Tour de Mount Vernon registration open

Riders gather prior to the start of last year’s ride. (Image courtesy of Supervisor Dan Storck)

Registration is now open for the third annual Tour de Mount Vernon bike ride organized by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck.

This year’s ride is Oct. 27 and begins at Fort Hunt Park at 8:30 a.m. The entry fee is $25, and includes a $5 donation to the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling and a pair of Tour de Mount Vernon socks.

Storck says the ride is a way to learn more about “the many hidden treasures, cultural and environmental resources the Mount Vernon District has to offer.” Stops will include Mount Vernon District Park, Mount Vernon, George Washington’s Gristmill and Distillery, the Woodlawn estate and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Pope-Leighey House, Woodlawn Park, Mount Vernon Woods Park and the Gum Springs Museum and Cultural Center.

This year’s Tour de Mount Vernon bike ride will feature two routes. The first will be a 17.5-mile loop that takes riders north from Fort Hunt up the Mount Vernon Trail to Alexandria and then south down Fort Hunt Road and through the neighborhoods leading back to Fort Hunt Park.

Riders who are interested can also do the second part of the ride, which ups the total distance to 32 miles. This route will take riders west across Route 1 and down through the Woodlawn area before coming back north through the trails and neighborhoods near Mount Vernon.

Police and ride monitors will be on hand to provide added safety for the group of riders, according to Storck’s office.

Storck, a cycling enthusiast, founded the Tour de Mount Vernon in 2016. Last year more than 180 people took part in the ride, and he’s hoping to get around 250 this year. There’s no limit on how many people can participate, but you must register no later than Oct. 24. There is no-walk up registration.

You can get more information and register online here.