Bike the Sites Blog

Spring is just around the corner at Bike and Roll Washington DC! This Saturday marks the beginning of our tenth season in Washington DC, and we couldn't be more excited to get going! All three locations will open for both tours and rentals starting this Saturday, March 10th. The combination of this amazing spring weather, five weeks of Cherry Blossom festivities, and two brand new tours promise to make this season the best one yet!

Our downtown location at the Old Post Office will be open for rentals from 9:00am to 6:00pm, 7 days a week. Our location in Old Town, Alexandria will stay open from 10:00am til 6:00pm during the week, then 9:00am to 6:00pm on the weekends. Union Station is opened 7 days a week, 9:00am to 6:00pm.  

Our Capital Sites tour (10:00am) and Monuments tour (2:30pm) will leave every day of the week from our downtown location, with more tours leaving from Union Station and Old Town, Alexandria. Our Blossoms by Bike tour and Blossoms by Bike River Ride will run March 21 - April 8th, taking riders down to the Tidal Basin and the heart of cherry blossoms. 

Don't forget about our Blossom Bites by Bike tour, starting March 23rd! Enjoy specially created dishes from critically acclaimed local eateries as you bicycle from one restaurant to another, touring through the Dupont Circle, U Street, and Logan Circle neighborhoods. Each tour will have a knowledgeable tour guide to share interesting facts about these historical areas while also concentrating on the unique culinary aspects of each eatery.

To top it all off, Segway tours start May 1! 

For the first time ever, Bike and Roll Washington DC and DC Metro Food Tours are partnering to bring you Blossom Bites by Bike, a biking food tour showcasing fantastic food in three of DC’s classic neighborhoods. Enjoy specially created dishes from critically acclaimed local eateries as you bicycle from one restaurant to another, touring through the Dupont Circle, U Street, and Logan Circle neighborhoods. Each tour will have a knowledgeable tour guide to share interesting facts about these historical areas while also concentrating on the unique culinary aspects of each eatery. We are super excited to work with DC Metro Food Tours, and intend on continuing a Bites by Bike tour throughout the 2012 season!

Blossom Bites by Bike departs from Bike and Roll’s Downtown DC location at the Old Post Office Pavilion at 4:00. This three-hour tour runs Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the festival. The tour begins and ends at the rear plaza of The Old Post Office Pavilion on 12th St. NW, between Pennsylvania and Constitution Avenues. (Metro: Federal Triangle).

Advance reservations are required for all Blossom Bites by Bike tours and can be made online at www.bikethesites.com or by phone at 202-683-8847. Tickets for this tour are $79 per person and include the guide, bike rental, enough food for dinner, and a bottle of water for your ride. This ride is all street riding (most of which is in bike lanes) so we do not advise children (12 and under) sign up for this tour.

Blossoms Bites by Bike is an Official Program of the National Cherry Blossom Festival. The 2012 Festival, March 20 – April 27, includes daily events featuring diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit.  The 2012 Festival commemorates the 100th anniversary of the gift of the cherry blossom trees and the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan. www.nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

Looking for a job with a laid back atmosphere, enthusiastic fellow staffers and plenty of sunshine? Bike and Roll Washington DC is hiring for this spring! We are looking for tour guides, mechanics, assistant managers, and rental staff! Please visit our Employment page for job descriptions and instructions on applying. Know someone who might be interested? Direct them here!

It's finally starting to feel like winter here in Washington DC, but that doesn't mean the end of biking! Though our downtown DC location in Federal Triangle is now closed through March, our Union Station Bikestation will be open year round, Monday through Friday from 7:00am to 7:00pm (Closed December 24th to January 2). Our Old Town, Alexandria shop is also closed until spring 2012.

Thank you to everyone who came and visited us this year, we hope you enjoyed our tours and rentals as much as we liked giving them! As we put our new fleet together for the spring season, we'll be dreaming of summer bike rides as we shiver in the garage. Keep up with the latest on our Facebook page or follow us on Twitter!

-Bike and Roll Washington DC Team 2011

After purchasing your new bike from Bike and Roll's fall bike sale, you will surely start wondering where to ride. We suggest you pick up a copy of the metropolitan region’s newest and most comprehensive cycling guidebook, Where to Bike Washington D.C. ($25) at our bike sale or at Bike and Roll’s Union Station location. Packed with 55 easy to epic rides for adults, state-of-the-art GPS-produced maps, and oodles of information from food and drink options to interesting side trips, it also details an unprecedented 39 safe rides for kids.

Wittmer first cycled the nation’s capital while helping map portions of the East Coast Greenway trail from Calais, Maine to Key West, Florida. And after two years of teaching and travel in South America, he returned and picked up where he left off, finding safe, fun places for cyclists to ride.

A note from the author:

“Any book is a labor of love to its subject and Where to Bike, Washington DC is no exception. My subject was, of course, cycling in the nation’s capital, and I was fortunate enough to be exploring it at a time when interest in biking, and rapid advancements in its infrastructure, were both at all-time highs.

What area rider could be more privileged? It was one of the best experiences of my life, and one I did with wheels to the ground in hopes of finding fun, exciting rides for regional cyclists of all levels. Being able to ride my bicycle, not only to work, but for work, was the year-and-a-half long project’s highlight. In this book I map my way over thousands of miles throughout three states and share the natural beauty and pleasant roads and trails the greater D.C. area has to offer its cycling enthusiasts.”

-Matt Wittmer, October 2011

Bike and Roll Washington DC's Annual Bike Sale!

This month Bike and Roll Washington DC hosted Destination DC's Business Exchange, where Destination DC members can come and experience first hand the many destinations DC has to offer. After setting everyone up on bikes in the Old Post Office PAvilion courtyard, we were ready to go! The sun was just starting to set on the first beautiful fall day as we rode over the National Mall, around the base of the Washington monument, past World War II, and onto the memorial grounds. Below, Bike and Roll owner Stephen Marks gives some historical background on the memorial as the sun sets over the tidal basin.

We finished up the evening at PJ Clark's with some fall brews and delicious appetizers. What a perfect October outing! Come back and visit again soon!

The National Park Service is joining forces with GoDCGo, DDOT, and the Metropolitan Police Department for the third year in a row to bring us Feet in the Street, an all day event promoting outdoor activities in one of the District's largest parks. The streets surrounding Fort Dupont Park will be closed from 9:00am to 3:00pm on October 15th, making it safe for kids and adults alike to bring out their bikes, skateboards, rollerblades, hiking boots and running shoes to enjoy fall in DC.

Bike and Roll will provide free bike rentals for adults and kids who want to go for a spin! No reservations required, just come find us in the park and we will set you up on one of our Trek bikes. Cruise down Fort Dupont Drive without worrying about dodging traffic.

For more information, visit GoDCGo.com and keep an eye on our Twitter @BikeandRollDC for updates!

Marks Family in Alexandria, VA 2009

Many people love their jobs, but I find mine to be exceptionally great. It feels good to know that I can provide a healthy, green way to see the city that I love. I am blessed in many ways by this opportunity to operate Bike and Roll Washington DC. A close friend of mine started Bike the Sites in 1997. When I took over in 2003 we opened at our original location at the Old Post Office Pavilion and added rentals to our product lineup. There were 50 bikes in the fleet that first year and now we boast well over 600 pieces of equipment, all spread between three locations and one hotel. We have amazing returning staff and customers every year. It has been quite a ride.

I am lucky enough to have three generations of family members involved in the business including my sister Nikki, my wife Janna, our two sons Eli and Noah, and my father, Robert. Our pooch Izzy is always happy to come and observe and shake her tail at customers. Having lived in the DC area my whole life, I’ve come to believe that Washington DC is one of the greatest cities to bike in.

I invite you to come take advantage of our great city by bike, the greenest and fastest way to see our nation’s capital. Come bike the sites!

Sincerely,

Stephen Marks

Bike and Roll, Managing Partner