What Is DALMAC®?
DALMAC has 5-day/4-day routes and starts the Wed/Thu before Labor Day
DALMAC is Michigan’s great end-of-summer bike ride. Cap off a summer season of riding with a camping bicycle tour that winds up north from Michigan State University’s beautiful campus up through the rolling farms of central Michigan through up north lake country on Labor Day Weekend. The DALMAC routes include a West route that travels through central and western lower peninsula including the picturesque towns and sweeping vistas of the northern coastline of Michigan. For the adventurous, there are century distance add-ons that add in a few more of northern Michigan’s wonderful small towns before ending up at the West’s camping destination for the evening. The East route climbs to the famous Houghton/Higgins Lakes area and captures a bit of the tip of the northeast coast before ending in Mackinaw City. The 5-day U.P. route includes a Mackinac Bridge bike ride, a spectacular and breathtaking ride over the Mighty Mac!
The DALMAC was founded by Dick Allen, a longtime state senator, who wanted to prove that bicycles could peacefully coexist with car-loving Michigan’s autos on our scenic roads. It’s grown into one of the best bike tours in the state, if not the country! The DALMAC helps support the DALMAC Fund, which grants monies to applicants for bicycling safety, bicycling advocacy and more each year.
Camping
Yes, DALMAC is a camping tour. There should be no surprise, with up to 500 riders on each of 4 routes, as that's a lot of people needing overnight accomodations. Fortunately, DALMAC has made arrangements with friendly communtities to use schoolyards where riders can camp.
Baggage
Tents, bedding, other belongings are carried along the route in 1 or 2 bags (45 lb. max. each) on baggage trucks. Riders load their bags in the morning and retrieve their bags at the next overnight destination.
Meals
Two meals are provided at each campsite: an evening meal following the ride, and a morning meal prior to the next days ride. Meals are not provided along the route. Exception: when food is unavailable for extended distances (more than 15-20 miles), a foodstop is arranged along the route.
Returning to East Lansing
Riders needing
transportation back to East Lansing may purchase bus
tickets when they apply for DALMAC. Bus tickets are
not available after August 1. Rider's bicycles
are brought back to East Lansing on the baggage
trucks.
Pricing
Five-Day and Five UP - $230 / Preteen $185
Four-Day East and Four-Day West - $200 / Preteen $155
(Preteen is 12 or less)
Services by Others
The following are companies that will provide additional services to DALMAC riders.
- Shuttleguy (services for 5-UP & 5-Day routes: chair; towel; and tent, mattress, etc.)
-
Padre's Cycle Inn (camping, towel,
& chair services for both 4-Day routes)
- Michigan Cycling Charters (shuttle, tent, cooler, chair services for 5-Day route only.)
- Creative Wellness (Sports massage therapy services at camp sites on all routes.)
