Arlington Celebrates Bike Month in a Big Way

Arlington celebrates Bike Month in a big way every year.

From a massive regional event like Bike to Work Day to the small group discussions at Bike Arlington's Two Wheel Tuesdays, Bike Month events aim to show just how easy and enjoyable it is for anyone to use a bicycle.

The easist time to learn how to ride a bike is when you're a kid, of course, and Arlington Public Schools will join in the national celebration of Bike to School Day. This year, it will take place on Wednesday, May 8. Arlington’s an especially good place for kids to bike to school, with lots of multi-use paths connecting low-traffic streets to neigbhorhood schools. So while the adults are still aruging about who can and can't take the bus, the kids can just enjoy the fun of getting in a bike ride before the school day starts.

For Arlingtonians who have left school behind and moved into the working world, May also brings Bike to Work Day on Friday, May 17. Bike to Work Day will see more than 10,000 Washington metro area residents take to our trails and streets to get to their job by bike. In the hopes of giving hesitant commuters some encouragement to try it out, Bike to Work Day sponsors provide pit stops with food, entertainment and the occasional raffle.

For many, Bike to Work Day will be the first time someone tries commuting by bike. While anyone can try it any time, of course, a lot of regular bike commuters will tell you that they got their start when a friend took the time to demonstrate how do it. On May 17, there will be no shortage of examples of what kinds of bikes people use, the routes they take, or how they manage to carry their things to work.

There are 70 Bike to Work Day pit stops throughout the greater Washington region. Arlington will have four this year. In the morning, there will be stops at:

• Rosslyn (Rosslyn Gateway Park, 1300 Lee Highway)
• Ballston (FreshBikes Bike Shop, 3924 Wilson Blvd.)
• Crystal City (Crystal City Water Park, 1750 Crystal Drive)

In the afternoon, there will be a stop at East Falls Church (Tri360 Bike Shop: W&OD Trail at Washington Blvd and Lee Highway).

Rosslyn is traditionally the biggest pit stop in Arlington, in large part because it sits right on one of the busiest bike commuting intersections in the region. The Ballston stop is smaller, primarily attracting those who will start or finish their commutes in the neighborhood. Crystal City's stop is supported by the Crystal City Business Improvement District, which always does a fantastic job of making bike events fun. The East Falls Church stop should provide a nice break for all of the folks heading back to Falls Church and Fairfax. The East Fall Church Metro also has the highest number of bike-to-Metro commuters in the region.

Finally, Bike Arlington is encouraging riders to sign up for a local team with the National Bike Challenge.

Riders are pitted in a friendly competition to cycle as many days and miles as possible, and progress is tracked publicly. There are already a number of local teams, including the Bike Arlington All-Stars, Crystal City, and Team South Arlington. In addition to the bragging rights won based on team and community rankings, there are some pretty sweet prizes raffled off every month to those who meet certain mileage thresholds.

Do you need any of this to ride your bike? Of course not. Can it make riding that bike a little bit easier and add some fun? Definitely.

Get on your bike, bring a friend, and roll through Bike Month in Arlington.

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Bike Arlington will also be continuing its Two Wheel Tuesdays series throughout the month, meeting at 7 p.m. inside the Aurora Hills Library at 735 18th St. S. While each week has a theme, they’re intended to be informal drop-in sessions that help answer basic questions for new riders. Details and a full summer schedule is here.

In case you missed it, ex-Arlington resident Brian McEntee recently offered this timely guide to being the Ideal Cyclist.

If you're the type to plan ahead, put Saturday, June 1, on your calendar. New Belgium Brewing's Tour de Fat will be returning to Washington for its second year. What is it? Bikes. Beer. Parade. Concert. Celebration. Trust me.  

Mark Blacknell is a member of the Arlington Bicycle Advisory Committee, president of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, and a League Cycling Instructor.