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More than 1,000 kids and adults turned out for Ride On, Tucson! on Sunday, Jan. 20.
Source: Pima County Communications OfficeSlide 2 of 4.
Actor Patrick Dempsey and pro cyclist Tom Danielson let the ride along the 2.2-mile route south of downtown.
Source: Pima County Communications OfficeSlide 3 of 4.
Bicyclists ride through Barrio Viejo during Ride On, Tucson!
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Most bicyclists rode the 2.2-mile route several times Sunday afternoon.
Source: Pima County Communicatons Office

More than 1,000 kids and adults of all ages and abilities on bikes and on foot joined “Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey and top American pro cyclist Tom Danielson at the free Ride On, Tucson! bike party in Armory Park on Sunday, Jan. 20.

Bicyclists filled South Sixth Avenue between Armory Park and the Tucson Children’s Museum before Dempsey and Danielson led them on a 2.2-mile loop closed to traffic that extended from Jackson Street to 19^th Street and included South Fifth and South Meyer avenues.

“We’re really proud to be here,” Dempsey told the crowd. He and Danielson and Bicycling Magazine editor-in-chief Peter Flax hatched the idea as a way to celebrate the growth of bicycling in Tucson.

“We want to show what’s unique about cycling,” Danielson said. “Cycling bonds people.”

Dempsey said Mount Lemmon would be on the cover of the next issue of Bicycling Magazine, which reaches 2.5 million people.

Ramón Valadez, chairman of the Pima County Board of Supervisors, who rode alongside County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry, reminded the crowd that Outside Magazine ranked Tucson the No. 1 bicycling community in the country.

“We want to be No. 1 in every bicycling magazine in the country,” Valadez said.

Huckelberry said the County is continuing to build The Loop bike and pedestrian paths along the Rillito, Santa Cruz and Pantano rivers and on Julian Wash and Harrison Road greenways. The Loop “is one of the things that makes this a great community,” he said.

The sun shone and the temperature climbed to 75 as riders streamed by on all types of bicycles, including tandems, recumbents, arm-powered cycles and bikes with training wheels. Jovert, Tucson High Magnet School’s steel drum band, and the Determined Luddites filled the park with music. Flax said he met people from Denver and New Mexico on the route, which most cyclists rode several times.

“It’s a celebration just the way Tom and Patrick and I talked about,” Flax said.

The event was organized by Perimeter Bicycling Association of America, Pima County, the City of Tucson, Living Streets Alliance, Ben’s Bells, Downtown Tucson Partnership and Meet Me at Maynards.

For a Bicycling Magazine interview with Dempsey and Danielson about Ride On, Tucson!, visit http://www.bicycling.com/news/featured-stories/patrick-dempsey-and-tom-danielson-want-ride-you. To watch a Bicycling Magazine video of Flax interviewing Dempsey during a magazine cover photo shoot, go to http://bcove.me/qc26v4w7.

Map of 2.2 mile course for Ride on, Tucson! The bike party is Sunday, January 20, 1-4 p.m.

“Grey’s Anatomy” star Patrick Dempsey and top American pro cyclist Tom Danielson will host a bike party in Armory Park on Sunday, January 20, 1 – 4 p.m. Pima County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry and Board of Supervisors Chairman Ramón Valadez will kick off the event and join this community ride for people of all ages and abilities.

“Patrick and I really like the community aspect of bike riding,” says Danielson. “And we wanted to get everyone out for a bike ride. It doesn’t matter if they’re riding an old bike or a new one, we just want people to have fun on their bikes.” Danielson rides for the Garmin-Sharp pro cycling team and prepares for his race season by training in Tucson in the winter.

The Ride on, Tucson! route will be closed to vehicle traffic so everyone can enjoy a leisurely ride around one of Tucson’s oldest neighborhoods.  Armory Park will host music, including Jovert, Tucson High Magnet School’s steel drum band, and the Determined Luddites. Other festivities will take place throughout the afternoon.  Bicyclists can ride the 2.2-mile route multiple times, meet some new bicycling friends, and pick up event posters signed by Dempsey and Danielson.

Pima County Bike Ambassadors will help keep bicyclists moving in the right direction along the route and provide information about bike safety and other great places to ride in Pima County. Mechanics will be on hand to fix flat tires and do other minor repairs.

Bicycling Magazine will visit Tucson for the event as well. Editor-in-chief Peter Flax will arrive a few days early to ride on The Loop shared use path. He will also tour other bike infrastructure in Tucson like the Rattlesnake Bridge and bike boulevards.

“It’s a great way for us to showcase The Loop to the over 400,000 people who read Bicycling Magazine,” says Huckelberry. “Pima County and Tucson can promote our region as a bicycling destination and showcase the economic development potential of The Loop.”

Like Danielson, Patrick Dempsey also has a connection to Tucson. As a teenager, he starred in the 1987 movie, “Can’t Buy Me Love,” that was filmed here. He enjoyed his time in the city then and looks forward to the ride. In a recent video interview with Bicycling Magazine, Dempsey talked about encouraging kids to ride: “Think about when you were a kid, you had the opportunity to go somewhere, the bike gave you freedom. That’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.”

Helmets are required for Ride on, Tucson! Event participants may be featured in upcoming Bicycling Magazine videos and articles. For Ride on, Tucson! information, go to: http://www.20-20cycling.com/ride-on-tucson/

For more information about The Loop, the bike and pedestrian paths being developed along the Rillito, Santa Cruz and Pantano rivers and on Julian Wash and Harrison Road greenways, visit http://www.pima.gov/theloop/