The U.P. is for Bikers

I just got back from a long bike ride and the journey to and from this particular destination became inspiration for this week's U.P. blog. No, the destination isn't part of the theme, but bike riding in general. The Upper Peninsula is quickly becoming known as a biking hotspot. The city of Marquette, in particular, is being ranked in mountain biking magazines yearly for its hospitality and accessibility to some of the best mountain biking trails around. And that's not only for the city of Marquette but for the entire peninsula, which has some of the most scenic and picturesque locations in the country. And people in the U.P. as well as the state as a whole are opening up to the idea of Michigan becoming a biking destination.

For those who have followed my blogs recently, you know that I've harped on the lack of divided highways in the U.P. Well, what the state isn't doing to increase vehicular capacity, they seem to be making up for with the biking community. On several U.P. highways, the Michigan Department of Transportation has started to pave previously graveled shoulders. This offers a much more safer situation for both bikers and vehicles as they both aren't trying to compete for a driving surface to drive on. Slowly but surely, more and more graveled shoulders in the U.P. are becoming paved offering more miles for bikers to travel on the side of U.P. highways. U.P. highways have always been opened to bikers trying to traverse the peninsula - but the shoulders weren't wide enough to provide a safe driving situation. But MDOT has become more proactive to help alleviate this situation.

Its not only the wider shoulders along highways that makes the U.P. more appealing. Several areas in the U.P. are beginning to hold bike races to draw up more interest in biking not only here in Upper Michigan but in the Great Lakes region as well. The Superior Bike Fest is an event that takes place in Marquette each summer. There are races that cater to all ages and what makes this event so unique is that it takes place right in the heart of downtown Marquette. Several downtown streets are blocked off so the Superior Bike Fest can hold their races here. It really creates a unique atmosphere and bikers are always excited to come back to such a distinctive race. Another popular event is the Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic that takes place in the middle of August. This is another biking event that caters to all ages and provides a few different race course lengths. The longest race starts in Ishpeming and ends in Marquette near the Lake Superior shoreline. Much of the trail in the Ishpeming and Negaunee areas takes place along former mining grounds, hence the name, Ore to Shore (Iron Ore/Lake Superior Shore).

For more information on the plethora of biking opportunities that exist in the Upper Peninsula, all one has to do is to do a search on Google. Try "Upper Peninsula Biking" or "Upper Peninsula Mountain Biking." There are a variety of sites that feature content on U.P. biking opportunities. As for the two biking events I already mentioned in this blog, those websites will be featured at the bottom of this entry. So there you have it, if you're a biker and are looking for new territory to explore, come on up to Michigan's Upper Peninsula. I'm sure you'll be happy with what you find in Michigan's Great White North.

Ore to Shore Mountain Bike Epic - http://www.oretoshore.com/
The Superior Bike Fest - http://www.superiorbikefest.com/index.php