Thank you for voting Velo City Cycles best bike shop in the area for 2019! We love what we do, and we love this cycling community.

RvQ is back for May, with a new format! Read below for details:

If you’ve been following along with the Ronde van Quarantine you know our April challenge was all about two things: supporting our local community and finding an outlet for those competitive wiggles. For May we’re still focusing on our community, but we’re shifting from competition to exploring new places and enjoying the beautiful weather in a responsible manner.

Enter the Ronde van Quarantine Adventure Challenge, supporting the Community Foundation of the Holland/Zeeland Area! Over the next 4 weeks, participants will explore 4 different parts of the Holland area: Urban, North, East, and South. Each week participants will have one route to complete, specially created by a local expert.

Alright Holland/Zeeland area cyclists…it’s time to go SOLO! Join us for this 4-week solo bike challenge to benefit Community Action House!

What is the Challenge?
We have created this challenge as a way to connect with each other during this time of solo rides. We have selected 4 Strava segments in the Holland and Zeeland area to ride throughout the 4 weeks of April. Each week’s segment will feature as a stage of the Ronde Van Quarantine.

If you would like to join the challenge, all you need to do is make a donation of any amount to Community Action Houseand email a screenshot of your donation confirmation email to Mark Strikwerda (Team Captain for Team Velo) mark@peopleit.com. (Please keep the donated amount out of the screenshot).

Link to donate to Community Action House: https://communityactionhouse.z2systems.com/np/clients/communityactionhouse/donation.jsp

Once you have joined the challenge you will be invited to a private Strava group which will be used to track times for each stage. Results will then be tabulated in a Google spreadsheet.

There will be a Men’s and Women’s category. Each category will have an overall winner based on cumulative time across all 4 stages, as well as stage winners. Stage winners get $5 gift cards to Velo City Cycles and other local busineses and overall winners get $20. This is to keep things interesting and add a bit of incentive, but the real goal is to raise money for Community Action House and help them out during this time of increased strain on their resources. The fastest cyclists won’t be the only ones getting prizes…so all speeds are encouraged to join this challenge!

Rules… the fun part.

1. Safety is the first priority at all times. Please be aware of cars and pedestrians, and obey the rules of the road at all times.
2. Each qualifying ride must be SOLO! No drafting of any kind. Please take this seriously. We reserve the right to disqualify any participant who matches with another rider during their Strava effort. #ridesolosavelives
3. Aero Bars, TT Bikes, and E-Bikes are not allowed.

Notes

• We may have to make changes to the stages and/or the rules during the challenge given the high level of uncertainty surrounding COVID-19. Please be understanding and know that we will attempt to notify all participants of any changes as quickly as possible.
• The challenge is open to anyone that rides bikes.
• You may attempt the segment as many times as you want during its assigned week.
• We will follow the “Strava week,” meaning each new week changes over at 11:59pm on Sunday night.
• Results for the week will be totaled on the Google sheet on Monday
• We’ll be implementing ‘doping controls’ by checking fly-bys from riders at random.
• For the GC, there are just men’s and women’s overall categories. No age groups. Sorry.

Stages

Stage 1 (April 6-12):
Bee Line Hill – Brought to you by PeopleIT, Knot Spot Pretzel and Our Brewing Company

• .92 miles
• Beeline is our “Alpe d’Huez” so why not start off with all 96 feet of elevation?
• –https://www.strava.com/segments/1108518?oq=bee

Stage 2 (April 13-19):
SB Lakeshore – Brought to you by Herman Miller, Kort Advisor Group (Robert Kort) and Quality Door Company Inc

• 3.19 miles
• Stage two heads to the lake for the puncheur’s stage which starts out with a nice 45-foot climb, and then features a few classic Holland micro-hills to test your legs.
• https://www.strava.com/segments/12388155?utm_source=ios_share&utm_medium=social&share_sig=D5BE15791585854335&_branch_match_id=763122628340837451

Stage 3 (April 20-26):
66 North – Brought to you by Tiara Yachts, New Holland Brewing Co. and Signs By Tomorrow – Holland, MI

• 2.17 miles
• Stage 3 is a nice flat cruise heading north up 66th St. past Gilligan Lake. Use this opportunity to show off the extent of your raw power. Or don’t, and show everyone how chill you are. This is all just for fun anyway!
• https://www.strava.com/segments/1954671

Stage 4 (April 27-May 3):
De Ronde Van Beaverdam – Brought to you by Gentex Corporation, Bartels Plants, Amethyst Bee Cakery and BuhlerPrince

• 15.11 miles
• Stage 4 is the meat of the Ronde Solo Rodeo. We are heading out on the gravel (which is in great shape!) to finish the month off. This stage is a clockwise loop that features a couple of good climbs on New Holland St. It is also the only stage with any stop signs. You are expected to stop at all signs. Trust us, if you lose this stage it won’t be from a couple quick stops at gravel intersections.
• https://www.strava.com/segments/5905865

Dear Velo Community and Valued Customers,

Like many of you, our team has been monitoring the updates surrounding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and have been working to respond appropriately with CDC guidelines and recommendations.
The well-being of our customers and staff members is extremely important to us. In an effort to help prevent the spread of the virus, we have set precautionary measures around our store.

• Employees are wiping down shared surfaces hourly (Doors, handles, bikes, phones, keyboards, credit card terminals, etc).
• Employees are washing hands upon entering work and at regular intervals throughout the day and after handling cash.
• We have contactless credit card terminals for Apple Pay or chip cards.
• We are offering pickup orders: You may call in advance for your item, and one of our employees will pick the order and call you when it is ready. Once you arrive at our shop, we will bring the order out to you.
• Ship orders! We will ship your order to your home. $10 shipping on all orders. (Inquire about bike/oversized shipping).

How can I support my local businesses if I should stay home?

• Order ahead and pick and go.
• Shop locally-smaller businesses will have fewer people to interact with and easier to practice a 6-foot distance.
• Smaller stores are easier to keep clean.
• Local stores tend to buy more locally and many support local craftsmen.
• Support your local economy by shopping locally.
• Buy gift certificates to help them keep the cash flow going during the upcoming weeks. You can use them when the trajectory is declining.
• As always wash your hands for 20 seconds, cover your mouth if coughing with your sleeve, stay home if sick.

Thank you!,

Your friends at Velo City Cycles

Join us on Sunday, October 6, 2019 for the Virtue Gravel Fondo. This gravel grinder bike ride will start and finish at Virtue Farm in Fennville, taking you on some great gravel roads in Allegan County. Once on the course, you can choose to ride the 7, 18 or 36 mile route. Come prepared to self support your ride.

Details:
– Ride date; Sunday October 6 (Ride starts at 1pm)
– Start and finish will be at Virtue Cider, 2170 62nd Street, Fennville MI 49408
– Rider check in 11:30-1pm
– Choose from a 7, 18 or 36 mile route
– Register at https://www.bikereg.com/virtue-gravel-fondo
– $25 registration fee ($10 for the 7 mile ride) this includes one 1/2 pint pour of cider post-ride
– Event is open to ONLY 200 riders
– Participants will receive a course map, 1 cider token
– There will be course sweepers
– The course will be marked
– Ideal bikes include gravel road bikes, cyclocross bikes, mountain bikes and fatbikes
– Stay for post-fondo food, beverages and hang out at Virtue Cider! (food available for purchase)
– No refunds
– Proceeds will benefit the Allegan County Food Pantry. https://allegancountyfoodpantry.org

Here are some pictures from past years!

What a great day at Pedal the Pigeon! From the excitement of the first wave taking off to all the cheers as the last kiddo crossed the finish line….it was a joy to cheer them on and watch them experience the thrill of a mountain bike race. These kids are tough (all 180+ kiddos) and we are so proud of them!

Thank you to you parents for getting your kids out to Pedal the Pigeon! Huge thanks to ALL of our volunteers…course marshals, announcers, food workers, ride leaders/sweepers, racer stagers, rider check-in workers, course set-up and cleanup, photographer and more….there were over 40 volunteers who helped make this event a huge success. THANK YOU!

We hope you enjoy these photos. Thank you to Martin Harris (Coach Martin to all those Velo Kids) for being our event photographer and capturing some phenomenal moments.

We hope to see you all at Pedal the Pigeon in 2020!

Click HERE to vote for Velo City Cycles. We would LOVE your vote for the 2017 Best of the Best: SPORTS – BICYCLE STORE category.
Votes can be made everyday until March 5th.