FABB Blog

 

Successful Tour de Mount Vernon - Updated

Supervisor Storck's pre-ride talk

About 25 cyclists joined Mt Vernon District Supervisor Dan Storck this morning on the inaugural Tour de Mount Vernon. Thanks to Supervisor Storck for holding the ride and for his support of bicycling in Fairfax County. See photos of the ride on Supervisor Storck's Facebook Page.

The route (see RideWithGps) was 22 miles to Workhouse Arts Center, returning by the same route for a total of around 44 miles. The group rode from Belle Haven Park starting around 10am. They headed south on the Mt Vernon Trail to Mount Vernon Estate. From there we rode along Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, initially on the poorly maintained trail and then on the road which has a narrow, paved shoulder.

Supervisor Storck (right) on the Mt Vernon Trail

We stopped briefly on Mt Vernon Memorial Hwy and Supervisor Storck discussed his goal to build a paved trail from Mount Vernon Estate to Route 1 within 3 years. The trail would include using the bridge over Dogue Creek which has funding from a recent bond referendum.

We continued across Route 1 and used the new, wide trail that parallels Jeff Todd Way, north to turn left on Telegraph Road which has bike lanes and a wide paved trail. We followed Telegraph all the way to a right on the Route 1 trail for a short distance and then right on Lorton Road which also has bike lanes and a paved trail. West of I-95 the road is being widened and the bike lanes will soon be striped after the final layer of asphalt is laid. At Lorton Station we passed a long line of cars waiting in the bike lane to turn right into the station to catch the Auto Train for the trip south to Sanford, Florida.

At Workhouse Arts Center, the turnaround point

We continued on Lorton Road to a left on Workhouse Road to follow the new trail. The Cross County Trail parallels Workhouse Road and once construction is complete it will be an option for reaching Workhouse Arts Center.

Thanks to Supervisor Storck's staff for being at the rest stop at Kingstowne Fire Station 37 and at Workhouse Arts Center to provide water and snacks for the riders. We're looking forward to the next Tour de Mount Vernon.

Update 5 Jan 2017 - See the Connection article Tour de Mount Vernon by Tim Peterson - "The supervisor said having passable

Loretta Trowen, Charlie Dyer, and Cathy Miller Photo: Connection Newspapers

trails for bikes and foot traffic is incredibly important for not only neighbor-to-neighbor community-building, but also connecting what he called significant “cultural sites” for visitors, including the Mount Vernon Estate, the National Museum of the U.S. Army and Arcadia Farm on the historic Woodlawn Estate."

Labels: supervisor storck, tour de mount vernon

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