From staff reports

Beginning Wednesday, June 11, 300 cyclists participating in the 2014 NorthWest Biking The Bear Tour will begin the annual five-day tour of the Sleeping Bear Dunes, Traverse City, Leelanau and Frankfort areas.

Each day, cyclists will ride a looped route that starts from their base camp at Indigo Bluffs RV Park. They will visit the following areas to enjoy the scenery, restaurants, and tourist attractions of Northwest Michigan:

• Wednesday, June 11, and Sunday, June 15: Empire and Glen Lake

• Thursday, June 12: Traverse City and Old Mission Peninsula

• Friday, June 13: The Leelanau Peninsula

• Saturday, June 14: Frankfort and Crystal Lake

The Tri-County Bicycle Association (TCBA) of Lansing, a volunteer organization whose mission is to promote the use of bicycles for healthful recreation and transportation, sponsors the NW Tour. TCBA, through event proceeds, has been a strong supporter of the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail project.

TART Trails, Inc. is a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) organization formed in 1998 and located in Traverse City. TART works to enrich the Traverse region by providing a network of trails, bikeways and pedestrian ways; and encouraging their use. TART Trails include a network of trail systems located in Grand Traverse and Leelanau counties: including the TART Trail, Leelanau Trail, Vasa Pathway, Boardman Lake Trail, Buffalo Ridge Trail, Three Mile Trail and Mall Trail. These trails combine to form over 60 miles of recreation and transportation pathways spanning from Suttons Bay to Acme Township. It is estimated that the trails serve over 200,000 users annually while preserving valuable community green space. TART is working to integrate these trails into the community by advocating for interconnected bike lanes, bike routes and sidewalks, and is also working to extend these trails to connect with a developing regional trails system.