WABA Quick Release

Tour de Fat is back! The East Coast’s biggest and most fanciful of all things bicycling, Tour de Fat is part costume party, community bike parade, music and arts festival, and celebration of good biking and good beer! All proceeds from the event, which is put on by New Belgium Brewing, support local bike advocacy. This year, all revenue generated will benefit WABA, Black Women Bike DC, Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling, the Mid-Atlantic Off-Road Enthusiasts, and Phoenix Bikes.

Tour de Fat begins with a parade (parade check-in is at 10 a.m. and it kicks off at 11 a.m.) to Yards Park, where fun awaits.

Read more about Tour de Fat here, register for the parade here, and RSVP on Facebook here.

 

Tomorrow night, noted bike activist Elly Blue, author of Taking the Lane zine, will present Dinner & Bikes along with Joshua Ploeg and Joe Biel. This is the first time that Dinner & Bikes, a somewhat regular touring event, will visit Washington, D.C. Dinner & Bikes is on Tues., May 21 at All Souls Unitarian Church. Tickets are $20.

Attendees will enjoy a gourmet vegan and gluten-free buffet by Joshua Ploeg while participating in an interactive presentation about transportation equity by Elly Blue—followed by a near-complete excerpt from Joe Biel’s forthcoming documentary Aftermass, a history of bicycle activism in Portland. After, we’ll have some time to purchase books and get them signed at the Tour’s traveling food- and bicycle-themed pop-up bookstore.

This year’s stop in D.C. is sponsored by the Capital Spokeswomen and WABA’s Women & Bicycles program, who are the beneficiaries of the evening.

For more information and to purchase tickets, go here.

Many thanks to all who registered for this year’s Bike to Work Day and got to work on two wheels last Friday! This was a record-breaking year for Bike to Work Day participation, with over 14,000 people registering for the event.

We put together some infographics based on registration data. We always encourage people who identify as regular bike commuters to register for Bike to Work Day even if they can’t ride on that specific day, because it’s a way to generate numbers about bike-commuting patterns in the region.

Also in the category of “Bike to Work Day infographics” is this set from Fitness for Weight Loss, which illustrates some of the health benefits to be reaped from bike commuting.

Bike to Work Day 2013 has been a wonderful success.  The final total of registrants came from 14,577, considerably more than last year’s 12,000. We’ve heard great things from WABA members and supporters all over the region about their commutes—and we welcomed many new members to the fold. Thanks so much for joining us for the year’s biggest and best celebration of getting to work on two wheels.

Did you tweet, Instagram, or otherwise record your Bike to Work Day experience? Keep tagging those insights with #btwd13 so that we can see them! If you wrote up your ride, send us a link. We’d love to direct people to it. And if you took photos, upload them to our Flickr group!

Find us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Flickr.

For those of you looking for a return stop, consider the Bike From Work Day stop in Columbia Heights’ civic plaza, from 4-7 p.m. And keep sending us your photos!

While we have not been contacted directly by anyone associated with the bicyclists involved in crashes this morning and therefore can offer no further detail than what the media has already reported, we offer our best wishes and support to all involved.

Anyone who needs help dealing with a bicycle crash or advice on any issue related to bicycle safety or law can reach us at advocacy@waba.org.

For the 14,000-plus people who will be riding tomorrow in celebration of Bike to Work Day—or for whatever reason—please be safe.

We just broke 14,000 for Bike to Work Day registration! That far exceeds last year’s record-breaking registration of 12,000 participants. We’re so excited to see you out on the roads and trails tomorrow. This will be the largest Bike to Work Day yet.

Registration for Bike to Work Day is still open, so encourage your friends, family members, and coworkers to sign up. Regular bike commuters should do so even if they can’t participate, because important data counts come from Bike to Work Day registration. If you register, you can join WABA or renew your membership at a $25 discount.

Bike to Work Day is a rain or shine event, though the forecast looks to be sunny and warm. Have a great ride, be safe, and follow all traffic laws. Read below for all the Bike to Work Day information you’ll need.

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Get Ready to Ride to Work
Before you take off tomorrow morning, make sure you and your bike are ready. Pump your tires, check your brakes, and go for a test-ride to make sure everything’s in working order. Be sure anything you want to bring with you (water bottle, bike-repair tools, patch kit, bike lights, etc.) is safely packed. Wear your helmet and weather-appropriate clothing. We gave some additional tips on WUSA9 here.

Google Maps‘ biking directions can help you plan your route. Got a last-minute question? Take it to the bike forum! Curious about laws for bikes and what they mean for you? See our website or download our mobile app.

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Connect on Social Media
Use the hashtag #btwd13 on Twitter and Instagram so that we can follow your Bike to Work Day adventures. Mention us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, too. If you blog about Bike to Work Day, send a link our way!

Find and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

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WABA Commuter Convoys
You don’t have to ride alone on Friday: Join up with a convoy of commuters from your neighborhood, or pick up a convoy that crosses your route. Convoys can be found all over the region and are led by experienced bike commuters. Find a commuter convoy and more information here.

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Need a Bike?
You can still participate in Bike to Work Day even if you don’t own a bike! Bike and Roll is providing free hybrid-cruisers, with reservations, for Bike to Work Day riders. See more information here.

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What’s Next? Get Ready for Tour de Fat!
The East Coast’s biggest and most fanciful celebration of all things bicycling, Tour de Fat is part costume party, community bike parade, music and arts festival, and celebration of good biking and good beer! All proceeds from the event, which is put on by New Belgium Brewing, support local bike advocacy. Tour de Fat begins with a parade (parade check-in is at 10 a.m. and it kicks off at 11 a.m.) to Yards Park, where fun awaits. Read more about Tour de Fat here, register for the parade here, and RSVP on Facebook here.

WABA reached out to elected officials in our jurisdictions—D.C., Montgomery County, Prince George’s County, the city of Alexandria, Arlington County, and Fairfax County—to find out what they’re planning to do to celebrate Bike to Work Day. Here’s who we heard back from:

D.C.
Councilmember Muriel Bowser and her Bike With Muriel riding team will hit a number of pit stops, beginning at the Capital Bikeshare station at 14th and Upshur streets and ending at Freedom Plaza. See more information and the route on Facebook here.

Councilmember Jim Graham and Legislative Assistant John DeTaeye support Bike to Work Day, despite neither owning bikes.

Mayor Vince Gray is slated to speak at Freedom Plaza.

Councilmember Tommy Wells will be leading the Tour de Tommy, beginning at Triangle Park at Champlain and Euclid streets in Adams Morgan and ending at Freedom Plaza. See more information on Facebook here.

Montgomery County
Councilmember Valerie Ervin will be at the Discovery Communications pit stop between 8 and 8:30 a.m.

Councilmember Hans Riemer will be greeting constituents, giving remarks, and mingling at the National Institute of Health pit stop at 8 a.m.

Alexandria
Councilmember Justin Wilson will be on the trails, riding to work.

Arlington County
Board Member Chris Zimmerman will be at the Crystal City pit stop.

Fairfax County
Three staffers from Supervisor John W. Foust’s Dranesville District office will bike to work. Two are already regular bike commuters.

Did we miss your plans? Let us know! Email alex.baca@waba.org. And feel free to send photos or recaps even after Bike to Work Day has ended.

This year’s Bike to Work Day will be the biggest yet. Over 13,000 people have registered, surpassing last year’s record of 12,000. We’re aiming for 14,000 registrants. You can still register—and when you do, you can join WABA or renew your membership at a discount, $25.

Still on the fence? You can do it! Register for Bike to Work Day now—it’s tomorrow! We’ve already surpassed last year’s registration record of 12,000. Over 13,000 people have registered as of this morning. Can you help us get to our goal of 14,000 Bike to Work Day registrations region-wide?

And, you can join WABA (or renew your membership) at a discount, $25, when you register. We’ll see you on the road, on the bus, on Metro, or at a pit stop tomorrow.

Last Sunday, WABA’s Women & Bicycles outreach program hosted a Mother’s Day ride in affiliation with BikeArlington and Black Women Bike DC. Convoys beginning in Silver Spring, Rosslyn, and D.C. met at Hains Point for a picnic and a few easy laps. The ride coincided with Cyclofemme‘s Global Women’s Cycling Day.

See more photos here. Did you take photos on Sunday? Add them to our Flickr pool!

WABA has recently teamed up with the Green Lane Project, part of Bikes Belong, to increase the number of dedicated cycletracks in D.C. Also affiliated with Bikes Belong is People for Bikes, which is working to develop stock images of cities involved in the Green Lane Project, including D.C.

Here’s how People for Bikes describes the shoot:

National bike nonprofit PeopleForBikes.org is conducting a photoshoot in Washington, DC on June 7th. We’re looking for local bike lovers to model for us! The objective of the shoot is to capture beautiful images of people riding a bike for everyday purposes. We’ll pay $50 for each 2-hour session you work.

These images will be used by a bicycling nonprofit that is working to make bicycling safer and better in Washington, DC and around the country! So, even though the pay isn’t amazing, it’s a very good cause. We’re looking for people of all ages, looks, and ethnicities—singles, couples, families, business professionals, kids, etc.

Are you interested and available on June 7? Sign up with People for Bikes today.