The Great Wind Storm of ’17

Posted on March 15, 2017 by Shaun

WHAT A WEEK! Like most of you, Hometown went “rustic” last week, courtesy of The Great Wind Storm of ’17. To all of our DTE Hometownies and your fellow crew, thanks for putting in all the long hours and hard labor to get us back up and running!Shout out to a few Hometownies who really stepped up when our shop powered down:

Brian Forhan, you are a prince. Your generator gave us enough oomph to keep our shop fish alive and the furnace running.
Joe Van Gordon, we appreciate you hanging out to ensure that the post-gale roof repair was done right, addressing some of the in-store hiccups, and for even thinking to bring food!
Jeff Ballen, if it weren’t for your quick eye, we may have missed the mid-outage delivery that contained a shipment of our customers’ bikes. Thanks for the call!

We hope everyone came out of this adventure with a cool story to tell. Now… back to another kind of rustic – you, your bike, and Ma Nature. Happy trails!

(Our dedicated Team peeps. We’d like to point out, once again, how awesome our Team Sponsors are – Sean Lowry of Lowry Solutions and Deb Godmer of Hamburg Fitness Center & Camp are two of the faces you see here!)

TEAM HOMETOWN TACKLED TRAILDAY

It will shock absolutely no one that our community bike trails took a beating from last week’s wind storm. But here’s what makes us smile – Team Hometown really stepped up to the plate with 16 of our members and their family and friends, rocking the rakes and saws to clear debris from Island Lake’s miles of much-loved single track. We’re proud of you!

The local Mountain Bike Chapters (MCMBA and PotoMBA) will be having more Traildays this Spring – plan to come out with us! Plus, a few trees bit the dust on Hometown’s shop trail – stay tuned for upcoming opportunities to help us clear it up.

SPRING SNOWMAN 5K – CROSS-TRAINING THAT FEEDS YOUR SOUL

We’re just a couple months away from an event that we’ve been thrilled to support since our earliest days – the Spring Snowman 5K Run/Walk hosted by the Eric Hartwell Foundation.

This remarkable organization was created by the Hartwell Family (a particularly awesome group of Hometownies) to raise money to “directly support children, diagnosed with Leukemia and other blood disorders, being treated at C.S. Mott’s Children’s Hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan.”

Participants have a chance to win a Jamis bike, donated by Hometown Bicycles. Great cause. Great cross-training. Great prize.

GREAT TIME TO REGISTER, DON’T YOU THINK??

HERE’S AN EVENT TO WET YOUR WHISTLE…

You all know Ashley from Tocca Massage & Yoga, who held the massively popular yoga series at our shop (and will be running another – stay tuned!) Well, Ashley’s instigated an event that we know you’ll enjoy – Poses, Pedals & Pints on Saturday, May 13th.

It’s a triathlon of a different color – this one combines yoga, bikes, and beer with a laid back vibe in Downtown Brighton. Yoga commences at 11am at Brewery Becker. Hometown’s in charge of the leisurely 8-mile bike ride that follows, along with bike valet service. And it all concludes with a refreshing pint at the Brewery to cool your gullet.

Registration is limited to 50, so sign up NOW, to ensure your participation in this first annual event!

(Images at left courtesy Chris Mayer)

MEET YOUR CREW: CHRIS MAYER

Service tech Chris is one active dude in the competitive sports arena, so you may not have seen much of him yet at Hometown, but he’s already shown his Hometown worthiness by jumping in head first to catch us up on storm-delayed repairs. You’ll be seeing a lot more of this helpful Hometownie during summer break:

I just started working with the Hometown crew, and I love it so far! I currently go to Hartland High School and am a Senior. I’m not sure on future plans yet, but love sports. I am a Varsity cross country runner, swimmer, and track athlete. In the summer I compete in triathlons all over Michigan. This past summer, I even did a half marathon. When I’m not playing or training for sports, I love to play paintball and go backpacking with my friends. I have been road biking for years, but just recently got hooked on mountain biking.

Fat Bike Friendly Shop Ride – NONE THIS WEEK

GOOD LUCK, WATERLOO G&G GRAVEL ROAD RACERS!
With many of our Team headed off to the Waterloo G&G Gravel Road Race this weekend, we’ll be postponing our uber-popular winter shop ride.

Hey, now! Put those hankies away! It’s coming back!! As always, follow us on Facebook for future ride confirmations and updates.

And the fat bike weather just keeps on coming! Want to try a fat bike? We rent! Call our shop: (810) 225-2441

(Photo cred: Yoga pic at left courtesy Ashley Knuth of Tocca Massage & Yoga)