Wheelhouse Community Bike Shop is partnering with Ben Franklin Transit for #BikeTheTri summer ride challenge, from now through October. Participate by riding anywhere, for any amount of time or distance!

Andrea Constance, who chairs the Ride Committee at Wheelhouse Community Bike Shop, says that they came up with the idea of building a Route Library when the shop’s group rides, classes, and other community events had to be put on hold because of the pandemic.

“We just want people to get on bikes,” says Constance.“Each month has a theme and a bike-friendly ‘hub’ — basically a location where you can just take your bike and ride.”

There will be a new route for you to try, along with a hub, a theme, and bike-friendly businesses posted every month. Learn more at bikethetri.org.

June

Theme: Bike for Fun

Hub: Richland Riverfront (Columbia Point / Howard Amon / Leslie Groves)

Route: Pedal to the Submarine (a bonus easier ride is The Best of Richland's Riverfront)

Some businesses to visit near this route: Greenies / Reborn Bike Shop / Porter’s Barbecue / TC Cider House / Fresh Leaf Co.

July

Theme: Bike to a Park

Hub: West Richland Park at the Lakes

Route: West Richland Neighborhood Park Crawl (a bonus easier ride is the Park at the Lakes Easy Loop)

Some businesses to visit near this route: Endive Eatery / tsp Bakeshop / Yoke’s / Italiano’s Serious Pies and Pasta

Join the Summer Ride Challenge!

Participate in the Summer Ride Challenge to be entered for monthly prize drawings by using the instructions below. Winners will receive prizes like T-shirts, water bottles, bike repair kits, and more from Wheelhouse and other bike-loving businesses!

Make a post

Make a social media post on Facebook or Instagram to let others know you’re participating in #BikeTheTri rides. Make sure the post privacy is set to ‘public’ and be sure to tag @wheelhousebikeshop on Facebook or Instagram, and use the hashtag #BikeTheTri so we can see your post!

Log Your Ride with Ben Franklin Transit

Sign up for Ride Pro at bft.rideproweb.com/rp2/signUp. After signing up, you’ll see ‘Commute Challenges’ linked at the top of the page. Enter your ride type, mode of transportation, and mileage all on Ride Pro.

Where should you ride your bike?

Wheelhouse has a library of bike routes in the Tri-Cities, all with plenty of information on difficulty, terrain type, distance, elevation, and more. Go to bit.ly/WheelhouseGPSto join the Wheelhouse Community Bike Shop Club and have access to the route library. The Ride with GPS app will provide club members with step-by-step voice navigation for any of the routes.

Check back here for lists of suggested rides to try, or make your own route with family and friends. If you want to submit a ride for consideration into the route library, you can share it from your favorite ride tracking app with rides@wheelhouse.bike.

The Summer Ride Challenge continues through October.