The day was designated by the Colorado Legislature as the fourth Wednesday in June.
Each year, 9NEWS' own Susie Wargin is among the thousands who participate. Susie got things started at around 5:30 a.m. Wednesday and when she arrived at 9NEWS she had biked roughly 28 miles, having started at C-470 and Quebec. Look to the bottom of this article for more on Susie's route.
In 2006 Susie was joined by about 20,000 people who also took part in the day. Organizers says this year an additional 3,000 people partipacted raising the number to 23,000 for 2007.
Biking to work can save on gas, improve your health and get you some free food.
There were more than 100 free breakfast stations for cyclists placed throughout the metro area, including the 9NEWS breakfast stop at Speer and Logan. Stations were open from 6:30 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Susie's bike to work route:
470 Trail
The 470 Trail stretches the entire distance of C-470 and goes on E-470 to Parker Road. It's a great path for "spinning" – if you're looking to get your cadence up, this is the trail. It can be accessed along the entire stretch of C-470 and up to Jordan Road on E-470. A word of caution – it does cross some major intersections (Quebec, University, Broadway) so be very careful and use traffic signals to cross.
South Platte River Greenway
This trail starts at the 470 Trail and is 10 ½ miles of concrete path. It's a gorgeous ride along the Platte but it wasn't always that way. The South Platte used to be a dumping ground for private and public businesses until then Mayor Bill McNichols formed the Platte River Development Committee in 1974. The committee transformed into a non-profit (Greenway Foundation) in 1977 and raised $14 million to build the path. In the 1990's, $35 million was invested into the area for more parks and open space.
Confluence Park
The South Platte River Greenway ends at Confluence Park. The North Platte River Trail also starts here as does the Cherry Creek Trail (going east). Confluence was one of the first parks to be revamped in Denver (1976) by the Greenway Foundation. It has gorgeous views of downtown and the kayak chutes. Since REI moved in, the area has experienced incredible activity, especially on the weekends. There are free concerts in July at Confluence; the first is July 5th with Dotsero.
Cherry Creek Bike Path
This trail starts at Confluence Park and runs east. The entire trail has yet to be connected, but there are long chunks of path that can be enjoyed by bikers and walkers alike. The Greenway Foundation also works on the CC Bike Path by trying to join sections together, make it safer at intersections and sprucing it up.
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