Spring is for pedals

Spring is here and it’s time to dust off the bicycles after a long, cold, rainy winter and get back outside! Whether you are a novice or pro, there are events revolving around your style. Maybe this year it’s time to try your first race.

Many of the upcoming spring bike flings are charity events. So in addition to choosing a ride that’s right for your experience level, terrain preference and location, you can choose an event that benefits a nonprofit organization to your liking and ride for a good cause.

At Ride for the Feast on Saturday, May 11 and Sunday, May 12, 2019, riders will embark on a two-day biking journey across Maryland in support of Moveable Feast and its mission to provide nutritious meals and other services at no cost to people with lifethreatening illnesses.

“The annual Ride for the Feast is a fun, family-friendly event that involves biking 140 miles from the boardwalk in Ocean City through the beautiful Eastern Shore and ending at the Moveable Feast headquarters in Baltimore City,” says Christian Metzger, Executive Director of Moveable Feast.

“It is a wonderful way to challenge yourself, volunteer and help provide medically tailored meals to our neighbors in need,” says Metzger. “Last year we delivered more than 740,000 meals throughout Maryland."

If you’re not up for a ride, but find yourself sharing the road with one, it’s important to remember to stay alert and keep in mind the safety of bikers who are out in increased numbers with nicer weather. Joshua Feldmark is the Executive Director of Bike Maryland, a nonprofit dedicated to pro-bicycle advocacy.

“There are many more people on bikes these days throughout Maryland, whether it’s for transportation, recreation, or participating in the many great events throughout Maryland,” Feldmark says. “While driving a car, please keep cyclists and pedestrian safety in mind. We urge you to obey the speed limit and other traffic laws, pay attention, don’t be distracted and always give a cyclist 3 feet of space when you pass him/her on the road.” Bicyclists who are ready to get rolling in Maryland have lots of options in this Spring. Here are some of the many event options in the surrounding area. More biking events are listed at ohbike.org/events Pedal on!

TSR Spring Classic Saturday, April 13. Elkton tsrspringclassic.homestead.com 25-, 50- and 62-mile routes on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Benefits Talbot Special Riders, a volunteer-driven nonprofit which provides equine therapy to developmentally disabled individuals in and around Talbot County. $45 or $55. Ride to End Hunger in Calvert County Saturday, April 27. H

untingtown endhungercalvert.org/bike 16-, 35-, 48- and 63-mile courses on the scenic Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay. Pedal along the Bayfront and past marinas, farmland and a local winery. Sponsored by End Hunger in Calvert County. $59. Powhatan Historic Bike Tour Sunday, April 28. Powhatan, Va. diabetes.org 35-, 62- and 100-mile courses from Powhatan Court house Village (30 miles west of Richmond). Benefits the Free Clinic of Powhatan, which provides medical, dental and mental health care services at no cost to Powhatan County’s uninsured, low-income residents. “Draw for Sight” Bicycle Poker Run Ride Sunday, April 28. Betterton chestertownlions.org 36- and 60- mile rides from the Betterton Volunteer Fire Company. The route takes in the scenery of the heartland of Upper Kent County, including farmlands, old country homes, quaint towns, and great country stores. Draw a playing card at each check station. The object is to have the best poker hand at the end of the ride. Proceeds benefit Lions Club Sight Programs. $30 to April 28; $40 on day of ride. Includes map, marked routes, prizes to the top ten poker hands, 5 food stops. All blind riders ride free. Six Pillars Century Saturday, May 4. Cambridge 6pillarscentury.org 37-, 56- and 100-miles from Great Marsh Park with most of the miles through the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. Sponsored by Character Counts Mid Shore, a nonprofit education organization that fosters positive character development for students in grades K-12. $65. Tree House Tour de Cookie Saturday, May 4. Rockville treehousemd.org/tour-de-cookie 12-, 27-and 43-mile routes from the Johns Hopkins Montgomery County Campus. The shorter route is mostly on the Millennium Trail—a paved, off-road, shared-use path. All proceeds will benefit the Tree House Child Advocacy Center of Montgomery County. $60. One child 12 or younger rides free with paid adult entry. Additional children are $20 each. Iron Furnace Fifty Saturday, May 11. Snow Hill ironfurnacefifty.org 34-, 50- and 62-mile routes on Maryland’s Lower Eastern Shore, starting and ending at Furnace Town Living Heritage Village (between Snow Hill and Salisbury). Enjoy cycling on flat terrain on sparsely traveled roads through the Great Pocomoke Forest and surrounding farmland. Free farm-fresh ice cream from local working dairy on all routes. $59 thru April 30, $70 till race day. Luncheon provided at Furnace Town after the ride, with entertainment and complimentary beverages. Ride for the Feast Saturday, May 11– Sunday, May 12 Ocean City to Baltimore; 140 miles in two days. rideforthefeast.org This cross-Bay tour raises funds for services and raises awareness of nutritional needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and breast cancer. $135 includes T-shirt, water bottle and six meals. Each rider is asked to raise a minimum of $1,500, which is the cost of feeding one client for a full year. 100 percent of what’s raised will go directly to client services. Bike to Work Day Friday, May 17. Washington, D.C. biketoworkmetrodc.org Celebrate bicycling as a fun and healthy way to get to work. Register early for a pit stop near your home or work. On Bike to Work Day, stop by your pit stop to pick up your T-shirt and enjoy breakfast treats, and prizes. DC Bike Ride Saturday, May 18. Washington, D.C. dcbikeride.com Bike 20 scenic miles, seeing D.C.’s most iconic sights and finishing on Pennsylvania Avenue. This event is for all ages (3+) and all riding abilities. The ride ends with a festival between the U.S. Capitol and the National Mall that includes entertainment and family-friendly activities. Proceeds benefit WABA’s street safety programs and DC’s Vision Zero Campaign. Tour de Chesapeake Saturday, May 18. Mathews, Va. tourdechesapeake.org 23-, 24-, 25- and 30-mile rides; do all four routes for a 103-mile century. Celebrate the arrival of spring with a weekend of scenic cycling; great flat routes with views of the water everywhere you turn. The supported ride is Saturday, but there are plenty of activities to make this a weekend event. Storming of Thunder Ridge Saturday, May 19. Lynchburg, Va. stormingofthunderridge.org 27-, 45-, 47-, 75- and 100-mile rides in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Sponsored by the YMCA of Central Virginia. $70 before May 1; $80 after May 1. Free outdoor camping; indoor camping for $10. Kent County Spring Fling Friday, May 24–Monday, May 27. Chestertown baltobikeclub.org 11- to 100-miles on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Cycle along flat to rolling, lightly traveled roads, by rural hamlets and along scenic rivers. Both riders and non-riders can also enjoy historic Chestertown’s annual Tea Party festival, with living history fun, a parade, music, food, crafts and boat race.This 4-day event from Friday to Memorial Day Monday (with an option of 3 days) includes award winning cuisine, dessert and cordial parties, and great music. $30 prior to May 1; $50 May 1 through May 15. For even more biking events visit us online at ChesapeakeFamily.com.