The 2020 Baroudeur, Wayne State University’s annual cycling event, will be held Saturday, July 25. Registration is now open.

Proceeds directly benefit Wayne State University scholarships and the university’s Helping Individuals Go Higher (HIGH) Program, which supports students whose unstable housing situations threaten their dreams of earning a degree.

Now in its sixth year, the Baroudeur will be hosted three weeks earlier than its traditional mid-August date. The new date – which also coincides with the City of Detroit’s birthday weekend – was selected based on feedback from participants and volunteers alike about late-summer scheduling conflicts, including the annual Woodward Dream Cruise.

“We’re confident that this year’s ride will be another great success,” said Matt Lockwood, ride director. “The Baroudeur has established itself as Detroit’s best ride and, we hope, especially with our new date, that we can bring even more cyclists to Wayne State and the city.”  

Participants can choose between four courses — 20, 37, 62 or 100 miles — based on their individual experience and fitness levels. All Baroudeur courses are on the open road, and cyclists will be riding with vehicular traffic and must obey traffic laws. Changes that were implemented to the routes last year, including the addition of scenic Hines Drive to the 62- and 100-mile routes, will remain in place for this year’s ride.

As always, participants and volunteers are invited to join a post-ride party on campus, complete with lunch, beer and music.

Riders are encouraged to register early and take advantage of early bird pricing:

• Through 11:59 p.m. on May 24: $65
• May 25 – June 24 (at 11:59 p.m.): $75
• June 25 – July 21: (at 11:59 p.m.) $85

Event registration will end at 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, July 21.

The Baroudeur is a fun, noncompetitive event, but the distances require increasing levels of physical fitness. To help participants prepare, training rides will be held again this year at 6 p.m. every Tuesday evening, beginning May 5. Additional details about these free, no-drop training rides — and other ways to prepare for the Baroudeur — can be found online.

To further support WSU students in need, a WarriorFunder page makes it possible for riders, as well as faculty, staff, alumni and other members of the campus community, to donate or raise money in support of student scholarships and the HIGH Program. Donations, unless specified, support the general WSU scholarship fund and the HIGH program. Schools, colleges and units across campus can set up a WarriorFunder page to support a specific scholarship by completing this simple form.

Last year, fundraising efforts were led by the School of Medicine, the Eugene Applebaum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, the College of Education, and the School of Social Work. Incentives are available to individuals who help raise money, including a lunch with President Wilson for those who raise $1,000 or more. Additional information about fundraising can be found online.

“For some students, just a few hundred dollars can make the difference between staying in school and dropping out. Any amount can help fill the gap,” said Katie McMillan, assistant ride director. “We’re excited to partner with WarriorFunder again, because they share our commitment to student success and crowdfunding makes it possible to make a bigger impact.”

To learn more, or register, visit baroudeur.wayne.edu.