The annual Tour du Port, a fundraising event for Bike Maryland, the state's leading bicycling advocacy organization, launched from Canton Sunday morning.

The event offered five different rides, 12-, 24-, 38-, 50- and 63-mile treks. The three longest rides took bicyclists from Canton through the St. Helena's neighborhood, past Dundalk High School, down Peninsula Highway into Sparrows Point, Edgemere, North Point State Park and Miller's Island before heading back to Canton.

Personally, I had a blast. Starting at 9 a.m., I followed the 38-mile course and met riders from all over--Anne Arundel County, Howard County, Delaware and Baltimore, of course. I thought Dundalk, Sparrows Point and Edgemere looked great on a warm, sunny early weekend morning.

Naturally, the rides near the water and marinas and into North Point State Park were highlights, but it was also nice to see the softball fields, like those at Stansbury Park, filled with ballplayers and families on a Sunday morning.

I know that later in the morning, motor vehicle traffic slowed at certain places to allow for groups of slower bicyclists and I hope no one was too seriously delayed. However, I think it's an important event for the Dundalk community, introducing hundreds of people each year to the area's neighborhoods, parks and scenic waterways.

Finally, a big shout out to the girls in Edgemere passing out bottles of water.

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