BPAC organized eight rides in 2019.  Thank you to everyone who partnered with us or participated in the following rides:

April 27: Earth Day ride, in conjunction with Alexandria’s Earth Day celebration.  We biked to see recent or planned infrastructure projects designed to improve Alexandria’s water, air, and quality of life.  Our special guests Kasey Kraft and Justin Carl from River Renew/Alex Renew taught us about the River Renew project that will solve Alexandria’s combined sewer system issues.  Among the other projects we discussed were the creation of the Potomac Yard Trail, the planned improvements for the Mount Vernon Trail-Abingdon Drive intersection, the planned linear park in Old Town North, and the future extension of the Old Cameron Run Trail.  Photos here.

May 27: African-American history ride. On Memorial Day, we rode to sites associated with Alexandria’s extraordinary African-American history.  Along the way, we talked about Benjamin Banneker, considered the “first black man of science”; visited the church that is the home of the oldest African-American congregation in Alexandria; saw the Freedom House Museum, where one of the country’s largest slave-trading companies used to be; honored the sacrifices of the African-American soldiers buried in Alexandria National Cemetery; and learned about the many contributions of “The Fort” community.  Photos here, and ride guide here.

June 29: Waterways ride, in partnership with Alex Renew. This ride followed the path our water takes in an effort to learn about the wastewater recovery process and how Alex Renew works to improve water quality in our local waterways.  Our special guest, Rich Bindell of Alex Renew, led us to the Four Mile Run Education Station, arranged a tour of the Potomac Yard Pump Station, took us to one of the outfalls that Alex Renew will be remediating as part of its River Renew program, and showed us the Alex Renew Wastewater Recovery Campus.  Photos here.

July 4: Presidential history ride. Which Alexandria neighborhood was home to not one but two future U.S. presidents?  Which president nearly got into a fistfight while visiting Alexandria?  Where was one of President Lincoln’s closest friends killed?  We learned these things and more on BPAC’s presidential history ride.  Photos here.

August 18: Mount Vernon trail ride and picnic, in partnership with FOTMVT and FABB.  We joined with the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail and Fairfax Alliance for Better Bicycling to organize a ride from Jones Point Park to Fort Hunt for a picnic. Along the way, we looked at the 11 intersections on the southern part of the GW Parkway that are currently part of an NPS safety study.

September 1: Alexandria murals ride. We biked to see many of the bright, fun murals that celebrate Alexandria’s history and culture — including murals around Alexandria depicting a racehorse, a beaded curtain, a knitting astronaut, Jim Morrison, an intricate butterfly, an outdoor market scene, and more.

November 16: Running errands by bike ride, in partnership with WABA. Together with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, we helped take some the stress out of shopping season by learning how to run errands via bike.  We talked about how to carry pie on a bike, and some participants even bought bread, cookies, and milk along the way.  This was part of WABA’s community education ride series, which is a fun, social, and inclusive space for riders of varying experience and confidence.

December 14: Ninth annual holiday lights ride, in partnership with Alexandria SpokesWomen.  This beloved annual tradition returned for the ninth year.  The residents of Del Ray put on a great holiday light show every year, and we saw it all on our bikes.  Everyone had a great time: the parents with their young kids on their bikes, the newer rider who was on his first-ever group ride, the longtime riders who participated in this ride for years, and the several riders who dressed up as Santa.  Photos here and here.