cc_rider

Sunday May 13 is Bike DC.
https://www.bikedc.net/

Phil_gretz

CC,
Maybe you can change my perspective...

The ride isn't that long, and will be S L O W.

It meets on a Sunday - conflicting with family and religious activities.

You have to pay to ride your bike?

To me it seems that there are WAY better rides that one can do any day, and these are out there all over the region, particularly toward the rural areas in MD and VA.

So, what's the attraction? I receive the invitation yearly and just shake my head...

I wish you well.

Phil G.

cc_rider

PG - I can certainly appreciate your position.
It isn't that long a ride compared to other organized tours.
There are some slow parts, but most of it move right along. Since they added the Rock Creek stretch this year, I expect that the crowd will have stretched out by the time they reach the bottle neck on the GW Parkway.
And there is the registration fee.

I do the ride for a couple of reasons.
I enjoy the ride up the parkway, although I wish we still went all the way to the CIA.
I like having bikes push the cars off the road for the change. They close the streets of DC for several dozen runs, walks and triathlons every year, so why not for one or two bike rides?
I want to support the local bike community, and give back to the community. For the past three years I've been a marshal for the ride. I enjoy helping with the ride, and there is the added advantage that marshals ride for free. Last year I was one of the first marshals out on the course, but since I stopped to help at two accidents and three break down I was one of the last marshals back.
I can ride solo or with the PPTC any weekend. This is one of the few big group rides I can do in my own town.

paths dc

I'll be participating for the first time this year. My buddy tells me it's a fun ride, great to see all kinds of cyclists out (including many who are just getting into cycling). The big draws for me are the major roads which are made car-free for the duration of the ride.

Phil_gretz

Thanks, CC. That's a good rationale. Thank you for serving as a marshall. The fee isn't really the deal breaker for me, it's the Sunday committment. Take care. Phil

Consularrider

The fee pays the costs to put on the event with any profit going to WABA. How often can you ride for free on the GW Parkway or across the Roosevelt Bridge? This was my fifth ride, third as a ride marshal. My impression is that big DC area events that close roads are preferred on Sunday mornings since that is what will cause the least amount of disruption to the driving public. Still plenty of big running events on Saturday mornings though.

While this is one of my favorite events in the area, it continues to have growing pains. With the move to a spring ride date and three straight years of great weather, the crowd has outgrown the number of volunteers who put it on and some of the limitations of the route.