US Bike Route 10 dedication is Sunday in Anacortes

Washington Bikes is inviting folks interested in bicycle travel to attend the ribbon cutting on the new US Bike Route 10 in Anacortes this Sunday.

Open Street Cycle Map of USBR 10. http://www.opencyclemap.org/?zoom=8&lat=48.17592&lon=-119.98274&layers=B0000

Click here for link to map

USBR 10 rolls out for 416 miles roughly along  the State Route 20 corridor from Anacortes to the Idaho border. That’s also the corridor for the Northern Tier Bicycle Route.

Designated by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials this past June [“US Bike Route 10 is approved for Washington state”], it’s the first such bike route to get the OK in the Pacific Northwest.

It’s just one segment of the much bigger US Bicycle Route Network that connects cities and states. The Adventure Bicycling Association, which helps coordinate creation of the routes, reports there are 6,790 miles of US Bicycle Routes established in 15 states. Early estimates called for 50,000 miles of US Bike Routes criss-crossing the nation.

The dedication event on Sunday is part of Anacortes Open Streets. There’s a volkswalk downtown from 11 to 4, a vintage bicycle contest at 10 a.m., a retro bike ride at 11 a.m., and the ribbon cutting at 1 p.m.

Washington Bikes Executive Director Barb Chamberlain, Anacortes Mayor Laurie Gere, and WSDOT Secretary Lynn Peterson will be on hand for the ceremonies.

Two others cities along USBR 10 will also host dedication ceremonies: Colville on Sept. 20 and Newport on Sept. 22.

And in a cool wrinkle, the bike advocate who coordinated the creation of the route will be leaving for a bike tour of the route on Monday morning. John Pope of Anacortes will be joined by members of the Skagit Bicycle Club and Washington Bikes for the week-long ride from Anacortes to Newport. Follow his itinerary at WA Bikes, and join along if you like.

We’d like to thank John, the volunteers at Washington Bikes and the staff at Adventure Cycling for making this bicycle route a reality.