The annual D.C. Bike Ride will take place on Sept. 9 with 20 miles of streets from the Capitol to the Pentagon closed off for thousands of riders of all ages.
More than 7,000 riders are registered and close to 10,000 are expected by the time registration closes Sept. 7.
The ride raises money for Pedal for a Purpose, which supports food insecurity and other community programs in the region. Last year, the ride raised more than $25,000 and organizers aim to exceed that number this year.
Since its founding in 2016, the bike ride has raised more than $200,000 for local nonprofits, and generated $11.5 million in local economic impact, according to organizers.
The D.C. Bike Ride is not a Tour de France-type of event.
“This is a ride for everyone, no matter how familiar you are with biking. If you bike every day or if you haven’t biked in 10 years, this is a ride for you to come out and just experience the city in a unique way. It is really the only day of the year you can bike around D.C. car-free,” said Danielle Berman Ruiz, events and partnership coordinator for D.C. Bike Ride.
“Someone comes out, and the next year they say I want to bring my parents, I want to bring my family, I want to bring my kids. We have riders now that range from age 3 to 90,” she said.
CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield has been a presenting partner since 2016 and has committed to the event through 2026. Donations extend beyond the D.C. Bike Ride event year round.
“We partner with our friends at CareFirst, and they actually donate per miles that our riders are commuting on bikes throughout the year to causes. So if you bike 20 miles on a Sunday, we track that and CareFirst donates $20 to food insecurity causes,” Berman Ruiz said.
The D.C. Bike Ride is not just for bikers either. The Finish Festival, on Pennsylvania Avenue in front of the U.S. Capitol, presented by Sibley Memorial Hospital, is free and open to the public, and will include food trucks, fitness classes and live music.
The ride starts at 8 a.m. at West Potomac Park. Along the course is live music, rest areas with snacks, first aid stations and mechanical support.
Basic registration is $75. For those who don’t own a bike, a $90 registration includes a bike and helmet. There is a VIP package, and discounts for college students and youth. Kids ages 3 to 7 ride for free.
Roads will begin closing around 4 a.m., including near The Wharf, Potomac Park, the Tidal Basin, and the Memorial and 14th Street bridges. Roads will reopen to traffic around 11:30 a.m.
Check out the map of the route below: 
