The Dalmac Bicycle Tour is a Michigan based bike tour that spans 5 days and up to 354 miles! The marathon started back in 1971 when the state representative at the time Dick Allen got a group together and rode their bikes from the Michigan State Capitol building to the Mackinac Bridge. Their mission was to raise awareness for bicyclists on the roadways, encourage safe travels while biking, and to promote cycling as a healthy and reliable means of transportation for the general population. Fast forward 50 years and the Dalmac is now the oldest bike tour in Michigan and will be celebrating its 51st run in summer of 2022.
ARCH Physical Therapy’s very own therapist Sheri Hefty is no stranger to the Dalmac marathon. In fact, Sheri has taken part in 6 Dalmac tours in the past and participated in the 50th Anniversary ride just this last summer! She and her husband rode the longest route offered from Lansing to the Mackinac Bridge for the 5 day tour. The participants have the option of camping each night or staying in local hotels. While Sheri and her family have set camp before, this past year they opted into staying in hotels along the way. In addition to riding the tour with her husband, Sheri has also had all three of her kids join along in the past rides as well. In 2008, at just 10 years old, her youngest son joined in on a tandem bike and rode the entire tour with them!
The preparation leading up to the tour is no joke. Sheri and her family trained all summer for the ride- some days
they even rode up to 50 miles round trip! But the hard work paid off when the tour began. She and her family were able to complete the bike tour over the course of five days. When asked her favorite part of the whole experience, Sheri responded with “being done”. She chuckled, and then clarified that it was a very rewarding experience and loved relaxing on the Lake Superior shoreline overlooking the Mackinac Bridge.
