Viewfinder: Bike to Work Day in Leesburg

Early Friday morning, local cyclists took their passion and made it practical.

Bike to Work Day is an annual event that celebrates a clean, fun and healthy way to get to work.

Sponsored by The Washington Area Bicyclists Association (WABA) and Commuter Connections, the event helps promote the Washington region as a better place to ride. Everyone is invited to participate including those who have never biked before.

At least forty nine regional pit stops will be featured throughout Washington's Metropolitan region. Loudoun County coordinates two of those stops, which will include one in Sterling and at Raflo Park, in Leesburg.

Each site will offer free t-shirts to pre-registered riders as well as refreshments, giveaways and prize. Some pit stops will also include music and representatives from local bike shops who will be on hand to help with needed adjustments or repairs.

“The Bike to Work Day pit stops are available not only to thank riders who’ve taken their cars off the road but also to provide a community of support to people who perhaps have never tried biking to work in the past,” said Employer Outreach Specialist Judy Galen. “If they try it and find that they're successful then it’s something that they can do again.”

According to Galen, Loudoun County has coordinated the local program since 2002 when only 80 people had registered to participate. During that year Galen said there were approximately 2,500 participants throughout the region. Since then, the program has grown significantly.

“Last year, there were close to 9,000 participants, region wide. In Loudoun there were between 550 and 600,” Galen said. “We’ll get our final registration list [on Thursday]. A week ago we had 135 registered for Leesburg and 245 for Sterling.”