metro

Bike Fest

Birmingham event promises races,
family fun and a fundraiser.

D

owntown Birmingham will once
as the cycling representative for the Multi-
again be the hub of an exhilarat-
Modal Plan.
ing day of amateur and profes-
"Even the most experienced riders are
sional road racing, a bike fair and bike
injured when there is not a proper under-
safety clinics during the Birmingham Bike
standing between bikers and cars about
Festival from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 25. their rights to the road," he says. "It is great
While the festival is hosting the
to see the city implementing things
2013 Michigan State Criterium
like bike racks, bike lanes and, in
Championship Races, the event is
some cases, lower speed limits so
not only about racing; it's about
that everyone can co-exist:'
getting people excited enough
Spectators are encouraged
about biking to actually use bikes
to ride to the event. Safe, free
on a regular basis.
bike parking will be available at
Birmingham provides the per-
Martin and Bates streets.
7
fect venue for the event as it is
The Miles4Alex bike event
Dr. Ric hard
engaging the entire community
during the festival is named after
Keidan
to get out and choose alternatives
Alexandra Graham, a 17-year-old
forms of transportation with its
West Bloomfield resident who
Multi-Modal Transportation Plan, devel-
lost her fight with bone cancer in 1999.
oped after a 2011 state law required com-
The event will raise funds for two pro-
munities to consider alternative forms of
grams at Beaumont Children's Hospital,
transportation in road construction plans.
where Alex received her care, and for the
The goals are to integrate a balance
Detroit2Nepal Foundation.
Miles4Alex is a half-mile, parade-
between motorized and non-motorized
vehicles so there's greater social interaction style family bike ride starting at 1 p.m.
among bikers, walkers and transit users.
After the ride, families can stop by the
Jeffrey Surnow, Birmingham Bike
Rock Companies/Beaumont Kids Fair on
Festival Race founder and director, serves
Martin Street adjacent to Shain Park for

Kids participating in last year's family ride are ready to go.

games, crafts and prizes. All participants
will receive free T-shirts. Participating
kids will receive medals and superhero
capes (in keeping with the superhero
theme this year of Miles4Alex). Kids are
encouraged to dress as super-heroes for
the ride.
The event raises funds for Beaumont
Children's Hospital's Pediatric Rehabil-
itation Bike Program, providing free,
custom adaptive bikes for children with
special needs; the Pediatric Oncology
Long-Term Follow-Up Clinic, providing
care for childhood cancer survivors; and
the Detroit2Nepal Foundation, a nonprofit
organization that provides educational
scholarships, health education programs

and toilet facilities for waste management
for children in remote Himalayan villages
in Nepal.
The fundraiser was developed by
Dr. Richard Keidan, a Beaumont surgi-
cal oncologist, who created the D2N
Foundation and spends three months a
year leading its work in Nepal.
To register for the ride, or to donate, go
to www.crowdrise.com/
miles4alex. The first $25,000 raised will
be matched by the Children's Miracle
Network Hospitals. For more information
on the bike festival, go to www.birming-
hambikefestival.org .
The event is presented by Fred Lavery
Audi of Birmingham.

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14 August 15 • 2013

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