Montgomery County will have 16 pit stops located throughout the County as it joins the annual regionwide celebration of “Bike to Work Day” on Friday, May 17. Commuter Connections and the Washington Area Bicyclist Association host the free event that offers the first 20,000 to register and participate a free T-shirt, refreshments and entry into a raffle for a new bicycle.
The national celebration of Bike to Work Day is held on the third Friday of May each year. This year’s event will have a total of 115 pit stops throughout the Washington Metropolitan Region of Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia.
Montgomery County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will host pit stops from 6:30 to 9 a.m. in:
Downtown Bethesda
Friendship Heights
North Bethesda at Pike and Rose
Rockville Fallsgrove
Rockville Town Center at Dawson’s Market
Silver Spring at Veterans Plaza
There will be raffles for prizes throughout the morning and a grand prize raffle of a new bike. DJs will provide entertainment and refreshments will be served at each of the stops hosted by MCDOT. Additional pit stops in the County will be located at the National Institutes of Health (Building One); Naval Support Activity Bethesda; the Food and Drug Administration in White Oak; in Gaithersburg (Kentlands in the morning and Olde Town in the afternoon); Germantown; Rock Springs Business Park; Twinbrook; and Takoma Park (Downtown and at Sligo Creek Trail).
Most pit stops will be open during morning commuting hours, but the stop in Old Towne Gaithersburg will welcome bike commuters on their way home in the afternoon. Details on the specific location and operating hours of each pit stop in Montgomery County, and instructions on how to register for the event, can be found at http://www.biketoworkmetrodc.org/.
When participants register, they will be asked to choose one pit stop. At that stop, they will be able to pick up their free t-shirt. Participants are encouraged to visit more than one pit stop since each will have different activities. All stops will have food, drinks and raffles. Some will have speakers and entertainment.
Bike to Work Day is open to riders of all ability levels.
“It is a great opportunity for new riders to try bicycle commuting for the first time,” said Al Roshdieh, director of Montgomery County’s Department of Transportation. “There will be thousands of bicyclists who will be participating this year who have never commuted by bike before.”