Good morning, D.C. In today’s newsletter: a Capital Bikeshare pioneer, a very loud IndyCar race and a birthday boy at the National Zoo.
THE LATEST
Capital Bikeshare challenge, accepted.
Earlier this summer, D.C. resident Andy Jarrin decided that his short jaunts on Capital Bikeshare — the region’s red rentable bikes — weren’t enough.
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“I had seen people post their longest rides ever on [New York’s] Citi Bikes and Capital Bikeshare, and the rides didn’t seem that long,” he tells NOTUS. “I wondered, what is the longest distance someone could go between two stations.”
The answer took him 42 miles from a station in Largo, Maryland, to another just beyond Reston, Virginia. It took Jarrin, an energetic 26-year-old, just over four hours to finish the ride — and he didn’t stop along the way.
From what NOTUS can gather — and Capital Bikeshare tentatively confirmed — Jarrin’s ride may stand as the single longest continuous ride on a non-electric Bikeshare bike. We’re told someone rode 54.9 miles on an electric Bikeshare, a feat worthy of its own respect.
Mind you: The recognizable red bikes aren’t Tour de France-worthy steeds, though years ago another brave soul did use one to complete a triathlon. Each bike weighs some 40 pounds and has limited gears. Jarrin admits the worst part of the adventure was climbing westward from Georgetown into Arlington County on the Custis Trail.
The Capital Bikeshare network started in 2010 and has since expanded to include more than 8,000 bikes and 800 docking stations across the D.C. region. There have been more than 2.8 million rides on the bikes through June of this year. Jarrin discovered the bike network when he moved to D.C. from Miami three years ago.
“It was something new,” he says. “Everything is so car-centric back in Miami, so having so many bike lanes and bikes was a good change of pace.”
Are there any other Bikeshare challenges to come? Jarrin won’t say no, but he also thinks he’s now fully justified in graduating to the world of bike ownership. “Right now I want to get on a better bike and do long rides,” he says.
FROM THE DISTRICT
Jeanine Pirro took on the role of D.C.’s top prosecutor with two personas: a bombastic Fox News host willing to pursue politically charged issues with zeal, and a former Westchester County prosecutor and judge who wants to run a U.S. attorney’s office with a sense of normalcy. President Donald Trump’s botched Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool project put those sides at odds — and her job at risk, report NOTUS’ Jose Pagliery and Derek Hawkins.
Too fast, too furious, too f’ing loud. The National Gallery of Art studied how vibrations from the upcoming Freedom 250 Grand Prix would affect art, The Washington Post reports. The museum declined to share its specific findings, but some preservationists are concerned about the risk.
A group dubbed the “D.C. rat rangers” is walking the city’s wards by night to teach residents how to keep rodents at bay, Axios D.C. reports.
Howard University is offering buyouts to 600 employees as the school continues to face financial strain, The Chronicle of Higher Education reports. The voluntary buyouts were first offered in June to full-time faculty members or staff with at least 10 years of continuous employment — criteria that covers nearly 16% of the university’s workforce. They have until this fall to apply to the buyout program.
FROM VIRGINIA
Gov. Abigail Spanberger announced in a Washington Post op-ed that she’ll be “intervening” in the proposed $67 billion energy merger between NextEra and Dominion. That means she’ll formally request to be a party when regulators weigh the deal, which would create the world’s largest regulated electric utility.
FROM MARYLAND
A new state commission will study the deaths of at least 230 Black boys buried between 1870 and 1939 outside a juvenile facility with a documented history of abuse, The Washington Post reports.
METRO MOMENTS
Happy birthday to the National Zoo’s Bao Li, who turned 5 this week. Giant pandas — they grow up so fast.
Have an image from around D.C. you want to share? A question for our reporters? An “only in D.C.” moment? Tell us about it.
SPORTS
It’s been a good summer for the Washington Spirit. On Thursday, coach Adrián González was named NWSL coach of the month for July, while forward Trinity Rodman earned player of the month honors. The 24-year-old Rodman collected five goals and an assist on the month, helping her team to a 5-1 record.
Just more than halfway through the regular season, Washington has the second-best record in the league, trailing Gotham by one point. The Spirit hosts the North Carolina Courage on Saturday night.
What to Watch Today
MLB: Nationals vs. Reds, 6:45 p.m. (Fox 5)
WNBA: Mystics vs. Dream, 7:30 p.m. (ION)
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The newsletter was produced by Jaden Amos, Michael Errigo and Nikie Johnson.
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