The Washington Region’s annual support of national Bike to Work Day will be held on Friday, May 20, and Montgomery County intends to be fully involved once again. Registration for the event is now open. The first 15,000 bicyclists who register and participate will get a free T-shirt and are automatically entered into a raffle for a chance to win a new bike.
The event is held across the nation on the third Friday of May to celebrate bicycling as a clean, fun and healthy way to get to work. Bike riders in Montgomery County can stop by one of the six pit stops sponsored by the County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) for refreshments, to listen to music and visit local vendor displays during varying times on May 20. MCDOT’s pitstops will all begin at 6:30 a.m. and run until either 8:30 a.m. or 9 a.m. There will be free raffle prizes throughout the morning and two new bikes will be raffled off as grand prizes at each MCDOT-sponsored pit stop. Registration is required. Teleworkers and leisure riders are encouraged to participate.
"With the change in weather and rising gas prices, biking to work is a great way to save money and get exercise,” said Montgomery County Executive Marc Elrich. “It’s a healthy and fun way to travel and it is good for our environment. Biking can help expand mobility in the County while reducing carbon emissions. I encourage residents to give it a try—even for a short trip.”
The Metropolitan Council of Government’s Commuter Connections, a network of transportation organizations in which MCDOT participates, and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) are the co-organizers of the Washington Region’s Bike to Work Day event. All participants should visit the Find Your Pit Stop Map to plan a route in advance.
MCDOT-sponsored pit stops will be at the following locations:
- Downtown Bethesda at Woodmont and Bethesda Avenues
- Friendship Heights at the Shops at Wisconsin Place
- North Bethesda at Pike and Rose, next to Bark Social
- Rockville at Fallsgrove Village Center
- Rockville Town Square at Dawson’s Market
- Silver Spring Downtown at Veterans Plaza
“We are glad to get back to our traditional celebration this year,” said MCDOT Director Chris Conklin. “This is a fun event that we hope residents will enjoy participating in. Our County has over 100 miles of bike lanes, with over five miles of protected bike lanes, and that network is growing. With spring coming, Bike to Work Day is a good reminder to get your bike cleaned up and ready for use this season.”
All riders are encouraged to wear a helmet.
