At the crest of the Gordie Howe International Bridge, a woman offered to take my picture, a man pointed out a freighter in the Detroit River far below and another man tried to catch his breath.
We’d all converged at this point after the opening of the bridge’s mutiuse path at 8 a.m. on this Wednesday (Aug. 5), a little over a week after cars and trucks took their first trips across this new connection between Canada and the United States.
I’d decided to take my bike for the journey, but those other three had all walked.
When I asked Justin Daniels, 45, of Detroit, the man who was out of breath, if it was more than he expected, he just said, “the whole uphill part.”
That’s the challenge and the cool part, I guess. The views are impressive, including
the massive towers and cables that stretch above you, and you can take a selfie or have someone else take your picture, as I did, right at the boundary between the two countries, which is marked by a sign.
I can’t tell you precisely how long it took me to ride across to Canada from the path entrance on the opposite side of Jefferson Avenue from Historic Fort Wayne in Detroit. The estimate was 20 minutes, but as noted, I stopped for photos and to talk. Coming back to get home to the U.S. was maybe 25 minutes to get to border processing.
If you haven’t ridden a bike in forever and you feel out of shape, maybe try the walk (and bring water regardless). But I had actually prepared myself for a steeper climb. I have clips on my shoes that help with pedaling and of course I could downshift. I didn’t have to drop all the way to the lowest gears, however.
It was the first day, so of course there were lines. This was longer on the U.S. side than the Canadian side, but it got longer on both ends before I left the area.
The atmosphere was festive with anticipation for those waiting. I’m sure there were hundreds of people either in line or on the bridge. Lots of people were planning to make the crossing all the way and then turn around. But you don’t have to cross the whole 1.5 miles. You can turn around at any point, but you do have to have your travel documents regardless of how far you go (passport or passport card are ideal, although several people in line were told the enhanced driver’s license would be fine).
You really couldn’t ask for a much better day, with blue skies and sunshine. The smell of industry nearby hits your nostrils at different times and concentrations, but it was just part of the experience, too, along with some flame I could see shooting up in the distance.
The climb on the U.S. side as you approach the span is a bit twisty but these aren’t sharp corners. On my bike, I weaved around people walking but did my best to keep my speed in check especially coming downhill, where it can pick up quickly.
People generally tried to keep to the right to let those biking and running past.
It was a pleasant outing. Even waiting to show my passport card to the border agents wasn’t bad. On the Canadian side, the man who took my card was a big Tigers fan, and he even knew the sports writers at the Detroit Free Press by name.
Seeing all those smiling faces in line and on the bridge reminds me of how special this kind of experience is. And did I mention that it’s free to walk or bike across?
“It’s crazy being here. It’s surreal to see,” said Craig Sims, Jr. 43, who lives on the east side of Detroit but was born and raised in Delray. He planned to take a picture of his auntie’s house from the bridge.
As he stood with his bike, waiting to head over, Sims said he’d watched the bridge as it evolved from idea to completion. He’ll bring his kids, 10 and 11, this weekend, he said.
Tim Gietzen, 67, lives in Roseville. He said he’s a “Detroit guy who loves history.”
This, he said, was a historical moment. He was planning to walk over and back, maybe take a selfie. He connected this day to one many years ago when his own grandparents, he said, walked across the Ambassador Bridge when it opened.
Eric D. Lawrence is the senior car culture reporter at the Detroit Free Press, and he also writes about recreational vehicles, boats and bikes. Send your tips and suggestions to elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Here's what it's like to bike across the Gordie Howe bridge
