Ride, eat, drink and learn daily through Michiana Bike to Work Week

Joseph Dits, South Bend Tribune
·8 min read
Volunteers with South Bend Bicycle Garage work on a bicycle while the owner enjoys a First Fridays event in downtown South Bend in 2022.
Volunteers with South Bend Bicycle Garage work on a bicycle while the owner enjoys a First Fridays event in downtown South Bend in 2022.

If you want to bike more but have lingering questions about how or where — or if you don't want to ride alone — your week is coming.

Michiana Bike to Work Week will span May 15 through 21 with lots of leisurely rides, food, bike cleaning and learning. Every day offers a chance to meet to ask questions of experienced local cyclists. Everything is free except for the restaurant and food truck eats and the brewery ride.

Feeling competitive? Register for a challenge to see how many miles you or a team can bike through the week, anything from commuting to e-bike joy riding. Sign up at michianabiketowork.org.

Trail update, January 2023: Growing in ❜23: Coal Line Trail, Love Creek cabin/shelter and Bertrand park.

And, throughout this summer, Jacob Beshara will serve as “bike ambassador” as he’ll provide free valet parking for bikes at several South Bend events, including South Bend Cubs games, Fridays by the Fountain, First Fridays and city parks events. The idea: Give you a safe, no-worries reason to bike to events and park your bike. Beshara is an AmeriCorps member who regularly helps at the South Bend Bike Garage.

∎ Casual ride: 6 p.m. May 15 at South Bend’s Pinhook Park, 2801 Riverside Drive. This weekly ride of the Michiana Bicycle Association follows the trail to Niles and back as the group stays together. The total distance is 20 miles, but you go only as far as you like, with an experienced rider with you. Helmets required.

Cyclists organize themselves before departing on one of the weekly rides from South Bend's Pinhook Park with the Michiana Bicycle Association in March 2022.
Cyclists organize themselves before departing on one of the weekly rides from South Bend's Pinhook Park with the Michiana Bicycle Association in March 2022.

∎ Free Blueberry Pancake Breakfast: 7-9 a.m. May 16 outside at Jon R. Hunt Plaza outside the Morris Performing Arts Center in downtown South Bend. Ride your bike there and find vendors with local biking information and advice.

∎ South Bend Green Drinks: 5:30 to 7 p.m. May 16 at South Bend TradeWorks Salvage Shop, 521 Lincoln Way W., South Bend. Volunteers will clean and watch your bike as you join conversations about sustainability.

∎ Cinco 5 lunch: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 17 at Cinco 5 restaurant, 112 W. Colfax Ave., South Bend. Volunteers will watch your bike as a valet service while you dine.

Volunteer Anton Getz works on a colorful bike outside at the South Bend Bike Garage at Indiana 933 and Angela Boulevard on July 13, 2022.
Volunteer Anton Getz works on a colorful bike outside at the South Bend Bike Garage at Indiana 933 and Angela Boulevard on July 13, 2022.

∎ South Bend Bike Garage: 5-8 p.m. May 17 at Indiana 933 and Angela Boulevard in South Bend. This nonprofit co-op, which opens at this time each Wednesday, will add guidance in safe cycling from certified instructors and a short, all-ages ride on a paved trail at 7 p.m. Franky’s Tacos food truck will be there, too.

∎ Sun King Brewery Ride: 5 p.m. May 18 at this brewery in the Mill at Ironworks Plaza complex by Mishawaka’s Beutter Park. Ride with a group along the river trail for 17 total miles. Cost is $15 to benefit South Bend Bike Garage and includes one free drink.

∎ Night Ride: 9 p.m. May 19 at Howard Park, South Bend. Depart on a leisurely guided group ride on trails for 15 miles, including a surprise “refueling stop.” Bike lights are required (add as many as you like).

Cyclists pause at the University of Notre Dame on a night bike ride in fall 2022. Another night ride is coming up for 2023's Michiana Bike to Work Week.
Cyclists pause at the University of Notre Dame on a night bike ride in fall 2022. Another night ride is coming up for 2023's Michiana Bike to Work Week.

∎ National Kids to Parks Day: Noon to 4 p.m. May 20 at Potawatomi Park, 500 S. Greenlawn Ave., South Bend. Ride your bike and leave it with volunteers to clean and fix up as kids join games, rock climbing, music, live entertainment and food trucks.

∎ Brunch ride: 10 a.m. May 21 at Weiss' Gasthaus, 115 N. Dixie Way, South Bend. Have brunch, then join meal mates for a casual ride on the nearby River Valley Trail.

Bonanza of rides

∎ Bike Buchanan: These popular weekly Tuesday evening rides will launch the season May 16 from River St. Joe brewery/restaurant, 15475 Walton Road, Buchanan. Come early to register for one of several paved or gravel road routes. Depart at 6:30 p.m. Helmets required.

∎ Ride of Silence: Join one of the rides held across the world on May 17 to remembers those who’ve been killed or injured while riding a bike on public roads. Cyclists ride silently at no more than 12 mph, wear helmets and follow all rules of the road. In Benton Harbor, ride 7.5 miles from North Pier Brewing Company, 670 N. Shore Drive. Arrive by 6:30 p.m.; ride at 7 p.m. (cycle-re-cycle-swm.org) In Goshen, ride from Lincoln Avenue Cycling, 430 W. Lincoln Ave. Arrive at 6:30 p.m.; ride at 7 p.m. (lincolnavenuecycling.com) In LaPorte, ride four to six miles from the main entrance of LaPorte County Fairgrounds, 2581 W. Indiana 2. Meet at 6:30 p.m. CDT. (maplecitybicyclingclub.com)

∎ Elkhart Bicycle Fest: Find food, drink and vendors from 5 to 8 p.m. May 19 at the Elkhart Environmental Center, 1717 E. Lusher Ave., plus healthy snacks for kids at 5:30 p.m. and a 30-minute bike rodeo for kids at 6 p.m. (register for that in a link in this story online). Join a 30-minute ride to the fest at 5 p.m. from Ox Bow County Park, 23033 County Road 45, Goshen.

∎ Fat & Skinny Tire Fest: This annual festival in Winona Lake boasts all kinds of biking May 19-21: a critical mass ride, BMX stunt shows, a countryside road ride, historical bike tour, youth skills clinics, and street, BMX and mountain bike races, along with live music, food and drink. Register and find details at fatandskinnytirefest.com.

∎ Orchard Country Bicycle Tour: This bike ride out of LaPorte on May 21 offers a 16-mile route through the city and countryside, plus options of 32 and 63 miles. Cost is $30 per person, $60 per family. Register and start between 7 a.m. and noon CDT at the LaPorte County Fairgrounds, 2581 W. Indiana 2. Details at maplecitybicyclingclub.com.

This tunnel in Benton Harbor, just completed on May 10, 2023, will allow those on the Lakeview mountain bike trail at Whirlpool Corp.'s headquarters to cross Michigan 63 safely to a two-mile trail extension.
This tunnel in Benton Harbor, just completed on May 10, 2023, will allow those on the Lakeview mountain bike trail at Whirlpool Corp.'s headquarters to cross Michigan 63 safely to a two-mile trail extension.

Benton Harbor trail tunnel

A tunnel under Michigan 63 now connects the mountain bike trail at the Whirlpool Corp.’s global headquarters in Benton Harbor with a future extension of that trail — due to be finished in early summer — that could offer a glimpse of Lake Michigan.

The tunnel was built this spring and opened May 10. I wrote about Whirlpool’s new Lakeview Trail that opened last fall. At 5.5 miles, it is gently rolling and flowing, suitable for all skill levels, even kids, although it has an optional advanced loop with a strong hill climb and descent.

September 2022: Will new mountain bike trail near Benton Harbor lead to more trails in the community?

Whirlpool organizers say we can watch for a possible opening in June for the two-mile extension through undeveloped woods and grass.

Trail creators chose to build a tunnel because having cyclists cross the busy highway traffic would have been too risky.

The Lakeview Trail didn’t open for the season until May 4, delayed because of wet and flooded conditions from the clay soils, along with some fallen trees. Try to avoid wet spots because leaving a rut ruins the trail.

Also, a new vault toilet at the trailhead is nearing completion.

To find the trailhead, go north of Benton Harbor on Michigan 63 past Jean Klock Park and, at the Whirlpool campus, turn east onto Monte Road. Look for trail signs.

Dunes birding fest

Indiana Dunes State Park in Chesterton will host several free activities from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT May 13 for “Youth and Family Birding Day” while hundreds of bird-watching fans converge on the region for the annual Indiana Dunes Birding Festival. Hourly bird walks, songbird and hummingbird banding, crafts, nature sketching, a bluebird house building workshop, bird games, scout birding merit badge projects, a photo ID quiz with giveaways and other activities will span the day at the state park's nature center.

Meanwhile, the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center will serve as the daily hub for the Indiana Dunes Birding Festival where you can get questions answered from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. CDT May 12-13 and from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. CDT May 14. There will be vendors selling optics, art and bird-feeding equipment, along with state and regional conservation groups. Find the visitor center at 1215 N. Indiana 49, Porter, 1 mile north of Interstate 94, or call 219-395-1882.

The festival’s more than 150 field trips and workshops are booked, but you’ll catch the buzz throughout the greater dunes region as participants take their binoculars to the trails. Find the full schedule at indunesbirdingfestival.com.

∎ Birds of Poland: Park officials from three of Poland’s national parks will talk about the country’s rich habitats for nesting and migratory birds at 6 p.m. CDT today (May 10) at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center.

∎ Birding by bike: At 1 p.m. CDT May 13, Beau Schaefer will discuss how he rode his gravel bikes more than 6,000 miles and identified 276 species of birds in six counties around Chicago.

Find columnist Joseph Dits on Facebook at SBTOutdoorAdventures or 574-235-6158 or jdits@sbtinfo.com.

This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Michiana Bike to Work Week has free food rides and cycling advice