Clinton River Trail Charity Ride Raises $2,500

Second Annual “Cruisin’ for the Trails” Charity Ride Raises $2,500 for Friends of the Clinton River Trail

Over 100 riders endured the near 90 degree temperature to participate in the second annual “Cruisin’ for the Trails” fall ride, Saturday, September 23, 2017 to benefit the Clinton River Trail. Hosted by Motor City Brew Tours, and sponsored by New Belgium Brewing Company, the event raised $2,500 to be used by the Friends of the Clinton River Trail for trail improvements. The route took riders about nine miles along the trail, from Clubhouse BFD in Rochester Hills to the Filmore 13 Brewery in downtown Pontiac, and then back. In addition to a t-shirt and bike related SWAG, adult riders were provided with lots of water, KIND snacks and selected New Belgium beverages.

Second Annual “Cruisin’ for the Trails” Charity Ride Raises $2,500 for Friends of the Clinton River Trail

Second Annual “Cruisin’ for the Trails” Charity Ride Raises $2,500 for Friends of the Clinton River Trail

As part of the event festivities, New Belgium Brewing donated a custom designed bicycle for Friends of the Clinton River Trail (FCRT) to raffle at the end of the ride. Each year New Belgium contracts to have several unique designed bicycles built exclusively for them. The bikes are used to recognize employee milestones and for charitable causes. In this case the bike was hand-built by Detroit Bikes in their west-side Detroit factory.

Steve Johnson, founder of Motor City Brew Tours, was excited to have riders experience the Clinton River Trail and visit downtown Pontiac. “Motor City Brew Tours would like to thank everyone who came out to support the Clinton River Trail. The ride has grown in participation from last year and despite the unusually hot weather we had a great group of trail supporters. We appreciated all of the riders, volunteers and sponsors who made this charity bike event a resounding success. We look forward to planning an even better event next year. Special thanks go to New Belgium Brewing, Clubhouse BFD, Main Street Bicycles, KIND Snacks, FCRT and the Filmore 13 Brewery for making it a fantastic day to be on a bike in Oakland County.”

Rochester Hills resident Karen Kohler was the lucky winner of the New Belgium Brewery donated bicycle hand-built by Detroit Bikes

Rochester Hills resident Karen Kohler was the lucky winner of the New Belgium Brewery donated bicycle hand-built by Detroit Bikes

Melinda Hill, president of FCRT, explained that the group uses the monies raised as seed money or matching funds for grants to acquire new amenities and signage for the trail. Recent additions have included monument signs at major road crossings with maps and wayfinding information, new interpretive signs, information kiosks and two shade shelters. The Clinton River Trail is managed individually by five cities each having a segment of the trail.  The Friends group strives to insure cooperation and coordination between the cities.  “Partners like Motor City Brew Tours and New Belgium Brewing sponsoring events like “Cruisin’ for the Trails” provide the critical funding needed to improve the trail. As an example, currently the all-volunteer Friends group is contracting to have new mile and half-mile markers fabricated. Hopefully they will be ready late this fall for the cities to install,” Hill said.

About Motor City Brew Tours

They offer guided bus, walking and bicycle tours to breweries in Michigan. For more information on Motor City Brew Tours visit: http://motorcitybrewtours.com/

About the Clinton River Trail (CRT)

CRT is a 16 mile long, multi-use, recreational trail extending through the communities of Sylvan Lake, Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Rochester Hills and Rochester. The CRT provides connections to several other trails in the area and is a critical part of two cross-state trails: the Iron Belle Trail running from Belle Isle to Ironwood and the Great Lake to Lake Trail from South Haven to Port Huron.

About Friends of the Clinton River Trail

An all-volunteer group, Friends of the Clinton River Trail is dedicated to improving the safety and enjoyment of the trail for all users. With roughly 450 members, the group’s Steering Committee works with each of the five cities through which the trail passes to achieve consistent “branding” for the trail and a common standard for trail appearance and maintenance. For information, or to join Friends of the Clinton River Trail, visit: http://www.clintonrivertrail.org/.

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Rochester Media publishes The Community Edge digital newsletter of recently posted articles from Rochester Media, a hyper-local news outlet covering all things in and around Rochester, Rochester Hills, and Oakland Township. Send us you press releases and news happenings to editor@rochestermedia.com.

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