Donuts, Mountain Bikes, and My Friend Tim

This story was originally published in the Traverse City Record-Eagle

The weekly Chicken Leg Friday mountain bike ride was born because of a donut — a delicious, coconut-y donut shaped like a drumstick sold only on Fridays at Potter’s Bakery.

My good friend Tim Pulliam discovered the Chicken Leg donut a few years back and used it to create a tradition that brings joy and connection to many of his friends.

The idea is simple yet profound: bring a box of these yummy once-a-week donuts and build a consistent once-a-week opportunity for people to forge new connections, explore new places, have fun, make new friends, and even discover a new sport if they had never tried mountain biking.

Chicken Leg Friday is a testament to Tim’s dedication to fostering human connections and embracing the “awesome in the ordinary” that is all around us here in Traverse City.

“Getting people outside to enjoy one another and the amenities we have around us here in Traverse City has always been important to me.”

As isolation increases and friendship declines in the United States (the U.S. Surgeon General recently declared loneliness a national epidemic), people like Tim are important in addressing this new culture of disconnection.

People like Tim who genuinely care about the health and wellbeing of their friends.

Tim personally invites 50 to 100 different people, usually by individual texts, every week to ride. Reread the previous sentence and then think about how many friends you invite to do something healthy each week.

Sure, not everyone he invites shows up. “I’m sorry I can’t make it,” they’ll tell him.

Tim often reminds his friends that he will keep inviting them even if they say ‘no’ a thousand times.

“Because I’m not inviting you for me; I’m inviting you for you. And I will always be here to invite you to do something fun.”

Tim wants his friends to learn how to carve out more time to say “yes” to friends, adventure, and outside. Sure, this will mean having to say “no” to other things but Tim believes it will help his friends identify and realign their priorities by being invited every week.

“And eventually, a friend will find a way to say ‘yes’ more,” Tim exudes. “They’ll realize it wasn’t that hard, like ‘Wow, I fit it in. I made it happen’. One thing I want my friends to count on is that ‘When you’re ready, I’m going to be here.’”

The City Loop has become a common route for Chicken Leg Friday.

City Loop spans 20-ish miles and connects several nearby (no driving to trailheads required) trail systems, including The Commons, Hickory, Buffalo Ridge, Miller Creek, Boardman River Trail, and Boardman Lake Loop.

Tim and Chicken Leg Friday has played a pivotal role in establishing some of these trail connectors, including one behind Oleson’s on North Long Lake Road, which had been planned for over 20 years but had only come to fruition a year ago — truly a testament to the power of their tireless efforts and “voting with their tires.”

When asked about his motivation, Tim confesses, “I get a lot of joy watching other people find joy and satisfaction in accomplishing and trying new things. Especially when it comes to discovering new places right here in Traverse City.”

Tim knows that stepping outside, embracing nature, and forging meaningful connections with others is critical — especially now.

Tim’s kindness and commitment to his friends is a beacon of hope.

“Think about getting to the point where you can find happiness through other people finding happiness,” Tim mused. “If you can get people to know that you care about them, they will care about you back. There are a lot of people I care about, and I feel like there’s a lot of people that care about me — a circle of people around me and behind me.”

Chicken Leg Friday. Meet us at 10 am tomorrow behind Spanglish. I’m going and Tim is bringing the donuts.

See you there, OK?