Great Lakes - Roadies in/near Wayne County, MI

There's a good chance I'll be going to college next year in August for 20 months. I'll be living in or near Belleville. I know the Rochester Hills velodrome is an hour away, so that could be a good opporitunity in the spring, but does anyone live in the area? How's the racing? Is it competitive and how are the turnouts?

Thanks,
Mitch from Cleveland

There's quite a bit of mountain bike racing up north, some decent road racing all over the place too

Not being a racer, I can't speak for competitiveness, but there has always been a big turnout of racers whenever I've gone over to spectate at the Velodrome (it's only about 15 minutes away by bike for me). Let me know if you're ever going to be racing there and I'll try to come out and watch.

Frankly, it looks to me like it's more fun to do the racing than to watch it. They have some time slots there where they will give you a bike and some instruction and let you have 15 minutes or so just to ride around; I might give that a try next year just for the heck of it.

By the way, what college will you be attending? And good luck finishing off the Bosox and then that team from Colorado! If Detroit couldn't make it this year, I'd just as soon see Cleveland take it.

Yeah, I'm seriously considering going to Michigan Institute of Aviation Technology (MIAT). I'd love to have a home velodrome not too far away which is a big draw for this particular school besides the education.

As for the Indians, I don't really even care. Everyone else is going crazy over it, but it's still boring as Hell.