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HOUGHTON - After a cold and windy morning, organizers of the inaugural Bike2Work Day were nervous for the night's activities.

Fortunately for them and the hundreds of people that flocked to downtown Houghton Friday night, it was a sunny and warm afternoon, and the Bike2Work Day Expo went on with smiles, laughs and some good times.

"What's really fun is that this is one of the first public parties of the bike community where we come together and do our thing," event organizer Ann West said. "It's a good family event and I like the fact that the police are involved, racing and handing out bottles during the day."

The Houghton Police Department handed out random prizes to people riding their bikes around downtown Houghton all day Friday, and during the event were racing anyone who dared to challenge them.

Other events included time trials around a short course with a 12-inch framed tricycle. The time trial was put on by Cross Country Sports and the top time won a free T-shirt.

"It's always fun to be out here," Cross Country Sports owner Rick Oikarinen said. "Hopefully this is an awareness thing, where some people that don't bike much will think 'I should pull out that bike.'"

One participant in the tricycle time trial was Houghton Middle School student Brian Milligan, who flew around the course in just over 16 seconds, two seconds better than the record at the time.

"I've been biking for a long time," he said. "Going to friends' houses and around town."

Milligan's favorite part of the day was racing a cop where he narrowly beat out officer Daron Kari.

The view from Baxter's Heavenly Dogs was a good one, said hot dog chef Blake Panasiewicz. He was sitting back enjoying their first busy event of the summer.

"Everyone seems to be smiling," he said. "It's pretty sweet. I mean, it's a bike thing, everyone loves biking!"

Michael H. Babcock can be reached at mbabcock@mininggazette.com.