The Jefferson City Parks, Recreation and Forestry Department will host a free community bike ride Saturday.
Beginning at 9 a.m. at the North Jefferson Recreation Area pavilion, participants will ride a 10-mile loop.
Starting at the pavilion, riders will cross Fourth Street and ride down Sandstone Drive to Mokane Road. They will then ride 4 miles down Mokane Road, past Fischer Farms, before turning onto County Road 4035 and eventually getting onto Missouri 94. Riders will then turn onto the Katy Trail from the highway and ride back to the North Jefferson parking lot area before heading back to the pavilion.
City Engineer David Bange, who is also a certified bicycling instructor, will lead the event. Red Wheel Bike Shop will rent bikes to those without bikes before the ride.
The route is mostly flat and contains low traffic, Bange said.
"The thought would be we do this and do some easier routes so people who are just getting into cycling don't feel overwhelmed, and we can show them what Jefferson City has to offer," he said, adding riders could also get ideas for where they can bike themselves.
While the Parks department hosts various bicycling events, Bange said, this is the first time the department has done one like this. The department hopes to create more bicycling activities in the future, he added.