This Sunday Spokane’s premier family-friendly bike ride, SpokeFest, gets rolling at Riverfront Park. The beautiful route through the Spokane River Gorge takes you from the heart of downtown to the heart of the great outdoors within just a few miles. The ride features routes of various distances to accommodate different ability levels, and activities and information at SpokeFair in the Gondola Meadows. (You’ll see me there with a Bike Style booth.)

The event welcomes riders of all ages, abilities, and types of bikes. You’ll see recumbents, tandems, road bikes, cruisers and more. The first year I remember my husband and I riding for a bit with a man who had a bike with an extra seat to hold his son, who had multiple disabilities. The boy grinned from ear to ear with delight as we peddled through the fall sunshine. I talked with people for whom this was their first bike ride in years, the longest one they’d ever ridden in their lives, or the first time they’d ridden along our beautiful river.

This kind of ride is quite different from commuting but gives you the chance to practice your riding skills. You’ll meet and talk with other riders who might prove to be resources for thinking about your route, gear, and other commuting questions.

You will also recognize that you’re part of something bigger. Spokane has a great tradition of events that let us take over the streets for people-powered activities and come together as a community: Bloomsday. Hoopfest. Summer Parkways (which grew out of SpokeFest).

SpokeFest is something special. If you don’t live in Spokane, you may well have an equivalent ride in your area; many nonprofits organize rides as fundraisers. You’ll benefit from the camaraderie and support, the chance to set the goal of completing a ride of a given length, and the access to information from a variety of bike resources in the community you’ll often find at such events.

Get out and ride.

Related Reading/Viewing

• SpokeFest routes
• Register for SpokeFest (it’s not too late!)
• SpokeFest video