Category: Bike Lists

Fall has fallen, the leaves have turned, and the mercury has finally dropped below 80 degrees! Wonderful time of year. The big deal this week is, of course, the WABA Cider Ride on Saturday. As of our publication deadline, registration was still open and the weatherperson was forecasting no rain and a high of ~62F, which is, uh, perfect. Other good ways to enjoy the fall colors this weekend are the Bike Rack’s once-a-month Urban Wilderness Ride on Saturday, or BicycleSPACE’s Hills of Rock Creek Park ride on Sunday. Note also that it’s the first weekend of the month, so both the Hills of Rock Creek Park and the Hills of Anacostia rides cater to beginners. Good time to get out there and give them a shot if you’re new! Finally, there is NO Proteus ride on Saturday, on account of the WABA thing.

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One unusual bit of news is that DC has been picked as a test market for a new cycling app called LaneSpotter. Described as “Waze for cyclists,” LaneSpotter aims to help find good routes by offering maps of bike lanes and trails and by crowd-sourcing tips on the best routes through city streets. Now, I do not have an iPhone, so I can’t tell if it’s good or bad, but what would be cool is if you would download the app, use it a couple of times, and then take this quick survey to let me know how it went. I’m curious if it even has enough data yet to be useful.

A few other interesting reads from the week:

• DO NOT miss this wonderful recollection by Peter Flax on the cross-country bike ride he took with a friend half a lifetime ago. Seriously, make some time.
• Four Mile Run trail renovations have been done for awhile, and WashCycle has a nice little series of photos documenting the upgrades.
• I enjoyed this short documentary on Gearin’ Up Bikes. Check their site for classes, open shop nights, and volunteer opportunities.
• The protected bike lanes at The Wharf are FINALLY painted and ready for two-wheeled traffic.
• Here’s the tale of a lady who got lost and drove her car onto the W&OD trail. Hmmmmmmmm.

OK, onward to the list! If you like this newsletter, feel free to forward it along to friends and tell them to sign up or follow on Twitter. Stay safe, ride fast, ride on.

– Peter
Continue reading “DC Bike List for week of 11/2”

It’s here! The very first DC Bike List! A lot of great rides and events going on this week. Just a few quick highlights: Bike Rack’s Lake Artemesia Ride is on Saturday. They do this once a month, so if you’ve been waiting to catch it, now’s the time. Then later that evening, DC’s fine community of bike messengers are hosting Dead City 2017, a “Mars Attacks!”-themed alley cat race through the streets of DC. Everyone’s welcome to join, and it sounds… wild. On Sunday, the OutRiders are doing a 50-mile trek out to Baltimore and MARCing it back. On Halloween night, the Mt. Pleasant Cruisers are doing a costume ride. And on Wednesday? Free bike polo! Ha!

Anyway, that’s what I’d do if I had unlimited time and no family or professional obligations. You’ll not see many rides by clubs like the Potomac Pedalers listed here. First, there’s just too many, and second, I imagine the club people already know about them. That said, if you want a ride added to the list, definitely e-mail me or tweet me and I’ll make it happen. I’m also looking into a good way to incorporate the less regular club events.

Also, there are some good women cycling groups like Black Women Bike DC and Babes on Bikes that are reserved for those identifying as women. Connect with these groups and they’ll let you know what’s happening from week to week.

A few other pieces of news before I get to the list:

• WABA’s Cider Ride is coming up on November 4. That’s like a week away! You must register for this ride if you want to participate, so get in there.
• The MARC’s Brunswick line is adding bicycle car service on Friday and Monday this weekend, so it’s a great chance to load up your steed and head out to WV for adventuring. It’s a pilot program so maybe they’ll do it more in the future.
• All those dockless bikeshares you’ve seen wheeling around DC are headed to Montgomery County! (OK, not ALL, just Ofo and Limebike for now.)
• Here’s a great little piece from Bicycling.com about the people who encourage us to ride our bikes. Gave me feels.
• And sure, why not, here’s another piece about a woman who has ridden 15,000 miles with her dog. He runs along behind until he gets tired. Then he rides in the pannier with his little head poking out.

That’s it. If you like this newsletter, feel free to forward it along to friends and tell them to sign up or follow on Twitter. Now with no further ado, the list!

– Peter

Continue reading “The DC Bike List for 10/26”