Saturday is the D.C. Bike Ride, an annual recreational ride through D.C. that advertises itself as “the only day you can adventure around your city by bike with no cars.”
The city’s inaugural ride was held in 2016. Capital Sports Ventures started the yearly ride to celebrate biking and promote street safety. Local musicians, including the Woodrow Wilson High School Drumline, will play along the course, and there will be two pit stops for food, too.
A portion of proceeds from the ride, which costs $70 dollars for standard adult registration, will go to the Washington Area Bicycle Association (WABA), a local nonprofit and advocacy group.
The Washington Area Bicycle Association is part of a group of local organizations pushing for the city to achieve the goals of its Vision Zero program, which aims to eliminate traffic fatalities by 2024. Advocates say the city is not doing enough to fulfill that promise, and have pointed out that 2018 saw 34 traffic deaths, a 13 percent increase from the previous year. The city’s cyclist community also recently mourned the death of longtime activist Dave Salovesh, who was killed by the driver of a truck in April.
The ride also comes one day after the city’s annual Bike to Work Day, scheduled for Friday.
Its 20-mile course starts in West Potomac Park, travels into Georgetown and Arlington and finishes by the National Mall. Here are the roads that will be closed, according to the Metropolitan Police Department:
- Ohio Dr SW, between Rock Creek Parkway and Maine Ave SW, from 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
- Maine Ave SW, between Independence Ave SW and 12th St SW, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Independence Ave SW, between 23rd St SW and 14th St SW, from 6:30 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
- Rock Creek Parkway, between Virginia Ave NW and Ohio Dr SW, from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- Potomac River Freeway, between Rock Creek Parkway and Whitehurst Freeway, from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- Whitehurst Freeway, westbound between Potomac River Freeway and Canal Road, from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- Whitehurst Freeway, eastbound between Potomac Freeway/K St and the Key Bridge exit, from 7:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
- E St Expressway NW, between 20th St NW and Potomac River Freeway, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- 14th St SW, between Independence Ave SW and the 14th St Bridge, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- The 14th St Bridge HOV lanes, between 14th St SW and S. Eads St., from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- S. Eads St, between Army Navy Drive and Rotary Rd, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Raoul Wallenberg Pl, between Independence Ave SW and Maine Ave SW, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- The 9th St Tunnel Exit Ramp, between Maine Ave SW and the tunnel, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- D St SW, between the 9th St Tunnel entrance and 7th St SW, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- 7th St SW, southbound between D St SW and Independence Ave SW, from 6:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.
- Maryland Ave SW, between Independence Ave SW and 3rd St SW, from 6:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Jenny Gathright