May Baltimore Bike Party Recap

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To say the May Baltimore Bike Party was a big one would be an understatement.  I heard some chatter that the event, which started with a party in Station North this time around, drew upwards of 1500 cyclists.  If that’s true, that shatters the previous record of 1200-1300. If you’ve been to a bike party, then you’re certainly familiar with how this one went down.  But this time, there was a slight change of scenery insofar as it took off from the Street Car Museum, and, of course, everything was just bigger in scale.

It looked like most had a good time, but the ride wasn’t without a couple of incidents that will happen with a ride of this size.  There were isolated complaints of riders riding on the sidewalk, which the bike party volunteers policed as best as they could.  At one point, I also witnessed another cyclist fall into my friend, which unfortunately bent his front wheel.

For most partiers, however, it was another month in the books without any issues.

The Baltimore Sun picked up the event and ran a story this morning.  Make sure to check it out here.

Celebrate National Trails Weekend With Biking Events in Baltimore

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This weekend is the celebration of Nationals Trails Day, and there are a number of cycling events going on around Baltimore that support it. The first is the biking in Carroll Park event.  It takes place on Friday, May 31 from 1:30pm to 4:30, rain or shine.  The event starts at Carroll Park, 1500 Washington Blvd and is sponsored by the Baltimore City Recreation and Parks folks.

The Bob Moore Memorial Bike Ride is the second biking event.  It's a 25 mile guided ride from the western end of the Park Trailhead 1 to the Inner Harbor.  Along the way, buy your lunch at Cross Street Market or bring your own and eat it with a beautiful view on to the Inner Harbor from the top of Federal Hill.  Return on your own schedule along the Gwynns Falls Trail.

Meet at the I-70 Park and ride on Saturday at 10am.  If you're interested, please register beforehand by emailing greghinch@aol.com or calling (410) 396-7900.

There are also a couple of trail clean-up events going on.  First is the Middle Branch Park/Gwynns Falls Trail Clean Up and Tree Planting.  This is set to pop off on Saturday at Harbor Hospital South, starting at 9am and extending until noon.  Tools and gloves provided.

The other trail clean up is the Solo Gibbs Park Gwynns Falls Trail Clean-Up and Youth Scavenger Hunt. This also occurs Saturday at 9am and goes until noon.  Meet at the Solo Gibbs Park by the Tennis Court between Hamburg St. and Henrietta St.

All of the events are free, so make sure to take advantage.

Upgraded Train Station Bike Parking

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Bike parking locations at Penn and Camden Stations
Bike parking locations at Penn and Camden Stations

Something good came out of the rainy day today--upgraded bike parking was installed at Penn Station and Camden Station. To accomodate the new high-density covered racks, bike parking has been relocated slightly at both stations. See the graphics below for the new locations.

To use the new racks, hang your front wheel on one of the protruding hangers, and lock your wheel and frame to the "D" bar next to your bike. When parked correctly, your bike should look like this:

Examples of Properly Parked Bikes
Examples of Properly Parked Bikes

The new racks will provide more--and better--bike parking at both station locations. Enjoy, and don't hesitate to let us know what you think.