Join us for Tweed Ride and Bike-a-Palooza 2023!

​This Spring, we are combining our Tweed Ride and Bike-a-Palooza event.  We will make it the BEST event Open Roads has to offer. You can join us for the Tweed Ride in the afternoon, just come to Bike-a-Palooza for food and fun, OR you can do both!

All Tweed Ride and Bike-a-Palooza proceeds will fund our year-round work to get more local youth into Earn-a-Bike programs!

The Ride

Put on your Tweed, or just come as you are. The ride this year will be a slow roll through downtown Kalamazoo. It will be just about 3.5 miles, but we won't leave anyone behind. We are still finalizing the route map -- we will share that as soon as we can. Though tweed is not required to ride, we invite and encourage our participants to wear stylish, vintage, and dapper attire.

The Evening Event  

Bike-a-Palooza will occur at The Foundry at 600 E Michigan Ave, Kalamazoo, MI 49007. We will have food from a variety of local restaurants, as well as appetizers and a complimentary beverage.  We will also highlight our work at Open Roads and share stories about who we are and what we do.

What is Tweed? 

You might be wondering - Why do they call this a Tweed Ride? What IS Tweed?  

Across the country and around the world, there have been group bicycle rides and social events called Tweed Rides or Tweed Runs.  These started in London in 2009 and have highlighted cyclists wearing retro-styled outfits with tweed jackets, skirts, bow ties, and hats.

You may wonder, "Do I have to wear something fancy?"

Certainly not. You can arrive at either event in whatever you are comfortable with. But we have a tradition of sharing fun and stylish attire for inclined people.

Remember, you can purchase tickets to ONE or BOTH events. It is up to you. Children 15 and under are welcome at each event with a ticket purchase.

We look forward to seeing you!