Bike rickshaw leads Bike to Work parade

Approximately 120 bicyclists followed County Executive David Craig in a bicycle-powered rickshaw in a parade through downtown Bel Air May 15 to mark Bike to Work Day, the signature event of Clean Commute Month.

Craig was joined by Margo Sybert, a fifth grader at Homestead-Wakefield Elementary School in Bel Air, who won the Green Pedal Essay contest in which students wrote about howriding bicycles fights air pollution. Both the new bicycle that was Sybert’s prize and the rickshaw that led the parade were courtesy of Chesapeake Cycle and Sport in Havre de Grace. (see related article)

Participation in the Bike to Work Day has increased, noted Pat Fielder, rideshare and community resource coordinator of the County’s commuter assistance program. This year almost 200 people registered to ride their bikes to work. The Aberdeen Proving Ground again was the winner in the large company category of the Briefcase Challenge, which recognizes organizations for having the most Bike to Work participants. SAIC won in the mid-size company category and a division of LMI Consulting won in the small business category.

Sponsors of the event included The Aegis, WXCY-FM-103.7, WBAL TV Channel11, BJ’s Wholesale, Einstein Bagels, Conte’s Bikes, Bicycle Connection, Biller’s Bikes, the Arena Club, the Town of Bel Air and the Bel Air Athletic Club.

Other sponsors were the Bonefish Grill, the Greene Turtle, MaGerk’s, Looney’s North, Mountain Branch Golf Course and Grille, Ripken Stadium, Wawa and VPSI, Inc. Several departments of the Harford County government, including Community Services, Planning and Zoning, Facilities and Operations and Human Resources, as well as the Bel Air Police Department, also supported the event.

Photo caption: Harford County Executive David Craig and Green Pedal essay contest winner Margo Sybert led the Bike to Work Day parade in a bicycle rickshaw in Bel Air May 15.