traversetrails.org.
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