As Lorraine Josifek pointed the way to the Redmond Bike Bash, cyclist Bill Tsang noticed the invitation and turned off the Sammamish River Trail and joined the celebration.

Josifek, a member of the city’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, got many other cyclists on board with attending the free event last Friday evening near the City Hall campus.

“It’s nice to see so many people out and about,” said Tsang, a Redmond resident, who added  about Redmond’s cycling culture, “There’s a lot of things like the Sammamish River Trail here and the Velodrome at Marymoor Park that makes it very conducive for people to get out and ride.”

The event featured helmet fittings, bike registration, massages, bike check-ups with local shops, live music, food samples and a beer garden by Redmond’s Bar and Grill.

Redmond is known as the “Bicycle Capital of the Northwest,” and Mayor John Marchione’s signed proclamation touching upon that title and the importance of biking to work was displayed at the event. It read, in part: “The City of Redmond acknowledges that cycling to work alleviates traffic congestion, reduces air pollution, decreases fuel consumption and contributes to a healthier, dynamic and more vibrant community.”

Jill Smith, a member of the City of Redmond Trip Resource and Incentive Program (R-TRIP), was pleased to see so many cyclists at the Bike Bash and biking to work last Friday.

“I think there’s a lot of people who are really interested in the environment and being sustainably conscious,” she said, adding that camaraderie with cyclists is huge on the trails or at the Bike Bash. “A lot of people bike together and come in teams, of either two or their whole bike team.”

Kristen Sanders, who has been involved with the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for about 14 years, got the word out at the Bike Bash for the organization’s Obliteride benefit event, which will take place Aug. 9-11 in Seattle and Tacoma. Cyclists will ride between 25 and 180 miles over the weekend.

“As you know, unfortunately (cancer) touches all of us in some way. I have been personally affected by it, my father-in-law actually just finished his surgery and chemotherapy for his very rare cancer that he had, so funding research is really important to me,” Sanders said.

Molly Johnson of the Marymoor Velodrome Association set up a table at the event to discuss track cycling with attendees. She’s a big fan of cycling on the track or on the trails, when the sun is shining or if it’s raining.

Johnson said that people enjoy being “active and healthy and they really take advantage of what they have around here. I think we have great trails, great bike lanes — people are aware of the cyclists around here and try to help with the traffic flow.”

Redmond resident Julie Konkle enjoys cycling with her family on the Sammamish River Trail from Redmond to Kenmore and back.

“I feel really safe taking my 3-year-old and 10-year-old — it’s just a very family friendly, beautiful community,” she said.