Participants of VeloDrome’s Weekly Summer Ride Series hit the trails for an evening ride. Rides vary each week from mountain biking and trail riding to road biking. (Photo courtesy of Brice Sturmer)

MARQUETTE — VeloDrome Coffee Company is hosting a Weekly Summer Ride Series at 7 p.m. every Thursday until Sept. 6.

The goal of this group bike ride is to create a friendly place for people of all skill levels to come together to bike, said owner of VeloDrome Coffee Company Brice Sturmer.

Cycling culture has become an important aspect of Sturmer’s life and one he always planned to incorporate into his business. Aside from the businesses bike logo, the name VeloDrome comes from an oval bike racing track used in the olympics, he said.

“We think it’s the best way to travel, move around and commmute. What we’re trying to do is a little bit more than coffee,” Sturmer said. “It’s more of an appreciation of craft and culture and I think that’s why we wanted to do these rides — was to promote the culture of our brand.”

The weekly ride starts and ends at the VeloDrome shop. Currently, Sturmer has been taking the groups on some of his favorite routes, but locations are also chosen based on participants skill levels and preferences.

“A lot of other places do a great job of having one specific type of ride that they do, but we’re trying to do multiple. We do road, we do gravel, we do mountain biking — kind of mixing it up. Our big thing is trying to create interesting rides that get a lot more people together on bikes,” Sturmer said.

Soon, team riders of VeloDrome’s recently established cycling team, Team Tamp Stamp, will be leading the group ride each week.

This series provides an activity for those who enjoy biking to come together and for beginners to learn the trails and what to ride, Sturmer said.

“I just love seeing people that are established racers riding with highschoolers. I love connecting generations and skill levels.”

For more information visit VeloDrome Weekly Summer Ride Series on Facebook.

Trinity Carey can be reached at 906-228-2500, ext. 243.