Last Friday morning, a reporter stood in Freedom Plaza holding a microphone in one hand as he steadied a road bike with the other. “I never considered riding a bike to work, but with gas approaching four dollars a gallon, it’s getting more appealing these days,” I think I caught him saying.

It was Bike to Work Day 2008, at a rally that was rain-soaked but surprisingly packed. The news folks had to keep doing new takes as streams of cyclists constantly wandered between the camera and the reporter.

Yes, one of the most notable things about bikes is that they do not rely on fossil fuels, and that is no doubt what convinced so many to abandon cars and buses. But what fuels a bike? Person power. And what fuels a person? None other than my favorite things: food and drink.

People fuel certainly enticed and rewarded the BWD participants. There were bagels and cream cheese, apples and oranges, and even coffee and donuts. And lots of water, in eco-friendly jugs instead of individual bottles.

Even some of the shwag was edible, including the Power Bars that goDCgo.com slapped their stickers onto and passed out along with free bike registrations. What a clever way to get the word out! It didn’t hurt that some of the tablers were good enough to eat themselves.