April 2011 - Spokes Magazine

town and bike valet/parking locations) can be found
at the goDCgo website. (www.godcgo.com/)
Tip: It’s a well known among bikers familiar with the
area that East Potomac Park and Hains Point tend to
be free of the pedestrian congestion which plagues
the Tidal Basin and with its nearly 1700 trees, it
should be an equal draw. If you’re visiting the blossoms
a bit after the predicted peak, you’ll be pleased
to learn that the deeper pink double-blossomed
Kwanzan trees which dominate this area peak a little
later than the Yoshinos which surround the Basin.
• Sligo Creek Park in Silver Spring—meander along
the parkway, parts of which are closed to car traffic
on the weekends.
• Birdsong Lane near Seneca Creek State Park in
Gaithersburg—perhaps not a bike destination
unless you're local, but a quick drive down this
dead-end street would make for a nice detour during
your commute or weekend errands.
• Watts Branch Parkway & College Gardens in
Rockville—if you find yourself by Montgomery
College, Rockville campus, take a ride down College
Parkway, or a little further south, but still in the
vicinity, try Watts Branch by Woottons Mill Park.
• Cherrydale in Arlington—take the Custis Trail to
North Quincy Street; Cherrydale will be immediately
before you hit Lee Highway.
• Meadowlark Botanical Gardens in Vienna—close
to the Dulles Toll Road and Beulah Road, this may
prove a little more difficult to get to by bike, but
well worth the visit with over20 varieties of cherry
trees in this 95-acre park.
• US National Arboretum—great for biking, this is
one of the best places to avoid the Tidal Basin.
• Anacostia Park—you’ll find 1,200 acres spanning
the river shoreline and dozens of cherry trees.
• Foxhall Village—west of Georgetown at Foxhall and
Reservoir Roads, the story-book Tudor-style houses
are made all the more enchanting by bursts of cherry
trees throughout the neighborhood.
• Stanton Park on Capitol Hill—off the beaten path
in northeast Washington at the intersection of
Maryland Avenue and Massachusetts Avenue, you'll
find mostly neighborhood children and dog walkers
beneath the cherry tree canopy at this four-acre park.
30,000
active cyclists will read your ad here!
Call
301-418-1039
Renting A Ride
What to do with friends or family without bikes? Rent
one. There are several options with many places offering
kids bikes and other specialty rides (like trail-abike
attachments and tandems).
• Capital Bikeshare— Cost is $5/day; $15 for 5 days.
Take a bike from any station, enjoy your ride, and
return the bike to the station of your choosing.
With 110 bike stations around DC and Arlington
you’re likely to find one convenient to you. Staff
will be on hand to assist at the Independence
Avenue and 12th Street location all three weekends
of the festival. Trips under thirty minutes are free!
(http://capitalbikeshare.com/)
• Big Wheel Bikes—Cost: $7/hour; $25/day. Area
locations. (http://bigwheelbikes.com)
• Bike and Roll—Cost: $10-$20/2 hours; $18-$40/4
hours; $35-$70/day; actual cost dependent on type
of bike rented. Location: Old Post Office Pavilion
and Union Station. (http://www.bikethesites.com)
• Bikes to Borrow—Cost: $45/day. Free delivery to
NE and NW Washington.
(http://www.bikestoborrow.com)
• Revolution Cycles—Cost: $5/hour; $35/day.
Location: Georgetown. Area locations.
(http://revolutioncycles.com/)
• Rollin Cycles—Cost: $8/hour; $30/day. Location:
Logan Circle. (http://rollincyclesdc.com)
• Thompson Boat Center—Cost: $7/hour; $28/day.
Location: Georgetown.
(http://www.thompsonboatcenter.com/)
Not The Mall
If visiting the Tidal Basin still seems like an act of
insanity, be sure to take advantage of the beauty
around town and, quite possibly, in your own backyard.
Note, trees in outer areas usually blossom slightly
later than those on the Mall.
• Kenwood neighborhood in Bethesda—this notso-secret
gem is located right off of the Capital
Crescent Trail (barely a mile after the trail starts in
Bethesda; turn off on Dorset Avenue which crosses
the path).
pack your imagination
and hold on.
bike virginia tour
june 24-29, 2011
In 2011 the tour will visit the New River Valley. We will camp in two host towns and visit several others on the
tour. An area rich in history, geology, culture and scenery, the valley is home to portions of both the New River
(one of the oldest rivers in the world) and Bike Route 76 (stretches from Oregon to Virginia). The Wilderness
Road, Virginia’s heritage migration route, also passes through many of the communities we will visit!
Bike Raffle!
Win a custom painted Breezer
commuting bike painted in
2011 BVT colors!
Register at www.bikevirginia.org
Each adult registering for the full tour by 4/1/11
will receive a FREE Jersey!
Children under 18, Non Riders, and Day Riders
registered by 4/1/11 will receive a FREE T-Shirt!
Brought to you by:
April 2011
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