Black Friday Ride at Rolling Hills

Join the Potowatomi Mountain Biking Association’s 18th Annual Black Friday MTB and Gravel Ride  on Friday 11/27 at 10 AM at Rolling Hills and Hewens Creek parks in Ypsilanti Township. This event is a fun, casual, no-drop group ride and is a great chance for novice MTBer’s to get exposure to single track & gravel riding, meet new riders and burn off that Thanksgiving feast to get a jump start on 2027 fitness plans.  After the ride, we’ll enjoy pizza and brews sponsored by Wheels in Motion bike shop.  Please register in advance free-of-charge for the Black Friday Ride on SignUpGenius so we have an accurate headcount for food and drinks afterwards.

The MTB ride will be ~14 miles long covering ~5.0 miles at Hewens Creek and ~7.0 miles at Rolling Hills.  In contrast to prior years, the trails will be connected by ~2 miles of gravel & paved road as the right-of-way on private land was revoked for the single track connector. For those who are unfamiliar with these trails, Hewens Creek is flat & winding ride through meadows and new growth forest which is great for beginner riders. The RHP trail on the other hand twists and turns through 4+ miles of forest and rolling hills along with ~3 miles of open meadows providing a great opportunity to improve your bike handling skills: 14M Black Friday MTB on Ride with GPS.

There will be two gravel rides again this year of 17 and 30 miles, respectively, on the sparsely trafficked roads south of Rolling Hills Park. Both routes will add some off-road flavor this year with a short loop on two-track at Hewens Creek Park .  The gravel rides will leave at the same time as the MTB ride: 17M Black Friday Gravel and 30M Black Friday Gravel.

Meet at the Rolling Hills Lodge at 9:45 AM and then we will head out by 10:10 AM latest. After the ride, we will refuel with pizza and refreshments at The Lodge between 12:30 and 1 PM. Rain date will be Saturday 11/28 at 10 AM. Look for changes in schedule on the Poto MBA Facebook page.

Please park in the MTB trail head parking lot: enter the park, go straight through the traffic circle and park in the first lot on your right next to a big pavilion ~1/4 mile west of the circle. The Lodge will be about 200 yards away on your left. There may be a gate charge to enter RHP. It is a Washtenaw County Park (WCP) so if you already have a WCP sticker you are good to go.

Since the RHP and HCP trails are well suited for gravel and cross bikes too, it’s easy to do any of the gravel rides and hop on the HCP MTB trail from Bemis or Hitchingham Roads towards the end of your ride. If you and friends choose this option, plan to start earlier and aim to return to The Lodge by 12:30 to 12:45 PM. But sign up for one of the other gravel rides to be counted towards food and beverages.

Last but definitely not least, we have to thank Wheels in Motion for supporting Poto MBA and the local bike community by sponsoring the BFR since its inaugural event in 2009.