Record 900-plus in ‘05 Starlight Spectacular
More than 900 riders - by far the most ever - registered for the 11th annual Starlight Spectacular bicycle ride last weekend.
The total topped last year's best of just under 800, according to Linda Hodges, assistant director of the Trails and Open Space Coalition. In the event, bicyclists head out at midnight from the Garden of the Gods Visitor Center, pedaling courses as short as 14 miles or as long as 22 miles before returning to the center for breakfast. All courses include a segment from the downtown up Colorado Avenue and through Old Colorado City. “It was another great turnout, the weather cooperated, and there were no serious injuries,” she said. “When you see nearly 1,000 riders in the night with their lights on, it's quite a sight.” The youngest participant to complete the long route was just 6 years old, Hodges noted. “People of every age love it,” she added. “They just get into it. One rider said to us, 'This is the most fun I've had in Colorado Springs,' and then another said, 'By far the most fun.'” Going into Saturday night, June 18, there had been 715 advance signups. The remaining registrations (about 205, based on unofficial counts) came in before the midnight roll-off, according to Hodges. The Spectacular is a fund-raiser for the coalition, a privately funded trails and open space advocacy group that formed in 1987. Westside Pioneer article |