HOOVER DAM -- If you were driving around town, you might have noticed streets flooded with thousands of cyclists, all for a good cause. The Viva Bike Vegas bike ride was held and those riders had the chance to make history by peddling their way onto the nearly-complete Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge.
After more than five years of construction, the bridge will be dedicated next week. Many of the 2,000 riders at the event say they came just to see this engineering marvel up close and personal, and nobody walked away disappointed.
"It's probably never going to happen again, so I'm really fortunate to take a look at a spectacular feat of engineering," said cyclist Andrew Pinfold.
This was the largest turnout ever for Viva Bike Vegas. Cyclists had the chance to ride a 115, 50, or 23 mile course.
"I've never been to Las Vegas before and I've never seen the Hoover Dam. This is just an amazing area," said cyclist Max Jenkins.
As each cyclist made their way onto the bridge, they were greeted by other cyclists and then had the chance to have their picture taken on top of the bridge. Professional and amateur riders participated in the event.
In recent years, the sport of cycling has taken off in popularity, mainly due to the success of Lance Armstrong.
The Regional Transportation Commission sponsored the event.
"We knew it would be a big draw, but we were really surprised at just how quickly the ride filled up. We had about 1,500 riders who participated in the 115 mile ride," said Tracy Bower with the RTC.
The bridge will be officially dedicated on Thursday, October 14 and an event to allow the public walk the bridge will be held next Saturday. Proceeds from the bike ride will go to the Nevada Cancer Institute and Las Vegas After School All-Stars.
