The annual event that represents the growth of bicycling in Detroit and the idea that the city is a place for fun and exploration takes place next Saturday: The Tour de Troit.
In 12 years, the tour has grown from 50 riders to the estimated 6,000 that will take part in this year's event, which will start at Michigan Central Station and continue through southwest Detroit, Woodbridge, Milwaukee Junction, Indian Village, Belle Isle, Lafayette Park, the Packard Plant and downtown.
And Amy Haimerl of Crain's Detroit Business ties to the Tour to another cycling success story: Wheelhouse Detroit, the riverfront bike shop run by two friends from high school, Kelli Kavanaugh and Karen Gage.
Wheehouse was founded thanks to the Tour, and it is flourishing, Haimerl writes.
Kavanauch and Gage "were working in community development in Detroit when they heard about the Tour de Troit. Avid bicyclists, they decided to volunteer in 2005. They watched attendance jump from 200 that year to nearly 1,000 in 2007, when they started getting serious about opening a business."
"The growth in the tour raised a flag that the biking culture was on the rise," said Gage, 37. "When we were doing our business planning, we noticed there weren't any type of services or bike repair in the greater metro area."
"We were tired of having to go out to the suburbs to fix our bikes," added Kavanaugh, 37. "That was our light-bulb moment. Bikes. And we thought, 'Maybe that's what we should do.' "
Starting with just $30,000 in 2008, its revenue is expected to reach $180,000 for 2013. It employs 10 people, plus a dozen contract employees who lead bike tours.
