Complete with balloon arches, a steel drum performer, and free bottles of chocolate milk, the Finish Line Festival on S. 28th Street was quite a family affair. Held in commemoration of the first-ever Tour of Pennsylvania bike race, the South Side event was in motion long before cyclists rode in to town yesterday afternoon.

The 18 teams of bicylists -- all with riders between 18 and 24 -- arrived in Pittsburgh yesterday, trailed by motorcycle-bound photographers and cheered on by avid fans of all ages from the sidelines.

Organized to celebrate the final two legs of the six-day race, which began in Philadelphia on Tuesday, the festivities also honor Pittsburgh's 250th anniversary.

At the end of the sixth day, participants will have peddled 420 miles across the state, roughly following the historical Forbes Trail. They have gathered a significant fan-base en route.

Families swarmed the roped-off blocks surrounding the finish line at the intersection of Hot Metal and Sidney streets. Children played Dance Dance Revolution and accepted chocolate milk from the Beaver County Dairy Princess of Schneider-Valley Farms.

To promote health and wellness awareness, Highmark coordinated a passport system for the Healthy High-5 event, explained Chad Hilliard, Festival Coordinator for Highmark. Kid-oriented stations and prizes were set-up to educate families about healthy living practices, with booths representing a range of outdoor equipment companies, healthcare centers, and sports drink and energy bar companies.

A costumed "Steely McBeam" Steelers mascot wandered the streets, while a junior olympics-bound group of 4th-6th graders representing the American Heart Association demonstrated their jump-roping skills. Spectators munched on healthy snacks from McDonalds and lounged in the shade on chairs, provided in the tent of American Eagle Outfitters, an official sponsor of the event.

As the announcer declared that the bikers were approaching, Ron Mowry, of Bedford, kept his eyes on the finish line. Mr. Mowry drove to the race for his job as a WalMart distributor. This was an usual delivery, however; he carried in tow a shipment of the 44,000 pounds of bottled water his company donated to the athletes.

The cyclists' arrival was heralded by a pack of motorcycles and police vehicle sirens, and an uproar from anxious fans. Some onlookers were decked out in jerseys themselves, others even biked to the event to watch the cyclists from 13 countries complete the 91-mile ride from Ligonier.

A ripple of excitement filtered through the crowd as David Veilleux, of Quebec, Canada, received the bright, yellow jersey awarded for first-place in today's race. Onlookers clapped 'Learntobehealthy.org' inflatable noise-makers and cheered as Veilleux spoke of the last leg of the Tour, which will finish at the intersection of the Boulevard of the Allies and Stanwix Street this afternoon with a final festival.

Clad in his victory jersey, 21-year-old Veilleux said, "I have a great team supporting me, so I think we can keep the jersey."