Bicycle loop brings city’s history alive

By Stephanie Mlot, News-Post staff

Forget long walks on the beach. Frederick will soon offer an extended bicycle ride through some of the city’s most historic locations.

The 10-mile, 21-point tour lasts about two hours, depending on the rider’s pace.

“The most challenging thing about the loop was deciding what points of interest were to be included,” George Ruszat said.

At the helm of the project, committee member Ruszat began planning the history loop more than a year ago.

By the end of the week, the map will be available at various city locations, including the Visitor Center at 151 S. East St.

The $6,000 project was funded in part by $2,500 in unused City of Frederick budget money, $500 for in-kind work by staff and a $3,000 grant from the Tourism Council of Frederick County.

More than just the printing of the map and brochure, the bicycle loop will be featured on a webpage with audio files and downloadable pictures of the sites. Posters will be hung around town advertising the route.

Initially offered as a self-guided tour, the committee plans to expand the route to include periodic tours with knowledgeable guides and a possible bike rental program.

The use of bikes opened a greater area for the group to explore than the available city walking tours. The loop ranges from the Mount Olivet Cemetery in the south to Rose Hill Manor in the north and from East Street out to the Schifferstadt Museum.

With sites depicting the 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, Ruszat opted to include obvious locations like the Hessian Barracks, the Francis Scott Key Memorial and City Hall. There are also stops at five city museums and lesser-known places like Laboring Sons Memorial Park.

“With the amount of support we have enjoyed by the elected officials, this has gone very smoothly,” City Transportation Planner Tim Davis wrote in an email. 

“This is a truly innovative project that joins Frederick’s historic legacy and charm with our commitment to being a bicycle-friendly community,” Ad Hoc Committee member and bicyclist Dave Auble said.

He called the project a true collaboration of the mayor’s committee, the city planning staff and the tourism council, all with the encouragement and support of the Board of Aldermen.

“There are few other programs like this in the entire country,” he wrote in an email.

Davis hopes the bicycle loop will bring new education about safe bicycle riding to the city, as well as tourist interest and “a newfound enjoyment of being together with family and friends on bicycles.”