Scouts Brave Wind, Heat to Bike Across Michigan

A love of bicycling and the desire for a challenge motivated Dearborn residents Alexander Ullrich, 14, and his brother Max, 12, to ride from Milford to the Owasippe Boy Scout Reservation in Twin Lake, Mich. this summer.

The two brothers traveled a total of 190 miles over three days July 19-21 with 10 other scouts from Boy Scout Troop 711 in Livonia.

"Max and I stay pretty active," Alexander said. "We've been biking as a family for years, and we just wanted to push ourselves to see if we could do it."

To prepare for the long journey both boys underwent two 40-mile training rides, received training in First Aid, and took a class on cycling and traffic safety.

Alexander said during the trip, the team averaged about 70 miles each day, stopping briefly every 10 miles to rest.

"The group was up by 6 a.m. and on the road by 8 a.m. each day. We would ride until about 6:30 or 7 p.m.," he explained.

Max said the first portion of the trip was particularly tiring, as the team had to ride through 105 degree temperatures and were forced to deal with wind and rain storms and injuries.

"The tar on the road was literally melting to some of our tires," he said. "One of the scoutmasters fell off his bike and dislocated his shoulder."

Alexander said the trip itself was filled with many interesting places along the way, however the scouts barely had time to go exploring before continuing on their trek.

"We saw a lot of corn fields and some animals," he said.

By the time the group got to the Boy Scout camp, they were exhausted, however, Max said he would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

"I didn't personally feel worn down. When you are sitting all day, however, you get tired," he explained.

In addition to biking up and down the hills at Ford Field Park in Dearborn, the brothers also like to go on family trips with their parents.

Michelle Ullrich said the family typically rides the Rouge River trails or bikes to Milford. She said she and her husband plan to reach out to local Boy Scout troops in Dearborn to organize a bike to camp program.

"It's a fantastic opportunity for kids to get outside and away from video games," she said.

Cycling trips can also count toward scout badges, Alexander said.

"I definitely plan to keep riding," he said. "It takes time to build up your stamina, but biking is a lot of fun. It feels good to accomplish a goal."