(Team Hometown Bicycles photo at left, courtesy Mary Zaremba. Woods pics, clockwise from top left – Mike Dyer, John Wyatt, Olga Negrut, Jack Riddle – courtesy Rob Meendering Photography.)

HAVING A GRAND TIME IN GRAND TRAVERSE – ARCADIA

Last weekend found our well-traveled Team hitting the Grand Traverse Area Arcadia Dunes Trail System in the Arcadia Grit & Gravel Mountain Bike Race, which boasted “a peloton start and miles and miles of gravel”, according to Team racer Mike Dyer. “The weather turned out to be beautiful blue skies and mild, although a heavy east wind made for some tough head winds.” Our congrats to the Team for making it fun regardless!

(Photos courtesy Scott Simpson)

TEAM NEWS: WE KAME, WE SAW, WE VOLUNTEERED

The much-anticipated, NEW DTE Big Kame Trail Loop is slated to open June 10th… with, of course, the dedicated efforts of scores of volunteers, spearheaded by the PotoMBA. We’re so proud that our Team members can be counted among them.

Scott Simpson, Brandon Bailey, and Greg Cook (pictured above), your hard work is appreciated, and will be especially appreciated when the rubber meets the dirt at next month’s grand trail opening! Join in the adventure!

“HOW TO TRAIN FOR A TRIATHLON” CLINIC – JUNE 6 & 8

Should I work with a coach? How do I get the most out of bricks? How do I train physically and mentally for a sport that involves swim, bike, AND run? What are “junk miles”, and how do I avoid them?  What should my taper look like?

If a triathlon is in your future, these pondering points are just the tip of the triathlon iceberg in terms of prepping for your next (or first!) race. Expert triathlete, IRONMAN Coach, 5-time Kona Qualifier, Registered Dietician, and Hometownie, Amy Gluck, will be covering everything from picking a triathlon to post-tri training analysis in Hometown’s “How to Train for a Triathlon” Clinic.

Held right here in our Community Room, there is NO CHARGE to attend. Choose from two dates: Tuesday (6/6) or Thursday (6/8) at 6pm!
REGISTER NOW FOR “HOW TO TRAIN FOR A TRIATHLON”

HOMETOWN HOSTS BULLDOGS ON BICYCLES

We’re not talking 4-legged and furry here… we’re talking about the fiercely fast cyclists of Brighton High School’s super-skilled cycling team (of which Hometown Service Tech Joe is one – read about him below!)

On May 30th, we have the pleasure of providing our local Bulldogs with Bike Maintenance instruction prior to their standard on-the-bike training. Under Coach TJ Tyrrell, this group of mountain biking guys and gals are growing into responsible and well-rounded cyclists. Awesome.

If you bleed black and orange, come high five your hometown team as they prep for the 2017 race season!

(Image at left courtesy Joe Shafer)

MEET THE CREW: JOE SHAFER

Service Tech Joe’s Hometown history began with visits to the shop with his dad. Later, his “man on a mission” approach to working at the local grocery caught Shaun’s eye, and we offered him a position here. Today, Joe still comes in and wrenches with purpose – this Tech’s got drive, and we’re thrilled to have him on our Crew. Joe says:

I have been mountain biking since I was in 8th grade. My dad biked a lot so I started to go with him. Now I am a sophomore at Brighton High School and I am on their mountain biking team. This is my second year on the team. Along with biking, I also snowboard in the winter. I really enjoy working at Hometown because I love the environment and the people I work with. Also, working there allows me to understand the sport better and all the mechanics involved.

MCMBA KEEPS ‘EM COMING – MILFORD BIKE FEST

Hot on the heels of the MCMBA Demo Day, Hometown’s hitched it’s sponsorship buggy to MCMBA’s Milford Bike Festival & Trail Challenge!

This June 3rd event gives you a day of family-friendly trail/path riding, guided rides (new this year!), live music, food, raffles, and beer. It’s only $20 pre-registered or $25 day-of, with all proceeds benefitting the MCMBA, which VERY actively preserves, protects, and promotes our local parks and mountain bike trails. That’s a worthwhile cause we’re proud to support!

CLICK for details or to register now!

HOMETOWN BICYCLES UPCOMING SHOP RIDES

THURSDAY SOCIAL RIDE (5/25)
10:00AM (meet at 9:45) from Hometown Bicycles
Join us as we explore our local park roads, paved paths and sometimes – a bakery! All bikes welcome. Expect to average 10 mph for 1.5+ hours as we cover 13 – 18 miles. NO DROP RIDE.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (5/26)
8:45PM (meet at 8:30) from Maltby Intermediate School (4740 Bauer Rd. in Brighton) 
It’s time to explore! We’ll ride to the Brighton Recreation trails, accessing them from the gravel roads. This will be an INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCED pace. Make sure your lights are charged for this ride in the dark! We will re-group throughout the trail. Mountain and Fat Bikes are encouraged to join this ride. Check back for ride confirmation/changes.

SUNDAY EXPLORING TRAILS MOUNTAIN BIKE RIDE (5/28)
4:30PM (meet at 4:15) from Hometown Bicycles
Beginner friendly mountain bike trail ride which will encourage riders to visit new trails as their skill level increases.  Expect to venture out past Island Lake throughout the season to Brighton’s Murray Lake, Milford, Maybury, and Waterloo’s DTE Trail. If Poto is your goal, this is the weekly ride to get you there by the end of the season!  Save 1.5 hours of your day to cover 12 – 16 miles of trail with the Hometown crew. NO DROP RIDE.

TUESDAY GRAVEL GRINDING 101 WITH ‘CYCLODAN’ TRIBBLE  (5/30)
6:30PM (meet at 6:15) from Hometown Bicycles
Join Hometown service guru, Dan ‘CycloDan’ Tribble, for this unique, gravel grinding adventure ride.  We’ll tackle road, singletrack, and gravel, including portions of Island Lake, hopping a guardrail, sand “puddles”, and a few hills just for fun! Plan initially for just over an hour, covering 13+ miles at a 12 – 13 mph average pace, with the intention to lengthen the distance as sunset grows later. Gravel, adventure, or mountain/fat bikes required (not appropriate for skinny tires). All levels of riders are welcome – NO DROP RIDE.
WEDNESDAY HAMMERFEST / SON OF HAMMERFEST (5/31)
This is a DROP RIDE!
6:30PM (meet at 6:15) from Hometown Bicycles
**New Addition! Meet “Son of Hammerfest” for those that would like to build up to the original Hammerfest.**
SON OF HAMMERFEST:
Rolling at 6:30 from Hometown Bicycles. This will include 25 miles (1 lap of ILRA & the Kensington Loop). Average pace targeted at 17 – 18 mph, with flats of 20+ mph.
HAMMERFEST:
Bring your “A” game, and see if you can stay on this crazy train of talented individuals as they push each other to find new limits. You’ll want the fastest road bike you own, as the pace averages 20 mph through 2 laps (40 miles) of the roads of Island Lake. Expect the flats pace to range 24 – 28 mph!

THURSDAY MORNING SOCIAL RIDE  (6/1)
10:00AM (meet at 9:45) from Hometown Bicycles
Join us as we explore our local park roads, paved paths and sometimes – a bakery! All bikes welcome.  Expect to average 10 mph for 1.5+ hours as we cover 13 – 18 miles. NO DROP RIDE.

For ALL SHOP RIDES, be sure to FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK for ride confirmations and updates!

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

FITNESS CLASSES AT HOMETOWN

Hey, Hometownies! Mark your calendars for these fantastic fitness programs running right here at your favorite bike shop:

CARDIO DRUMMING | Wednesdays at 6:45PM
$5 class fee / $5 equipment rental – With Martha Soraruf
Click to learn more

DYNAMIC YOGA | Fridays at 9:00AM (starting June 16)
$10 drop in – With Ashley Knuth of Tocca Massage & Yoga
Click to learn more

ZUMBA | Mondays at 6PM & Thursdays at 9:30AM
$8 drop in or “10 classes for $50” punch card – With Leslie Barrett
Click to learn more

Not all classrooms
have four walls.

– Anonymous