Mayor pedals for Bike to Work Day

Thousands in Colorado are pedaling this week instead of driving.

If you were up early on Wednesday morning, you might even have caught a glimpse of the mayor of Colorado Springs on two wheels.

Mayor John Suthers led a bike ride from Goose Gossage Park to Acacia Park to celebrate Bike to Work Day.

“The ride was terrific. I had one of the fat bikes. I found out it’s worth more than my first car. The trail is in pretty good shape for all the rain we’ve had. It’s obvious that people have been doing some work,” Suthers said after his ride.

But as many local cyclists know all too well, trails aren’t looking too good after record rainfall.

“This is the worst damage I’ve seen from rain since I’ve been here,” Parks, Trails & Open Spaces supervisor, Scott Abbott said.

Abbott said the city is dealing with the damage, but there’s a lot of bumpy and messy ground to cover.

Red Rock Canyon Open Space is still closed, with no word on when it will reopen.

“With record rainfall this May, we saw a lot of damage to our entire system,” said Abbott.

Cyclists are seeing everything from small-scale erosion to complete destruction.

“We’re going to have important announcements coming in the next couple of months. Our trail system is going to be better,” said Suthers.

The Bike to Work Day event keeps more than 25,000 vehicles off the road throughout the state.