I’ve frequently spent time at Atomic’s Detroit office this summer, and I’m excited by downtown Detroit’s cycling opportunities. So far, my 3 favorite places to ride in downtown Detroit are:

1. The RiverWalk

I’ve been rinding the RiverWalk between 6am-7:30am. During that time period the RiverWalk has light traffic and the early-morning crowd is usually cheerful and friendly. The RiverWalk has been a great place for cruising, warming up, or easy spinning.

2. Belle Isle

Belle Isle is a beautiful island park located on the Detroit river. Belle Isle has 6 miles of road with a bike lane around its perimeter. You’ll be able to catch very scenic views of the Detroit and Windsor skylines as you ride around the island.

You can get to Belle Isle by riding the RiverWalk to its eastern end, riding a brief stretch of Jefferson Ave, and then crossing the MacArthur Bridge. The MacArthur bridge even has bike lanes.

Belle Isle is quite flat so it’s a great place for a light cruise or interval training. There’s also plenty of play equipment and picnic spots if you want to go as a family.

3. Riding Michigan Avenue to Slows

Downtown traffic is quite light when there’s not a game in town. Riding out of the core of downtown is easy and enjoyable. There are beautiful buildings to observe and wide, open roads. I’ve never been heckled by or harassed by drivers downtown.

There’s a bike lane on Michigan Ave all the way down to Slows BBQ, which has an excellent food and beer menu. I’ve enjoyed riding out to Slows for dinner and then riding back into downtown to cruise around the Campus Martius Park and Harmonie Park areas.

My Next Goals for Cycling in Detroit

I still need to check out Dequindre cut and I’d love to find any area that offers even the slightest hills. I’d also like to plan a few longer road ride routes that get out of the urban setting.

Do you ride in downtown Detroit? If so, please share your experiences or questions.