Detroit’s status as bicycling hotspot grows with Slow Roll
In a photo from Aug. 31, 2015, cyclists ride in the Greektown area in Detroit. Move aside Motor City. Make way for a new export that is turning Detroit’s auto legacy on its wheels. Thousands of bicyclists hit the streets Monday evenings from spring to fall for Slow Roll Detroit, an ultracasual 10 mile or so tour of its best and blighted neighborhoods at speeds up to 10 mph.
DETROIT >> A new export is turning Detroit’s auto legacy on its wheels.
Thousands of bicyclists hit Motor City streets Monday evenings for Slow Roll Detroit. The ultracasual 10-mile or so tours of city neighborhoods are at speeds up to 10 mph.
Mike MacKool and Jason Hall started the rides in 2011. They co-founded the nonprofit Detroit Bike City, which trademarked Slow Roll and helps bicyclists in other cities start the rides.
Affiliates now include Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland and Washington, D.C., and two in Sweden and one in Iraq.
Slow Roll and bicycling popularity have soared in Detroit as the city works to improve services after undergoing the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. This weekend, 7,000 cyclists are expected to ride in another event, the 14th annual Tour de Troit.
