300+ Join Tour de Mount Vernon, VA

Rick Shaver on his recumbent bike.
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300+ Join Tour de Mount Vernon Virginia Connection Newspapers

Alexandria, VA - Cyclists gathered at the Pope-Leighey House last Saturday morning for the sixth annual Tour de Mount Vernon community bike ride, pedaling through many of the Mount Vernon District’s historic sights that highlight the county’s bicycle friendly atmosphere.

Supervisor Dan Storck (D-Mount Vernon) organized the ride, dedicating
this year’s event to Dave Evans, a friend of Storck’s that died recently. Evans owned La Prima Catering, and in the past rides, Evans would be there at the end with food for everyone. “He was my best friend for more than 50 years,” Storck said.

Each rider was registered, and since the ride went onto Fort Belvoir, the riders needed to bring their identification, they were told as they signed up at the main tent. Other entities with tents at the Pope Leighey House were the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling (FABB), the Mount Vernon-Lee Chamber of Commerce, Bike Fairfax, Spokes and Handy Bikes. “This is the biggest ride we ever had, over 300 riders,” Storck said.

In previous years, the tour kicked off from Fort Hunt Park and the Workhouse Arts Center in Lorton, so using the Pope-Leighey parking lot as the launching site was a way of spreading the attention around in Mount Vernon.

Jeff McKay, chairman of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, was one of the riders along with Virginia Sen. Scott Surrovell (D-36). They both grew up in Mount Vernon and knew the route well.

Riders Wayne Thompson and Martine Collin were part of the group. They had just moved here from Montreal where they rode in an island tour, which was similar to the day's ride.

“We’re new to the area so we thought it would be a great opportunity to see the sights,” Martine said.

Rick Shaver rode a recumbent bike that he had ridden previously on a 1,800 mile trip from Canada to Southern California. The recumbent allowed him to sit back in a chair while pedaling. “I like it uphill better,” he said, “I use different muscles,” he added.

The tour was divided into ...

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