07/22/2006

Bikers hit road to Mackinaw

By CRAIG McCOOL

mccoolrecordeagle@sbcglobal.net

Record-Eagle/Craig McCool
Bob Gibbs, 87, oils his bicycle chain to get ready for the ride home from Harbor Springs to Traverse City Friday after participating in the 300-mile Michigander bike tour.

HARBOR SPRINGS — By 7 a.m., the serious riders had broken camp and begun the final leg in their week-long, 300-mile trek.

But after five days on the road, and five nights on the ground, the majority of cyclists were still sipping coffee and stretching at that hour.

Gary Starin rolled up his tent and popped a few Ibuprofen tablets.

For him, the Michigander, an organized ride from Big Rapids to Mackinaw City, was a first.

"I just got into biking this year," the Highland resident said. "There are mornings when you get up and think, 'I don't want to do it.' But you get moving, get loosened up and it's not too bad."

This year marked the 15th annual Michigander ride. The route changes yearly to feature different improved trails around the state. Riders started July 16 and finished Friday in Mackinaw City. They averaged 50 miles a day, stopping along the way in Cadillac, Benzonia, Traverse City, Bellaire and Harbor Springs.

They tented nights on school property. Each morning, organizers hauled the camping equipment by truck to the next stop.

The 600-or-so participants all ride at their own pace, said volunteer organizer Veronica Goldwater.

"It's not a race," she said. "It's a good, family ride. Our youngest this year is three years old and our oldest is 87."

At 87, Bob Gibbs got back into cycling recently after a four-year hiatus while he cared for his ailing wife, he said.

Most riders drove to the start in Big Rapids and planned to catch shuttles back at the ride's conclusion. Not Gibbs, who believes that driving to an event designed to promote cycling is "great foolishness."

So he pedaled from his cabin in Traverse City almost 90 miles to the starting point in Big Rapids. He skipped the final leg from to Mackinaw, and planned instead to ride back to Traverse City Friday from Harbor Springs.

Strapped to the front wheel of his bicycle were his tent, bedding, multiple tarps and a roll of dirty clothes. He checked the air in his tires and oiled each link in his bicycle chain before setting off.

"When my wife passed away, I spent a few years catching up on things I had let go," he said. "But then I thought I'd better let some things go again and do some of the physical stuff that keeps me young."