Multiple new thoroughfares line the course for next month’s Tour de Hunter Mill bicycle ride.
Registration is now open for May 4’s event, which will be the fifth annual bike ride through Fairfax County’s Hunter Mill District.
This year, the ride will be concentrated more on the western side of the district, traveling through Reston and the Herndon area without venturing toward Wolf Trap like in previous iterations.
Participants will traverse a new access path at the Herndon Metro station, as well as a Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Trail bridge installed last year over Wiehle Avenue. Both the short route (11 miles) and long route (25 miles) will also ride through Frying Pan Farm Park and around Reston’s lakes.
“The Tour de Hunter Mill is an opportunity for people to explore the Hunter Mill District on bicycle,” said Supervisor Walter Alcorn, who started the event in 2021. “We’ve got some great new things for people to see.”
It costs $30 to participate in the ride, which will be held rain or shine. Young riders aged 15 and under are free, though they must be riding with an adult.
The registration fee covers both rider and marshal insurance fees, as well as a donation to the Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling. Registrants will also receive a pair of orange “ever-popular” socks to commemorate the ride.
Though check-in begins around 7:45 a.m., the long ride is scheduled to commence first at 8:30 a.m. from the North County Governmental Center (1801 Cameron Glen Drive) in Reston.
The short ride, starting at the same location, is tentatively scheduled to begin five minutes later.
Both routes will also end at the North County Governmental Center, where “post-ride food & fun” will be held from 10 a.m. until noon, according to the registration page.
