Events: Summer’s here, so why not take a bike for a spin?

It’s one of the nicest times of year to feel that warm summer breeze on a bike. Happily, the next two weekends bring you three great opportunities to join organized rides in the area.

On Saturday, June 15 starting at 9 am at the Grounds (1102 S Eads St, Arlington, VA), check out the Sweet Ride & Shindig, a new ride in northern Virginia from the Washington Area Bicycle Association (WABA), which says “it’s a bike ride, it’s a picnic, and it’s a party!” Riders can “choose from one of four routes (approximately, 5-, 15-, 30-, and 50-miles) looping around Arlington, Alexandria, and beyond!” Registration costs $40 per adult and riders must be members (or a guest of a member) of WABA (about $35/year).

That same Saturday, June 15, on the other side of the metro area, you can find a Better Bicycling Ride in Silver Spring starting at 10:30 am at the Silver Spring Whole Foods (833 Wayne Avenue, Silver Spring, MD). Join fellow riders on this six-mile tour to “explore the bicycle lanes in Downtown Silver Spring and ride on the Sligo Creek Trail. [WABA’s] community education ride series is an inclusive space for riders of all levels to explore the area. Registration is free for WABA members and $10 otherwise, unless you want to take the opportunity to get the ride and an annual WABA membership (normally $35) at only $25 for the occasion!

The Saturday after next (June 23), enjoy a casual (and free) bike ride to “visit the various bakeries and sweet shops around Silver Spring and Takoma Park [to] exercise, enjoy sugary treats, and demonstrate how cyclists support local businesses!” Meet ride host Zachary Weinstein for this Sweet Ride starting 10 am at Veterans Plaza (1 Veterans Place, Silver Spring, MD).

Other events from around the region:

Tuesday, June 11

From local activism to the state legislature: Be inspired by meeting with two newly-minted Maryland lawmakers who used to be board members of Montgomery County’s Action Committee for Transit (ACT) as “Delegates Emily Shetty (D-18) and Vaughn Stewart (D-19) share experiences and updates from the recent MD legislative session. For a bit of a preview of the meeting [you can read] Vaughn Stewart interviewed on the Miner Detail blog.” Find your fellow transit enthusiasts at ACT’s June meeting, from 7:30 to 9 pm at the Silver Spring Civic Center (One Veterans Pl, Silver Spring, MD).

Wednesday, June 12

Improve livability in Rock Creek East: From 6:30 to 8:30 pm at Holy Comforter Episcopal Church (701 Oglethorpe St NW), find out the latest on the District Department of Transportation (DDOT)’s Rock Creek East I Livability Study (“defined by Rock Creek and the Maryland border to the West, Eastern Avenue the North, New Hampshire Avenue NE and the Red Line Metrorail tracks to the East, and Military Road NW, Missouri Avenue NW, and Riggs Road NE to the South”). The study aims “to evaluate the transportation network in the study area from a system perspective and look for opportunities for a safer and more accessible multimodal network… to improve accommodations for people walking, biking, riding the bus, and driving.” Find more information here.

Thursday, June 13

Make Ward 8 safer: Band together to “talk about transportation trouble spots and share ideas for making it easier to get around” at a Ward 8 Traffic Safety Meeting starting 6:30 pm at the Bellevue William O. Lockridge Library (115 Atlantic St SW). Find more information here.

Check out more urbanist events at ggwash.org/calendar. Do you have an event you’d like to see featured in the weekly events post? Submit it here.