On Wednesday, over 1,000 bicyclists departed from Lansing for a 5-day journey to Mackinaw City.
They are biking in the 51st annual “DALMAC” bike tour, which originated in 1971 by former State Representative Dick Allen.
Allen challenged Michiganders to bike to the Mackinac bridge to prove bicycles and cars can share the roads safely. Today, DALMAC still aims to promote bicycling as a healthy means of transportation and recreation.
“We do our very best to make sure that bicyclists have a safe and enjoyable ride,” said volunteer Anne Readett.
Readett said riding along the water and viewing the tunnel of trees are among many of her favorite highlights from the tour.
“One of the other things that's really nice about this bike tour is seeing whole families together riding for something like this,” she said.
Some participants will bike for the rest of this week, while others will join along the way for two, three or four day journeys to Mackinaw City.
“There is a whole core of people (for whom) it's just a Labor Day tradition that they ride, and oftentimes they'll bring friends and family along because they hear what a great time people have and they want to experience that too.”
Readett said they will continue to bike rain or shine, but she anticipates decent weather for the journey.
Bicyclists this year are as young as seven and as old as ninety four.
