Welcome to spring! Officially! The big thing to watch out for this week is the March for our Lives on Saturday, which is guaranteed to cause significant disruption downtown and could impact the routes of regular group rides or the timing/destination of social rides (for example, Proteus’s social ride on Saturday is going to the march). So be sure to double-check social media for last minute changes before you head out.

Here’s a few other odds and ends of cycling news icymi:

Capital Bikeshare’s “Bike in Bloom” (a pink CaBi) is out rolling around somewhere in celebration of the cherry blossom festival. The lucky cyclists who snag it for a ride get *checks notecards* nothing. Well, they get to ride an awesome pink bike, so that’s SOMETHING.

Speaking of bikeshares, the dockless bikeshare companies and a number of business improvement districts (BIDs) around the city put out a joint statement on the future of the DoBis. It’s pretty interesting. One thing that jumped out to me is that the BIDs are very supportive of the initiative and could “assist in addressing issues in their territories, such as mis-parked bikes and notifying operators about problems such as broken bikes.”

Limebike has e-scooters, and now they’re apparently also rolling out e-bikes??

Bike Lane Uprising is a crowd-sourcing project to name-and-shame motorists and business who park vehicles in bike lanes in NYC, DC, and SF. Sign up here if you want to help by uploading pics of bike lane obstructers!

Crowdsource cargo bike company Taga has gone belly-up. I thought this was interesting as a cautionary tale. There are lots of cool and good people crowdsourcing for neat bike gear, but long global supply chains can be tough to control. Read what happened here.

Peter Flax has a piece about the “Life and Death of the Wolfpack Marathon Crash Race” in LA. Great, fun read.

Events

Garage Race (VA)

WEDNESDAY, 3/28 @ 6pm-8pm

A bunch of knuckleheads racing around a parking garage in Crystal City! Reg is open, and even though a lot of events are full, there are always slots for walk-ups! OR, you could be a normal person and just eat pie, have a beverage, and watch from the lounge. [Garage Races]

Rambles

not about speed. enjoy the journey, get some coffee on the way

Spokes Etc. Vienna shop ride (VA)

SATURDAY, 3/24 @ 8:15am

Leaves from the Vienna shop. Easy pace, no drop, covers about 15 miles. Check Facebook for updates and cancellations. [Facebook]

Nice & Easy (DC)

SATURDAY, 3/24 @ 10am

A BicycleSPACE ride. Leaves from their downtown shop. This is a ride for everyone, and great for beginners: 8-10 miles at a pace that’s, well, nice and easy. [BicycleSPACE]

Youth Ride (VA)

SATURDAY, 3/24 @ 10am

Weekly ride for kids, youths, and adult volunteers led by Phoenix Bicycles from their shop in Arlington. Easy-going ~10 miles. Check social media for updates! [Facebook]

Cupcake Ramble (DC)

SATURDAY, 3/24 @ 11:30am

A chill ride hosted by BicycleSPACE, 20-30 miles, with a stop for some kind of sweet treat halfway through. Leaves from the downtown shop. [BicycleSPACE]

Saturday Social Ride (MD)

SATURDAY, 3/24 @ 10am

A casual ride led by Proteus Bicycles from their College Park shop. This week, they are heading to the March for our Lives downtown. Check social media for updates. [Facebook]

Nice & Easy II (DC)

SUNDAY, 3/25 @ 10am

Same deal as the Saturday Nice & Easy, but this one leaves from the Adams Morgan shop. [BicycleSPACE]

Hill rides

often social, can be challenging

Hills of Anacostia (DC)

SATURDAY, 3/24 @ 9am

Hosted by BicycleSPACE. Meet at the downtown shop. A fun, brisk 20-25 miles of some good climbs and nice views east of the river and dipping into MD. No-drop ride. See our Ride Review here!

Falls Church Hills Ride (VA)

SATURDAY, 3/24 @ 8:30am

Hosted by Conte’s in Falls Church. Gather there for 20+ miles of VA hills. Fairly hardcore group that moves at a brisk pace, but it’s a no-drop ride. Cancelled in the event of rough weather or ice. Join the ride’s Facebook group and check the shop’s social media for updates. [Facebook]