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The area’s largest bike ride dedicated to street safety is back for a fourth year.

Begun after the death of mother and U.S. diplomat Sarah Debbink Langenkamp, Ride for Your Life is a 10-mile slow ride from Downtown Bethesda to the Lincoln Memorial dedicated to creating change on our roadways.

Marking World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, we will rally at the memorial with safe streets leaders and members of Congress to demand better — better infrastructure and better laws — for all those who use our roads.

Don’t miss Ride For Your Life. Because our streets belong to everyone.

If you can’t ride, then join our walk! It will be a one-mile walk (hosted by Families for Safe Streets DC) from Foggy Bottom metro station. Or feel free to join us at the Lincoln Memorial. The rally will start at 12 pm and conclude before 1pm.

Our Call to Action

More than 40,000 people died on American roads last year, including 1,166 bike riders, the most in history, but we can change this!

Our ride starts in Bethesda at Caroline Freeland Urban Park, and will take a route to the Lincoln Memorial. There, we’ll demand our elected officials support the measures listed in our Open Letter, which include passage of bills in Maryland and Virginia, continued efforts to improve safety in Washington, D.C., and passage of the Sarah Debbink Langenkamp Active Transportation Safety Act in the U.S. Congress, which would give states more flexibility in using Federal Highway funds to build safe biking and walking infrastructure. 

But no need to wait for the ride: please ensure your member of Congress hears your voice by clicking on this action alert to express support for the bill. It only takes a few seconds!

Please spread the word! Share this page to ensure our voice is loud and clear on November 16!

Event Program

Start Location

Caroline Freeland Urban Park, Downtown Bethesda

Arrive between 9:00–9:40 am

Check in, grab snacks, and visit our sponsors Veo and Trek for swag and bike checks before the ride.

Start Rally at 9:40 am

Hear from local leaders and advocates, including:

• Jamie Raskin (or representative), U.S. House of Representatives
• Marc Korman, Maryland Delegate
• Joe McAndrew, Assistant Secretary, Maryland Department of Transportation
• Andrew Friedson, Montgomery County Council Member
• Evan Glass, Montgomery County Council Member
• Nate Engle, Kensington Council Member (riding in memory of 16-year-old James Anderson)

Ride Departs at 10:00 am

We’ll ride 10 miles from downtown Bethesda to the Lincoln Memorial, calling for safer roads and stronger action to prevent future tragedies.

Finish Rally at the Lincoln Memorial

Before the program begins, participants will lay flowers on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in remembrance of the more than 40,000 Americans lost to traffic violence each year.

Rally speakers include:

• Chuck Marohn, author of Confessions of a Recovering Engineer and founder of Strong Towns
• Cathy Chase, President, Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety
• Jeff Fraley, Trek Bicycles
• Vice Admiral (ret.) Dirk Debbink (TBC)
• Chris Van Hollen (or representative), U.S. Senate
• Mike Thompson (or representative), U.S. House of Representatives
• Emceed by Dan Langenkamp, founder of Ride for Your Life
  

This is more than a ride—it’s a movement. Be part of a powerful day of remembrance, advocacy, and unity as we call for safer streets for everyone.

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Volunteer

Learn About Volunteer Opportunities And Sign Up Here

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Ride Guide

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Read Ride Guide Content Below:

What to Expect

This guide will tell you everything you need to know to participate. It will be the most up-to-date information about the event up until it starts. Please check back here the evening before the ride to make sure you don’t miss anything!

Weather: Plan to wear gloves and bundle up! It can be cold on November mornings. Ride for Your Life will take place rain or shine.

Location/ Time

Start Venue:
Caroline Freeland Urban Park ( 7200 Arlington Rd, Bethesda, MD 20814 map )

Check-in Time: 9:00 am – 9:40 am
Start Rally: 9:40 am
Ride Start: 10:00 am

Finish Venue:
Lincoln Memorial (map)

Finish Rally: 12:00 pm

Ride Route

The route will head from Downtown Bethesda to River Road, past Sarah Langenkamp’s ghost bike at 5244 River Road, down River Road to the DC line, and through quiet parts of the city to the Lincoln Memorial.

What to Bring

• Color the ride with us! Bring a black or pink external layer
• Bike
• Helmet (required by insurance – you can’t ride without one)
• Bike lock (Even if you don’t plan to stop during the ride, it’s good to have a lock with you during the ride, in case of an unanticipated or emergency stop along the ride route.)
• SmartTrip card or app
• Weather appropriate clothing
• Full water bottles
• Saddle bag (to carry spare tube, tire levers, and pump or patch kit)
• Spare tube (especially if you have a non-standard rim size!)
• Charged cell phone and charger
• Sunglasses and sunscreen
• Snacks!

Water and Snacks

There will be water available at the ride start venue so be sure to bring a water bottle with you. Trek will also be on hand giving out free water bottles.

There will also be bananas and various pre-packaged snacks available before the ride.

Transportation Options

We moved the ride to Downtown Bethesda this year to make the start more accessible. Also, note that a separate walk to the Lincoln Memorial is taking place from the DC Mayor’s Office in downtown DC!

• Metro | Great idea! Unfortunately, the Bethesda Metro Station will be closed on the day of the event. From the south, you can get off at Friendship Heights and ride north for 10 minutes along a wide sidewalk on the east side of Wisconsin Avenue. To the north of the ride, you can get off at Medical Center and ride 10 minutes southwards toward the park.
• Bike | The start location is easily reachable from the Bethesda area and downtown DC via the Capital Crescent Trail. There are several nearby Capital Bikeshare docking stations.
• Bus | Numerous local and regional bus routes operate in the vicinity of the start location. Use a navigation app to determine which might work for you. Bear in mind that buses typically only have space for two bicycles.
• Driving | Parking at the main start is limited, and we are expecting more than 1,000 riders. If you are driving, consider parking in one of the many public parking facilities in downtown Bethesda (Elm Street Parking Garage- 4841 Bethesda Avenue- is closest). There is also limited neighborhood street parking. Please do not park on Hampden Lane, west of Caroline Freeland Urban Park, as this is where our riders will travel. 

Transport After the Rally

You can either bike back to Bethesda via the Capital Crescent Trail or you can take the Metro. Foggy Bottom, Metro Center and Federal Triangle are close. Some folks also have friends or family pick them up at the Lincoln Memorial. The easiest place to pick you up is Daniel French Drive. Please note: The ride back to Bethesda is not an official part of our event.

Need a bike?

Capital Bikeshare has bikes at the docking stations in downtown Bethesda near Caroline Freeland Urban Park (https://capitalbikeshare.com/#homepage_map). If you choose to pursue this option, you will need to create a Capital Bikeshare account and sign a liability waiver onsite. This will take some time, so please make sure you allow yourself plenty of extra time to get a bike and ride to the start location before the ride starts (10:00 am). At the end of the ride, you will be able to park your bike at any Capital Bikeshare docking station, of which there are many near the Memorial.

Rental bikes are also available for rent at Griffin Bikes, three blocks south of the park.

Safety

Streets are not closed for this ride. There will be a lead and follow vehicle for the column of riders, and volunteer ride marshals throughout. We will have police and an emergency vehicle following us in Maryland, but not Washington, D.C. Participants have a responsibility to bicycle safely, respectfully, and lawfully to maximize safety. We ask you to:

• Always yield to pedestrians.
• Use hand signals when turning.
• Communicate verbally with other riders.

Ride Marshals

Ride Marshals are volunteers who are there to support the ride. They will be wearing bright vests. Marshals know participants may look to them for assistance. If something goes wrong during the ride, such as your bike having a mechanical failure or you are injured, find a marshal and ask them to pull over to help you. Marshals carry basic first aid supplies, and are instructed to call 911 in the case of an emergency during the event.

Rally

Upon arriving at the rally at the Lincoln Memorial, if riding, please walk or ride your bike across the large main terrace to its far side and take the ramp down to the lower terrace just off the Reflecting Pool. Don’t worry–we will have ushers who will show you the way. Please keep your bike with you–locking to anything other than a bike rack on Capitol Grounds is prohibited. There will be water onsite and bathrooms nearby to the south of the Memorial. Our rally will last for roughly 45 minutes.

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Partners

This event is organized in partnership with: