2025 nominations are now closed.

Thank you to those who submitted nominations to help us shine a spotlight on those who are making a positive impact on Michigan bicycling and recognize their outstanding contributions to our community. We honored the 2025 Annual Award winners at Bicycle & Trail Advocacy Day on May 13, 2025! View the event program here.

2025 AWARD WINNERS

TARA GLUSKI CHANGEMAKER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Nate Phipps

RALPH FINNEREN ENCOURAGEMENT AWARD

Julie MacKinnon

ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION OF THE YEAR

Bicycle Alliance of Washtenaw

TRAILBLAZER OF THE YEAR

Nicholas Dobbs

CLUB OF THE YEAR AWARD

Venture Out Cycling Club & Metro 313 Cyclones (a well-deserved tie!)

SHOP OF THE YEAR AWARD

PEDAL Bicycles

OUTSTANDING INFRASTRUCTURE AWARD

Martin Hall (The Dragon Trail)

BIKE EVENT OR BIKE EVENT DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR AWARD

Dwan Dandridge

VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Donna Mascio

In Memory of

Our awards give us the opportunity to honor individuals we’ve lost who have contributed to the Michigan bicycling community:

Tara Gluski Changemaker Award – Tara Gluski was a changemaker in her community, especially through her job at the 906 Adventure Team. Always working behind the scenes, Tara facilitated the growth and development of hundreds of kids across Michigan as they learned life skills on bikes. We remember Tara with this award, given to an individual or organization for advocacy and education efforts on behalf of bicycling at the local, regional or state level.

Ralph Finneren Encouragement Award – Ralph Finneren spent his life riding and encouraging anyone he met along the way to join him. He was hit and killed by a distracted driver while riding home from work. He always put the needs of others first, and that’s how his wife and children want him to be remembered. This award honors those that dedicate themselves to encourage others in bicycling.

Bob Gibbs Passion for Pedaling Award – Bob Gibbs was a lifelong transportation and recreational cyclist who was well known for riding his bike to the start of bike tours – many times with his pet beagle riding shotgun. He and his wife Mary enjoyed riding all over town (and entertaining onlookers) on one of their tandems, again with a beagle in tow. Bob amassed well over 200,000 miles in his 80+ years of cycling, most of them while simply riding to work on his single-speed Hawthorne. We honor his legacy with an award for individuals with a demonstrated passion for bicycling.