Walk & Ride Challenge Starts October 13

The annual Walk & Ride Challenge brings teams of coworkers together for three weeks of fun and fitness. This year’s event runs from October 13 through October 31.

By walking at least 10,000 steps each week, you’ll be entered into a random drawing to win e-gift cards from BTS.

Walk & Ride always cultivates cool competition among coworkers. And at the end, prizes are awarded for first, second and third place:

Participating is as easy as 1-2-3:

Step 1: Recruit your team of fellow walkers (the sooner the better).

Step 2: Be sure to register. (Registration for this year’s Walk & Ride Challenge will open later this month — before our next newsletter — so please watch the BTS website for the registration link and directions.)

Step 3: You can log your steps beginning on October 13.

What About the Ride?

The Walk & Ride Challenge doesn’t only help you enjoy all the health benefits of walking. It also helps you discover how to get around without a car (at least for a while).

For example, you could ride a Ride On bus, Metrorail, Metrobus or the Bethesda Circulator. You might prefer riding with coworkers in a carpool or vanpool — or even riding a bike.

And as you walk to and from the bus or the Metro station or the bike rack, be sure to log your steps. (Only log the steps you actually walk during your commute. Skating and scootering as part of a fitness routine don’t count.)

Questions? Contact Kristen Blackmon at BTS (301-656-0868 x119 or KBlackmon@bethesda.org).

Striving for Maximum Safety

Ever tried navigating streets and sidewalks in a wheelchair? It’s an unforgettable, eye-opening experience.

A national event called Week Without Driving (September 29 – October 5) seeks to help everyone learn firsthand about the barriers and challenges that nondrivers face, and work with nondrivers to create more accessible communities for all.

While neither BTS nor Montgomery County is a formal event partner with Week Without Driving, we want to let you know it’s happening because you’ll likely see some social media posts about it and wonder what’s up.

The event happens to dovetail nicely with Montgomery County’s “Vision Zero” plan. The County has put resources in place to eliminate serious-injury and fatal collisions on County roads for vehicle drivers and passengers, pedestrians, bicyclists and users of other mobility modes by the end of 2030. Everyone deserves to safely access and use vehicle, pedestrian and bike paths.

Learn more about Week Without Driving and consider participating.

Each issue of our newsletter for the last few months has highlighted various Bike to Work Day pit stop table sponsors who were at the event. This month, we feature (alphabetically) Bethesda Green, Pedego Electric Bikes Bethesda and Potomac Pedalers.

Bethesda Green

Bethesda Green is a catalyst for sustainable innovation, business development and community engagement in the D.C.-Maryland-Virginia region. At our Innovation Center in Bethesda, we support entrepreneurs in our Green Business Incubator, guide companies through our Green Business Certification Program, and lead initiatives in food systems, green living and community resilience. We exist because communities face urgent environmental challenges that demand creative, collaborative solutions — and because businesses, governments and residents benefit when sustainability is at the center of economic growth and daily life.

As an exhibitor, we were excited to showcase this work, highlight the pioneering businesses and projects we support, and engage with new audiences who share our vision. Participating at BTWD allowed us to expand our reach, grow our community and build partnerships that accelerate the transition to a more thriving future for all.

— Dave Feldman, Executive Director, Bethesda Green

Pedego Electric Bikes Bethesda

We were thrilled to once again sponsor the Downtown Bethesda Bike to Work Day pit stop. Being part of this event aligns perfectly with our mission to make biking — especially e-biking — a fun, safe and practical transportation alternative for our community. Events like BTWD are a great opportunity to engage with commuters, answer questions and demonstrate how e-bikes can turn a daily commute into something people actually look forward to.

We’re also proud to be part of the growing biking community here in Bethesda. Over the past year, Pedego Bethesda has expanded our lineup to include not only Pedego e-bikes, but also Urtopia, Blaupunkt, Mod Bikes, Hiboy Scooters and more — offering a broader range of options for different lifestyles and preferences.

We appreciate the work BTS and Kristen do to support and promote sustainable transportation, and we look forward to participating again in the future!

— David Bondareff, Owner, Pedego Electric Bikes Bethesda

Potomac Pedalers

Potomac Pedalers is a nonprofit organization affiliated with the League of American Bicyclists. For over 50 years, Potomac Pedalers has organized group rides for cycling enthusiasts in D.C., Virginia and Maryland. Each week, they have nearly a dozen rides available for members at various lengths and speeds — for seasoned riders seeking community or newer riders looking to level-up.

The Potomac Pedalers marquee fall event — the Harvest Hundred — happens this month on September 21. Riders have a choice of three routes that wind through the quiet rural roads of Virginia’s Piedmont region. Enjoy rolling hills, horse farms and pastureland on any of the three routes: a century (100 miles), a metric century (66 miles), and a lovely 40-mile spin. They all start and end at Barrel Oak Winery & Brewery in Delaplane. Learn more here.

— Stephen Mink, Vice President Operations, Potomac Pedalers

Carpooling and vanpooling have been popular modes of travel for more than 50 years. You’re more likely to share the ride in a sleek EV today than the gas-guzzling sedans of yesteryear. And…your outfit is probably a bit different. But the camaraderie, financial benefits and eco-friendly impact of pooling remain the same.

In Bethesda, carpooling gets you a reduced parking fee, saving you as much as $85 a month. Vanpooling might make your longer-distance commute nearly free, because federal law allows your employer to provide up to $325 per month in tax-free transportation benefits to cover the costs associated with a vanpool.

Whatever mode works best for you, BTS is here to help you get matched up with a ride and a route that meets your commuting needs. In fact, we have an easy-peasy PDF application kit to get you started.

Some benefits weren’t even around back in 1975. Commuter Connections, our regional ridesharing organization, offers:

So…whether you want to pool like it’s 1975 or 2025, you have choices. Questions? Contact Allison Kemp at AKemp@bethesda.org or call 301-301-656-0868 x121.