Just following Earth Day and just ahead of Bike to Work Day (May 19), Herndon hopes to transform transportation for its residents as a flagship city for the national Life Is a Cycle event.
Herndon is one of 13 flagship cities for the event, which encourages beginners to come learn how to make biking a major part of their daily transportation and commute. For many, biking—particularly on shared roads (those with bikers and cars)—can be a nerve-wracking prospect. Life Is a Cycle aims to help ease beginners into biking by hosting a group bike that introduces newcomers to local bike paths, lanes and shared roads with the guidance of experienced cyclists. The event also introduces participants to the local biking community, including ride leaders.
Life Is a Cycle even targets those who don’t want to or can’t adopt biking as their sole mode of transportation or commute, offering ways for participants to blend transportation with both bike and car.
The event hopes to build on the increase in people commuting by bike in recent years. According to a survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of people commuting by bike increased 60 percent between 2000 and 2014, which was the largest increase experienced by any mode of transportation in that time. In that same study, D.C. ranked among the cities with the largest number of people who bike to work, making up 3.5 percent of its population. And according to a 2016 survey by the League of American Bicyclists, D.C. was still among U.S. cities with the most people commuting by bike, placing at No. 4 with 4.1 percent of its population biking to work.
Life Is a Cycle also hopes to increase awareness about the benefits of biking, including a reduction in the risk of heart disease, pollution and the amount of money drivers spend on gas.
The group bike will take place in Herndon on May 5 at 6 p.m. The ride, which spans 7 miles, starts and ends at Bready Park. Registration is $1.50 ahead of the event and $5 on the day of the bike. Proceeds benefit the American Heart Association.
