Saturday, October 26: Cider and Sliders!

Wrap up the 2013 Kidical Mass DC riding season with a nice easy ride on one of DC's cycling gems: the Metropolitan Branch Trail (our family's favorite place to ride in the whole city).  We'll start at Stanton Park on Capitol Hill (where last month's Cupcake Ride began) and ride through NoMa and Eckington to end at Chocolate City Brewery, where we'll enjoy complimentary apple cider (thanks, WABA!) and the option to eat tiny hamburgers from the DC Sliders Truck.

Moms and Dads who want to partake of more adult beverages can sample beers and purchase growlers from one of DC's best-known craft breweries. Apple cider is free for all riders, compliments of WABA's Women & Bicycles program.

• When: Saturday, October 26, 2013. 11:30am - 12:30pm
• Where: Meet at Stanton Park on Capitol Hill, bike to Chocolate City Brewery 
• Distance: 2.8 miles
• Difficulty: easy. As in peasy, for adults & kids.
• Route map

Click here to RSVP.

Questions? E-mail Megan Odett, Kidical Mass DC's organizer, at KidicalMassDC@gmail.com.

Ride Recap: "Kidical Kupcake"

(With gratitude to Randall Myers, who is clearly much better than I am at coming up with clever titles.)

On Saturday, September 28, over 40 kids and adults met in Stanton Park on Capitol Hill to undertake a leisurely ride to Georgetown Waterfront Park and enjoy cupcakes from the world-famous Sprinkles Bakery. The girls led the charge all the way with ladies from ages 6 to 30 honing their traffic riding skills and setting some new personal records for distance. Randall Myers, a member of WABA's Board and the DC Bicycle Advisory Council, accompanied the ride and remarked that it was an eye-opening illustration of the challenges of biking with kids in the city. Afterwards, our riders consumed a heroic number of cupcakes from Kidical Mass DC organizer Megan Odett's kid-hauling cargo bike, temporarily converted to a cupcake delivery vehicle. A fabulous time was had by all.

See more ride pictures here. Photos by Ranpuba, who is the mostest bestest.

Saturday, September 28: Canal & Cupcakes Ride

In partnership with WABA's groundbreaking "Women & Bikes" program, Kidical Mass DC is hosting an easy, co-ed, family-friendly bike ride from Capitol Hill to Georgetown with tasty treats at the end.
At 10:00am on Saturday, September 28, we'll gather at Stanton Park in the heart of Capitol Hill and take an easy, no-drop ride through the Mall to the Lincoln Memorial and then up to the Georgetown Waterfront Park. At the Park, kids can run around and we'll have ample space to park our bikes. Then all you have to do is enjoy the scenery--we'll fetch cupcakes from the famous Sprinkles bakery and bring them to you!

Lunch is up to you--pack a picnic, pick something up in Georgetown, or just make your cupcake your lunch. We won't judge.

Accompanying us on this ride will be Andrea Adleman, a member of WABA's Women & Bikes program whose award-winning article on cupcakes helped document the ongoing popularity of cupcakes in DC. Got cupcake questions? Andrea's your go-to expert.

After lunch, anyone who's interested can take a quick trip to to the canal to see the vestiges of the old lock system that enabled boats to navigate canals over uneven ground--and see where the C&O Canal Towpath Trail begins.

Click here to RSVP and order your cupcakes. Kid-friendly mini-cupcakes are $2 each; regular cupcakes are $3. You must respond by noon on Thursday, September 26 in order to be assured a cupcake! We'll pick up some extras for the last-minute types, but responding by the deadline is the only way to be guaranteed a cupcake in your preferred flavor.

• When: Saturday, September 28, 10:00am
• Where: Stanton Park, Southwest side (near 3rd & C Streets NE)
• Length: 4.6 miles
• Difficulty: Intermediate for kids; easy for adults
• Route: Click here for a map of the route (subject to change depending on traffic patterns on the Mall)

Questions? E-mail Megan Odett, Kidical Mass DC's organizer, at KidicalMassDC@gmail.com. Can't wait to see you on Saturday!

Workshop this Saturday at WABA: "MamaBiking 101"

Are you a mom/grandmom/aunt/ etc. and want to bike with kids? Then this WABA Women & Bicycles event is for you!

As part of its new Women & Bicycles program, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association is offering a special workshop this Saturday for women who are interested in biking with children.
The workshop will cover:

• Safety of biking with kids
• Laws for biking with kids
• Equipment (including a hands-on demonstration!)
• Skills
• Next steps!

Plus snacks, beverages, and childcare provided. This event is for women, trans, and woman-identified. Please pass along the invite to friends and family!
RSVP here: https://www.facebook.com/events/561103483956725/

July Kidical Mass ride: Columbia Heights, Petworth, SPRAY PARK! 7/14/13

Are you tired of the endless heat and humidity? I sure am! If so, then you are invited on a short family bike ride to one of DC's free, family-friendly spray parks! Join us at the Columbia Heights Plaza (across the street from Columbia Heights Metro Station) at 9:30am on Sunday, July 14 for a short, easy ride to the Taylor Playground and Spray Park.

Anyone who rides a bike is welcome to come. The ride is kid- and family-friendly and is 1.4 miles long.

• Where: Meet at The Columbia Heights Circle at the SE corner of 14th St. NW and Park Rd. NW (the full route on a Google map is here)
• When: This Sunday, July 14 at 9:30am
• Distance: 1.4 miles one-way
• Who: Anyone! Especially kids and families, including kids on their own bikes (who can ride in the street) or riding on a parent's bike
• Bonus: a chance to meet Davey Odett, the newest (and littlest) member of Kidical Mass DC! 

 Many thanks to devoted riders Tim, Lori and Reina for planning and hosting this ride!

The littlest Kidical Mass rider

My apologies for the recent lapse in Kidical Mass rides and posts. As I wrote elsewhere, I became pregnant with our second child this past fall. Although he was due in early July, things did not quite go as planned, and I started developing complications the very day after the ABC's of Family Biking in April. After two weeks in and out of the hospital, our son Davey was born seven weeks premature on May 14. Davey spent two weeks in the NICU, but he's been home for over a month now, completely healthy and gaining weight like a bodybuilder. I can't say enough to thank our friends--especially those in the DC biking community--who pitched in with help and emotional support just when we needed it the most.

2 days old

8 weeks old

Our regular Kidical Mass riding schedule will resume with a ride this Sunday. I look forward to bringing Davey on this or another ride soon!

Showoffs Wanted!

UPDATE: Are you looking for the latest information about the ABC's of Family Biking, including event schedule and partners? Click here for the most up-to-date ABC's of Family Biking news!

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WE WANT YOU to show off your bike at the second annual ABC's of Family Biking!

Together with WABA and the DDOT Safe Routes to School Program, Kidical Mass DC will once again present the "ABC's of Family Biking," an event to help interested-but-concerned parents learn about the tools and resources available to help them bike with their children. The ABC's of Family Biking will take place on Sunday, April 28, 2013, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm at the parking lot of the Capitol Hill Montessori School at Logan, 215 G Street NE.

As it did last year, the ABC's of Family Biking will feature:

- a show-and-tell by current bicycling parents (that's you!) to share the tips, tricks and tools that enable them to bicycle with their children
- a special class on creating and organizing "biketrains" to help children bike to and from school in supervised groups
- exhibits by local bike shops and dealers demonstrating the range of tools and equipment available for family biking.

PLUS this year, we're going to try something new: a "Swap or Sell" for secondhand kids' bikes and cycling equipment.

What can you do to be a part of this fun event? I'm so glad you asked!

First and most importantly, we need exhibitors for the Show-and-Tell portion of the program, the heart of the ABC's of Family Biking. While we're happy to feature all sorts of biking arrangements and equipment, we would especially like to see at least one of each of the following:

- Front-mounted seat (iBert, Yepp, BOBike Mini)
- Rear-mounted seat (Yepp, Topeak, Peanut Shell etc.)
- Trail-a-bike
- Trailer (Chariot, Burley, Wike)
- Longtail cargo bike (Surly Big Dummy, Xtracycle Free Radical, Xtracycle Radish, Yuba Mundo)
- Bakfiets/boxbike
- Cargo trike
- Independent kids' bike

Did you build your own kids' bike seat (you know who you are!) or make a really cool DIY mod to an existing product? Come and show off your mad skills!

We could also use a few people to help with check-in, setup, and cleanup. Everyone who helps out with the event as a volunteer or Show & Tell demonstrator will receive as a thank-you gift their own copy of "Taking the Lane: Childhood," a collection of meditations on bikes and childhood edited by Portland bike author Elly Blue.

I'm excited to be bringing this event back to DC after last year's great turnout. If you're interested in joining the event as a Show & Tell demonstrator, a business (all bike shops are welcome! We have TABLES this time!), or other type of volunteer, fill out this quick survey so we can make sure there's space for everyone.

Thanks, happy riding, and I look forward to seeing you next month!

ABC's of Family Biking 2013

Yes, friends, the ABC's of Family Biking will return this year!

The event will take place on Sunday, April 28 from 11am to 1pm at the parking lot of Capitol Hill Montessori School at Logan (215 G Street NE). Once again, it will be a joint effort between Kidical Mass DC, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, and the District Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School Program.

We are still working on some of the final details, but I can tell you one thing: our motto for this year is BIGGER AND BETTER.

Can't wait to see you there!