The sixth annual D.C. Bike Ride took over 20 miles of streets in the District and Northern Virginia Saturday morning.
Locals and tourists alike enjoyed the car-free roads stretching from the Tidal Basin, crossing the Arlington Memorial to Georgetown and ending up near the U.S. Capitol.
D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser led 9,000 other riders out for the carefree fun ride that organizers stressed was not a race.
“It represents for us just the people, that history, the culture of DC, while allowing participants this awesome, unprecedented car-free access to see the nation’s capital in a way that we wouldn’t normally, while also promoting healthy communities,” said Ieisha Gray Chief Operating Officer CareFirst, BlueCross BlueShield Community Health Plan District of Columbia.
The ride attracts locals like Remy Vasquez from Prince George’s County who said, “It’s just a true joy to ride around without any cars.”
“I’m not racing anything I’ll take my time, just all the fun, the vibe, the happiness. I mean it would be great if we made this a car free city,” said Mary Andrews who lives in D.C.’s Penn Quarter.
But it also brought tourists like Chris Raeuber from Greensboro, North Carolina.
“The last time we were in D.C. was 40 years ago and we are pretty avid bikers so we thought we would try it out,” Raeuber told WTOP.
Most cyclists rode normal street or racing bikes but there were some recumbent bikes, tandems and even a big-wheeled penny farthing cycle that looks likes it came straight out of the 1800s.
“I have a collection of bicycles. And this is the only one I write because it is so fun,” said Greg Edwards from Herndon, Virginia.
He rode it for the 20 miles.
“People stare at me, you know, people wave! I made friends,” Edwards told WTOP.
Along the route was plenty of pit stops to take pictures around the city and even free ice cream.
The 20-mile course ended near the U.S. Capitol where D.J.’s and other festivities like fitness classes greeted the tired riders.
See photos of the event below.
