Vienna Bike/Walk Challenge: Day 3 Results

Bikes seemed to outnumber cars along some Vienna roads on Wednesday morning, as more than 1,300 kids biked or walked to class for National Bike to School Day.

The day comes in the middle of Vienna's Fifth Annual Bike/Walk Challenge, which encourages students to walk or bike to class for a week to get kids and parents out of buses and cars and create excitement around other means of transportation.

Two additional schools, Kilmer Middle and Flint Hill Elementary, also joined in on Wednesday's festivities.

Nearly 250 of the kids counted by the six challenge Vienna elementary schools were on two wheels Wednesday morning.

At 102 bikes of all sizes rode over rolling hills to the school on Beulah Road, many of them joining Wolfie's Bike Train, a "bike carpool" created by parent Jeff Anderson five years ago as a way to encourage more students to bike to class.

Some of those students helped promote bike to school while broadcasting the weather alongside reporters on ABC 7's Good Morning Washington show.

The school is the second ever in Vienna to break a single-day biking turnout of 100 students. Vienna Elementary recorded 128 kids biking to class one day last June.

For Cunningham Park Elementary School, Wednesday was also a part of its regular "Walking Wednesdays" celebration, which the school began just after spring break as a way to encourage more kids to ditch the bus or carpool, parent coordinator Linda Colbert said.

Much of the school's population is considered within walking distance, but families haven't always committed to getting to school that way, Colbert said.

Parent Laura Martin said she remembers mornings a few years ago when her family was only one of a few on the sidewalks heading to class, as cars and buses pulled ahead to unload dozens of children.

Now — especially with the Walking Wednesdays program — it's not uncommon to see "regulars" walking or biking to school in all kinds of weather.

"[My son] loves it," Martin said. "He thinks it's cool. It's a time for him to hang out with his friends."

Louise Archer had the highest turnout for Wednesday's event, with 291 total students participating.

Wolftrap Elementary School has held on to the lead for the Challenge Cup, awarded to the school with the largest percentage increase in participants over last year's challenge.

Newcomer Westbriar Elementary is still in the lead for the Biking Cup.

Wednesday Counts:

Overall Walkers/Bikers:

Percentage of School Population

Percent of population participating

668

Challenge Cup Standings

Bike Cup Standings