Community Design Center of Pittsburgh photo Pedal Pittsburgh riders pass in front of the South Side Market House at last year's event. This year's ride will begin at 7 a.m. Sunday, with 50- and 60-mile rides. Click photo for larger image.

Pedal Pittsburgh offers the long and short of it.

When the bicycles start to roll out of the Chevrolet Amphitheatre at staggered times Sunday morning, riders will have their choice of pedaling from 15 to 60 miles through the city before returning to the popular South Side site.

The 10th annual ride, a fund-raising event for the Community Design Center of Pittsburgh, is designed to be a fun and educational event that highlights city neighborhoods and design landmarks.

Jennifer Fox, a spokeswoman for the design center, said the event attracts more than 2,000 riders a year. She emphasized it "is a ride, not a race," and is intended to celebrate "design, health and fitness and urban lifestyles."

The different course routes are designed to accommodate everyone from "recreational riders to hard-core fitness enthusiasts." There also are rides of 25 miles, 35 miles and 50 miles.

Fox said this year's ride will feature examples of the "built environment" -- buildings, neighborhoods, parks and trails that "highlight the role of design in strengthening communities and shaping the future of the region."

The cost -- $25 per person or $50 per family -- includes water and/or food stops, a light lunch and a Pedal Pittsburgh T-shirt. There are special rates for groups of 10 or more.

For $5 more, riders can join a guided tour of the 15-mile and 25-mile routes. The guide will stop briefly at designated landmarks. Pre-registration is required and availability is limited.

Register online at www.pedalpittsburgh.org, or from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Thursday at the design center in the Bruno Building at 945 Liberty Ave., Downtown; and from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the East Entrance of the Freight House Shops at Station Square.

Station Square will provide complimentary parking passes to pre-registered riders. No free parking passes will be available Sunday, but parking fees of up to $6 will be waived if you make a donation to the Friends of the Riverfront.

Helmets are required. Riders must obey all traffic regulations. Streets will not be closed and riders will be sharing the road with automobile traffic. Sag wagons, medical support and links to emergency medical services will be available.

Each course will be marked with directional signs from start to finish. Cue sheets for the directionally challenged will be available. Marshals will be posted at key intersections. There will be rest stops with water and/or light snacks at Herr's Island, Riverview Park, Highland Park and Schenley Park.

Bike rentals are available at Golden Triangle Bike Rentals at 412-600-0675 or goldentrianglebikes@yahoo.com.

For more information and/or to be among the volunteers needed for the event, go to www.pedalpittsburgh.org, e-mail info@pedalpittsburgh.org or call 412-232-3545.

Free ride shop

Bike Pittsburgh, the bicycling advocacy, awareness and safety organization, will open its Free Ride Shop from 6-10 p.m. tomorrow through Friday to help those get your bike back in proper working order. The shop is open to all and experienced bike mechanics will be on hand to show you how to do the repairs yourself.

For more information, go to www.bike-pgh.org.

Three Rivers Heritage Trail

Although the Great Allegheny Passage includes only 6.5 miles of the Three Rivers Heritage Trail, most of which has been completed, the entire Three Rivers Heritage Trail, when completed, will run along more than 40 miles of riverfront in Pittsburgh and neighboring municipalities.

There are more than 25 miles of riverfront trails completed in Pittsburgh, Baldwin Borough and Millvale with plans for significant expansion along the Allegheny River. The completed sections include such popular destinations as the Eliza Furnace Trail, North Shore Trail, South Side Trail and Millvale's trail through its new riverfront park.

The Great Allegheny Passage section from the Glenwood Bridge to Point State Park is nearing completion. More than 6 miles are completed with projects under way to close the remaining two gaps at the Hot Metal Bridge and the Mon Wharf. Recent Transportation Enhancement funding from PennDOT has been announced for both projects.

Since its creation in 1991, the Friends of the Riverfront has led the development of the trail in cooperation with other non-profit and municipal partners. Friends of the Riverfront is dedicated to restoring, preserving and promoting the rivers and riverfronts of the Pittsburgh region.

For more information, call 412-488-0212 or go to www.friendsoftheriverfront.org.

My thanks to Karl Thomas, executive director of Friends of the Riverfront, for this update on the Three Rivers Heritage Trail.

Allegheny Highlands Trail (Md.)

What's happening on the Allegheny Highlands Trail, the 21-mile section of the Great Allegheny Passage that extends from the Mason-Dixon Line to Frostburg and then to Cumberland? We didn't have enough space for it in last week's update on the trails that make up the Great Allegheny Passage, so here it is.

Work has begun on a five mile section of the trail from the Pennsylvania border to Frostburg, Md., said Bill Atkinson, vice president of the trail's board of directors and a regional planner for the Maryland Department of Planning.

"We hope to complete it this fall. Please remind everyone that the trail will be closed to the public during construction," Atkinson said. "We don't want to deal with any liability issues if someone gets hurt."

The contractor is using the Borden Tunnel, about halfway between Frostburg and the Pennsylvania line, as a storage site.

The next step, building the 15-mile section of the trail between Frostburg and Cumberland, Md., will be done in two phases. Atkinson said the state will be inviting bids later this month from contractors to build about 7.5 miles of the trail from Frostburg to Woodcock Hollow. He said funds are being sought to complete the remaining half of the trail.

Meanwhile, the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Canal Place Heritage Authority are working to re-open about one mile of the old Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Towpath. When completed, visitors will be able to ride a canal boat similar to the ones now available in the Georgetown section of Washington, D. C.

For more information, call 1-301-777-2161 or click on www.ahtmtrail.org

Closed until next year

Because of all the construction work that is being done on the trail from Meyersdale to the Maryland border, the trail itself will be closed to "absolutely everyone" and so will two of its landmarks -- the 910-foot long Keystone Viaduct that crosses the Casselman River and the 3,300 foot Big Savage Tunnel. Doors will be installed on the tunnel to prevent access while the trail work is being done.

It's disappointing for everyone. But, if everything goes as planned, we'll all be able to soar across that 100-foot high viaduct and echo through the tunnel by this time next year.