Hundreds gathered in Mt. Vernon Square this Saturday for our 2nd Annual Plaid Ride and Ranger Games. The event started off with a social ride through downtown on our way to the Ranger Games on Kingman Island.
The rules were simple: wear plaid - be rad. With lumberjack implements in hand, there were no problems with either stipulation!
Lumberjacks and jills of all ages filled the streets.
Our group wove through the National Mall on our way to Kingman Island in SE. Surely, the combination of grids on bikes on a red street system befuddled tourists, or at the very least left a lasting impression of good plaiditudes.
It's also probably worth mentioning: the Monkey Wagon is back! There's something so satisfying about a really loud sound system, and we're glad we got to share that with you!
Neighbors cheered us on as we passed through Capitol Hill. It was like when Santa comes through your neighborhood on a fire engine, except this time it was lumberjacks on bikes.
Kingman Island sits just east of RFK stadium in the Anacostia river. It's a great little gem of the district, and we had gorgeous weather.
The Bumper Jacksons provided the perfect soundtrack for the days events. They do shows of all sizes, but they love doing small, local shows the best! A big shout out to Banjo Brothers, who sponsored the concert and continues to show us that bikes make us family through great intimate live shows!
Let the games begin! First up in the feats-of-strength: Hammertime, presented by All-City Cycles!
It paid to be nimble on New Belgium's Sap Spill Hill Climb. Competitors fought for glory and tickets to the ultimate Ranger Banquet.
Cleverhood Rain Rangers raced Bromptons in their waterproof cycling capes to retrieve big ol' cups of fresh Anacostia.
Rangers adhere to strict nutritional guidelines and are powered by Acme Pie Company and New Belgium.
Bikes don't have hooves, so they don't need horseshoes, but they do need good locks. We tossed Abus U-locks all day, and they were working as good as new.
The Log Lug was a popular activity. Riders had to take a log-laden Surly Big Dummy through a grassy obstacle course to compete for the prize: a snazzy new lid from Bern!
There's not as much mountain biking in DC as we would like, so when we get the chance to bust out some fat fat meat, we take it. James sent us a few of their great mountain and cyclocross bikes for us to get thoroughly filthy.
The dirt loop was also Cross Check friendly. Then again, there isn't much terrain that a Cross Check can't handle.
Thanks #bikedc for joining us for the Plaid Ride and Ranger Games, and a big shoutout to all the volunteers and sponsors who helped make this possible. Proceeds from ticket and beer sales totaled over $1500 and will all go to Living Classrooms who manages and helps preserve Kingman Island.
We enjoyed hosting the event, and hope to do it even bigger, badder, and plaid-er next year! What events or activities would you like to see?
Photos by Francis Tatem
Story by Kevin Sundeen