An international crew of new urbanist bikers (sounds intimidating, doesn’t it?) assembled at 9AM this morning to cycle around Austin. People from around the U.S., Canada and Great Britain were led by knowledgable locals around downtown, the east side, Lady Bird Lake and Barton Springs. It was all quite wonderful and informative in 70 degree sunny skies.

The first stop was at Saltillo Plaza on the city’s historic east side, but more on that later. We next biked along Lady Bird Lake, quite a busy place on a gorgeous Saturday. We crossed the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge and stopped to discuss the bridge extension and master plan for the area on the north side of the bridge. Also under development is the Lance Armstrong Bikeway Project, which will establish a six-mile cross-town bike trail. These and other projects will help make Austin a more bicycle-friendly city.

We finished our tour at the Barton Springs Pool, a natural spring-fed pool that is 68 degrees year round. The pool and park surrounding it is a major recreation destination for citzens of Austin, and this day was no exception. Biking is a great way to discover a city, especially when guided by knowledgeable new urbanists.