At registration
I took a day off from training and racing to do Bike DC with some friends and 3996 other people.
Bike DC is a causal ride through DC and Arlington on closed roads. The ride traversed several roads normally closed to bicycles including the E St expressway, 66, and the GW Parkway.
The weather cooperated with the event; it was warm and sunny. However, it increased the crowds a bit (not crowded). I also witnessed my first traffic jam caused by bicycles as the riders were funneled onto the GW Parkway.
I’ve written an adaptation of the 12 days of Christmas to describe what I saw throughout the ride:
- 12 Beach Cruisers
- 11 Folding bikes
- 10 Recumbents
- 9 Tandems
- 8 Aero-bars
- 7 Fanny packs
- 6 Helmet-less
- 5 PINK TOWNIES
- 4 Fixed gears
- 3 Cargo Bikes
- 2 Unicycles
- A dude on an Elliptigo
It doesn’t really fit in the song, but it’s notable. There were 0 cars and 0 rollerbladers. I had to make a serious mental adjustment to
ride home with traffic.Stray Observations:
It’s shocking how big the roads are without cars on them.
Crossing the Potomac on the 66 Bridge
TEAM USA!
Also, big thanks to the volunteers, WABA, Bike Arlington, goDCgo, NPS, and everyone else who helped make the ride possible.
Despite all of my friends seeing it, I somehow missed the Elliptigo (the existence of which confuses me even more than the Segway). Still, a mostly awesome ride.