HKS Trace Paper

Club or team may be too strict a term for what the HKS Detroit office does on their Thursday after work mountain bike rides at Maybury Park in Northville, Michigan, but it sure has become a staff activity enjoyed by all.  What started out as a couple of 40 something types feeling nostalgic about the good ole mountain biking days has quickly grown into a diverse group of mountain biking enthusiasts.

Typically, we have 4-8 bikers out on the trail of varying abilities and ages.  It has been mostly lots o fun with not too many injuries or getting lost. I have become known as the ambassador.  My (I.N.F.P.) approach is to ease newbie’s into it.  Don’t push too hard and leave them wanting for more.  Our other fearless leader, project manager Mike Thompson (I.S.T.J.), is known more as the drill sergeant.  Good cop / bad cop I guess.  Mike will continuously push for just one more lap or drive hard to go just a little faster.  He is also known as the trickster.  Going ahead of the group and setting traps for the unaware rider – all in good fun.

Riders include young to old like me with varying skill levels.  We try to maintain a pace that is attainable and regroup at convenient rest spots, also known as mosquito feeding zones.  We even tried a head start program where we sent half the group off down the trail and a few of us started behind to try and catch them.  We must have given them too much of a lead because we were unable to catch them.

There seems to be a good solid core of riders and we get new people and guest riders each week.  This includes boyfriends, brothers, ex coworkers, friends from school and visiting employees from other offices.  Enrique Greenwell from our Dallas office joined us one night while working here on a charrette.  I hear he is ready to buy a bike of his own.  Many of our gang have gone out and purchased new bikes or upgraded their existing bike.  Trail riding does seem to be a never ending cycle of damaging your bike on a wipe out and getting it back to the shop for repairs.  Finding a place to store our bikes in the office has been a challenge, but definitely has a “green” association.  A few on our team have even been seen commuting to and from work on their bikes.  Thanks to our new office design we have a shower to freshen up in upon arrival.  Many are starting to go out on their own on weekends too.  Overall it is a good way to get in shape, see some nature and blow off some steam.

You may get a little dirty, bleed or get bruised, but we know you will definitely have fun.  All are encouraged to join us on one of our outings.  Water, food and helmets are suggested as well as bug spray.  We’ll continue riding this year as long as weather permits.  Snow may be just around the corner. 

Our regulars include:

Mike (the sergeant) Thompson,

Chris (slick tires) Ozog,

Laura (out of my way) Roberts,

Camilla (the Portuguese) Moretti,

Nick (the annihilator) Hudyma,

David (the ringer) Taylor,

Tracy (hold my bottle) Johnston

Enrique (I don’t need no stinking bridge) Greenwell

And your host Brian (the ambassador) Perkins

We Look forward to having more join us on the trail.  If physical excursion is not your thing, the foos ball team is also recruiting.  It requires mainly wrist action and a little hand/eye coordination.  Alternatively there is the lunch movie club.  Only requirement is the ability to digest popcorn.  Blade Runner will be the first “architecturally” impactful screening.