DALMAC bike tour's 52nd year starts at MSU pavilion, ends in Mackinaw

EAST LANSING — Just before sunrise Wednesday, about 1,000 cyclists kicked off the first leg of the 52nd Annual DALMAC (Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinaw) bicycle tour.

The five-day, pedal-powered journey from the Michigan State University Pavilion to the Mackinac Bridge began in 1971, when former State Rep. Dick Allen challenged friends, colleagues, and constituents to make the trek as a way to promote bicycling as a healthy means of transportation, and to raise bicycle-safety awareness.

DALMAC has six route options that vary in duration, distance and topography. Reasons for making the journey also vary.

“My hope is to become more confident in general,” said Karen Burke of Royal Oak as she saddled up behind friend and guide Kris Gaumer of Lansing.

Burke, who is blind, is doing her first DALMAC. This is Gaumer's 13th. Gaumer will navigate the pair's journey from the helm of a tandem bicycle.

Burke and Gaumer met through the organization Ski for Life, where Gaumer volunteers as a cross-country skiing guide for the visually impaired.

“We prepared for this journey with a lot of spin training, and we’d practice on the tandem when we had time,” Burke said.

Before departing, the pair shared a hug.

"I’ll be happy when I can say I did a five-day bike ride that was 50 or 60 miles per day,” she said.

“It’s longer than that, my friend,” Gaumer corrected.

“Okay, well 66 miles" she said.

There’s a twinkle in Burke's eyes that mirrors her unrelenting smile.

"It’s real. We’re actually doing this,” Burke exclaimed.

About an hour into the first leg of their ride, they made a quick stop at Sweetie-licious Bakery and Cafe in DeWitt. While other cyclists took a short break, Burke and Gaumer put their pie slices into their packs and got back on their saddles.

"I tell her about the sights along the way,” Gaumer says. “I also relay traffic information and turns to Karen and rely on her to send hand signals to traffic.

“I also rely on her to call out the next song we’ll sing along the way."

The two burst out in a tandem of laughter as they recalled their first duet of the morning: Queen's “Bicycle Race," of course, with the memorable line of "I want to ride my bicycle."