Close to 1,500 people rode bicycles throughout Tempe on Sunday, during an event meant to showcase the city's amenities for cyclists. The eighth annual Tour de Tempe Bike Ride offered bikers a chance to explore the city's bike paths in a noncompetitive event.
The nearly 12-mile route wove through Tempe from Kiwanis Park to the south shore of Tempe Town Lake and the ASU campus and back again.
Tempe officials hope this chance to ride around the city will show residents that biking is a fun and convenient mode of transportation, said Transit Information Specialist Sue Taaffe.
"It's really to showcase the bike routes of Tempe and how easy it is to get around on your bike," Taaffe said.
In past years, the largest crowd the race had attracted was 1,000 participants.
Taaffe attributed a new online registration system, increased publicity compared to previous years and excellent weather to the popularity of this year's race.
"For the past two years, it's rained the day before [Tour de Tempe]," she said.
First-time Tour de Tempe participant Adrian Spucces, a 2000 ASU graduate, said he came to the race to witness the massive crowd of bikers.
"I just wanted to see 1,000 people on their bikes at once," he said.
However, Spucces also appreciated the convenience of the Tempe bike paths. When he was a student, the paths made travel around Tempe very easy, he said.
"Tempe's more bike-friendly than most of Phoenix," Spucces said. Phoenix resident Francesca Fragomeni saw the race as a fun way to spend some time on her bike before cold weather discouraged her from cycling.
"It's kind of an end to the biking season," Fragomeni said.
The race was sponsored by the Safe Kids Coalition, Wildflower Bread Company, Whole Foods Market, Starbucks and Berning's Fine Jewelry.
Reach the reporter at amanda.keim@asu.edu.
