TheWashCycle

Smartbike Start Update

DCist is reporting a NET start date of August 1st.

due to Pepco still working on getting electricity installed in all of the bike racks mean that SmartBike won't actually be operational until August 1 at the earliest, "but no guarantees." Seven out of the ten pilot racks are installed and operational, but three more still need to be completed.

Local Bicycle shop wins Award for going Green

Mt. Airy Bicycles⁄College Park Bicycles was the winner in the multiple-store category. A statement from the magazine said, ‘‘Larry Black, owner of Mt. Airy Bicycles and College Park Bicycles in Maryland, started thinking green ... when he opened his first shop. By 1976, he was using solar power to heat the water. He now purchases wind credits to offset his businesses’ energy use. He recycles tires, patches and inner tubes, uses recycled paper, buys hybrid company vehicles and tries to stock products from sustainable-minded brands.”

Black said in a statement, ‘‘We would like to share some of our operations so we can encourage other business to help with their conservation, sustainability, and ecological concerns. We are not only saving the planet, we are saving quite a bit of money and passing on a better environment for all to enjoy.”

Despite other reports, he doesn't see people making much of a switch to bicycle commuting.

‘‘Not yet,” said Black, who sells bikes ranging in price from a few hundred dollars to thousands. ‘‘We’ve seen a little upturn, but not that big. And the gas crises in 1971 and 1979 didn’t put people on bikes. I think we should see an upturn, at least a modest one, once people discover all the healthy things about getting on bikes.”

No Bikes on Metro on the 4th of July

Once again I should point out that if you are going to the National Mall on July 4th and you are not walking or riding a bike then you are clearly a person who does not like themselves very much. Going down, it is a big convenience (namely, it gives you the ability to go past a crowded entrance to get to one of the less crowded ones - between you and me entering from the south side at 15th street is so fast, it's like being on the VIP list) Once there, you can park at WABA's awesome bike valet. Coming back it's like a dream - closed streets and backed up traffic makes you feel so pampered.

Speaking of which, WABA is looking for volunteers to work the bike valet

WABA will once again be offering two free bike valets for the 4th of July Independence Day Celebration on the National Mall. As a volunteer, not only will you be helping to promote cycling in the area, but you will get the best view around of the best fireworks display in the country! Volunteers are needed for the valet site located at 15th and Independence Ave for two hour shifts from 2pm-10:30pm.

Please contact Chantal at chantal@waba.org or call 202-518-0524 to sign up or for more info.

Sadly, as DCist points out, you can not take your bike on Metro on the 4th, but you can use the buses if you imbibe too much.

Cyclist hit on W&OD

Appears their injuries were not life-threatening

A bicyclist was struck by a car in Vienna on Monday, police said.

The bicyclist was traveling on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail and trying to cross Church Street Northeast at about 8:30 a.m.

Police said eastbound traffic had come to a stop at the intersection of the trail, but a 2006 Honda Civic traveling eastbound passed a stopped vehicle on the right side and struck the bicyclist.

The bicyclist was thrown from his bike on to the hood of the striking vehicle.

The bicyclist suffered non-life-threatening injuries and was taken to a hospital.

The driver of the Honda, Edward Fitzgerald, 43, was charged with failure to yield the right of way.

$100,000 Bicycle

Sounds like antique road show

Tom Mault says he purchased the red Schwinn for $350 on Tuesday, and has received offers up to $100,000 from fans and collectors since then.

Mault says he found the May 1963 Sting-Ray _ one of the first of its kind off the line _ with its distinct "banana seat" leaning in a corner at Virginia Beach shop that sells new and used bicycles.

Then he did some research, posted the bike's serial number and posted his find on the Internet. Mault says bike collectors from London to Japan "flipped out."

C&O Canal Ride

The Gazette published a story in it's open forum section by a woman who rode the C&O after taking the red line to Shady Grove.

My bicycle and I took Metro’s Red Line to Shady Grove, a mysterious place I’d heard of many times (as in ‘‘This train’s final destination is Shady Grove”) but never seen. Turns out, it’s not that exciting, unless strip malls are your thing. But I left the Metro station and headed west on roads that my map indicated were bike-friendly, and gradually commercial areas gave way to farms and small hamlets.

I've been thinking of doing something similar myself, riding out to the end of each Metro line and then biking back. Just to do something different.

Post's list of rides

The Post recently published a list of group rides one can participate in. Skipping the ones that have already happened.

The Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts hold several mountain bike rides throughout the year. Check out http://www.more-mtb.org for their schedule. Potomac Pedalers holds many rides for all skill levels: http://www.bikepptc.org.

Hudson Trail Outfitters has a cycling club that has several road and mountain bike rides planned this summer. The first is a mountain bike ride scheduled for June 22 at Rosaryville State Park in Maryland. Visit http://www.hudsontrail.com/upcomingevents.php.

Capitol Hill Bikes sponsors rides every Sunday at 9 a.m. through the District and Rock Creek Park. The store also has mountain bike rides Wednesday evenings at 6. Visit http://www.capitolhillbikes.com.

Something else to look out for

He and his nephew estimate they were traveling at about 45 miles per hour on the hill just west of Boulder. Neither one could believe what happened.

"I saw a blur and thought to myself, 'Big dog.' Then just as I was hitting it, I saw this gigantic bear head with huge teeth. He was surprised to see me and I was surprised to see him. It was almost like a cartoon when we collided," Egan said.

Egan and his bike were thrown through the air.

I can not count the number of times I have crashed into a bear during a ride. It's probably as often as I've gone 45 mph. America's #1 threat - Bears.

DC Ranks fourth in fitness

The American College of Sports Medicine studied 16 major cities against a fitness index and ranked DC fourth, behind San Francisco, Seattle and Boston. Bike commuting is part of the reason.

There are comparatively more farmers markets, bike commuters, swimming pools and baseball diamonds in Washington than in the other metropolitan areas

A bike friendly Rockville Pike

The Gazette reports on the draft concept plans for the Rockville Pike Master Plan

The planning area begins near Richard Montgomery High School and extends south just past Twinbrook Parkway

Rockville Pike in the next 20 years turned into a ‘‘grand boulevard,” designed to encourage use by pedestrians, bicyclists and public transit.

Sketches of the vision of the Pike include service roads that run parallel to the main street and serve buses, bicyclists and pedestrians, separated by a line of trees. The drawings showed wider sidewalks along street fronts, a bike lane in the street and parallel parking.

‘‘If developed, the idea is to have a concept that works, that’s great for pedestrians, works really well for transit and cars,” Levy said. ‘‘If we do it right, transit will be a viable option and pedestrian and bikes are viable options.”

During the workshop, community members, facilitated by city planning staff, sketched their ideas for the city’s portion of the Pike. The sketches included more mixed-use development along the Pike, more density near the Rockville and Twinbrook Metro stations, additional roads and pedestrian and bike paths.

Here's the transportation portion of the charrette. Here's Rockville's Bike Plan.

Oh and there's a meeting on this tonight

Construction is scheduled to begin in mid-July on a new interchange for Rockville Pike and the relocated Randolph Road in Montgomery County. If work goes as scheduled, it should be done by fall 2010.

Maryland State Highway Administration representatives will discuss the impact of the construction at a meeting from 6 to 8 o'clock tonight in the Montrose Christian School cafeteria, 5100 Randolph Road, Rockville.

The new interchange will tie into the new Montrose Parkway, which Montgomery County is building just to the west. The project includes construction of a hiker-biker trail connecting existing trails.