The Family Ride
PALM unusually is well suited to family bicycling. There are longer optional routes for more experienced riders, but the emphasis is on the social and recreational aspects of bicycling.
What Way?
PALM is a well marked ride, there are many little palms on the road that tell you which way to go, YOU WONT GET LOST!
What to Expect
PALM is an exciting six day bicycle ride across Michigan. We use scenic, paved back roads geared to the novice and intermediate rider. The daily distances range between (35 to 60 miles)
The Family
Our largest age groups are 10 - 19 and 50 - 59 year olds. One third of our riders are new to PALM every year, but another third have ridden PALM from 5 to 25 times.
PALM IS FILLED
If your application is postmarked Jan 12, you are on PALM. A lottery will be used to pick which applications postmarked on Jan 13 will be accepted. Riders who are accepted will be notified by email. Those who are not will have their checks returned by mail with our regrets.
Letter from the Chair
Welcome to PALM
Hello friends and fellow cyclists!
2011 marks the 100th year of Chevrolet as one of the most famous and enduring car models in the country! As a young boy I can remember hearing Dinah Shore singing the now famous Chevrolet jingle, “See the U.S.A. in your Chevrolet”. Congratulations to Chevy as they move in a new century! 2011 also marked the 30th annual Pedal Across Lower Michigan (PALM) bicycle tour! Much like Chevrolet, PALM has endured as one of the most popular and successful bicycle tours in the country. In 2012, PALM moves into a new decade of providing an enjoyable weeklong bicycle camping experience! I would encourage new and veteran riders to once again “See Michigan, not in your Chevrolet, but on the seat of your Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, or even on your Schwinn or Huffy Bicycle”! Nothing can compare to seeing Michigan’s scenic beaches, lakes and rivers, rolling hills, and small towns and quaint villages firsthand from the seat of a bicycle!
In 2011, PALM once again set a new record for filling and selling out-we were filled in 4 days! Every year we point out that the deadline is May 1st or the 700th rider, whichever comes first. Sorry to all those who didn’t get their applications in on time! In 2012, PALM will be going green, and the application will only be available online for you to download, and return to us by mail. No paper applications will be sent out for PALM XXXI. Please watch the website for more details, and look for a PALM mailing in your mailbox letting you know when the PALM application will be available for you to download. This ensures that all potential ride participants receive their application at the same time!
If you are planning to ride the 31st PALM then you really must get your application in quickly. If you haven’t already done so, please submit your name and address to us on the website, to be added to our mailing list to receive any mailings regarding PALM 31.
In 2012, we are doing a brand new Mid-South route which will take us to many new cities where PALM has never visited previously! We will begin our weeklong tour on the shores of Lake Michigan in St. Joseph, and end in New Baltimore on Anchor Bay, a part of Lake St. Clair!
PALM usually has a high rate of return riders but we love welcoming new riders. In fact, it is normal for nearly 1/3 of our riders to be new to PALM1 PALM is a family ride, often with two or three generations riding together. Our riders range in age from young children in buggers or come-alongs, to 6 or 8 year olds riding their own bikes, to folks in their 90’s ! All abilities of riders are welcome on PALM, and we have longer optional routes for more enthusiastic cyclists that desire more miles! Come see why PALM is “Michigan’s Premier Family oriented Bicycle Tour since 1982”!
I’m looking forward to seeing you all pedaling across Lower Michigan in June, 2012. Come join us on PALM: the cycling event that became a tradition! Let’s make every mile a memory!
Kevin M.Novess Sr
2012 PALM Chair
