For Coffeeneuring 2022, I biked to seven different coffee shops in and around Washington, DC.
Now in its 12th year, the Coffeeneuring Challenge is a worldwide sensation.
The rules are simple:
- between October 7 through November 20, 2022,
- ride your bike to 7 different places,
- at least 2 miles round trip each time,
- drink 7 cups of coffee (or another fall-type beverage), and
- document your coffeeneuring (either photos, Strava tracks, journal entries, control card, etc.).
I’ve been doing the Coffeeneuring Challenge for years. I wildly ambitious plans for Coffeeneuring 2022. I was going to take epic rides to new coffee places far outside of my home of Washington, DC. In the end, that didn’t happen.
But I still got to bike a lot and drink great coffee. I lived the Coffeeneuring Dream.
- Navy Yard
Date: October 21
Distance: 11 miles
Bike: Brilliant Cooper
Coffee: Philz
A beautiful fall day with some disappointing and expensive coffee at Philz in Navy Yard. The great thing about biking in DC, however, is running into people you know. It’s much easier to stop and chat while you’re on a bike versus being in car. While I was by the Anacostia River, Ted and Jean rolled up and said hello. They were also busy coffeeneuring on a mild October day.
2. Rosslyn
Date: October 23
Distance: 9 miles
Bike: Brilliant Cooper
Coffee: Compass
One of the habits I picked up during the pandemic was crossing the river for coffee on Sunday mornings. For long stretches of 2020, you weren’t allowed to dine indoors in DC so I’d bike to Virginia so I could be inside with coffee. My route takes me over the Potomac River and close to Teddy Roosevelt Island, where I stopped and took a walk.
3. Rosslyn
Date: October 30
Distance: 7 miles
Bike: Brilliant Cooper
Coffee: Compass
I went back to Rosslyn the following Sunday, not realizing that I’d have to cross the path of the Marine Corps Marathon! It was a beautiful ride down streets closed to cars and the fog-draped Key Bridge. But then a river of people to cross, an endless stream of runners in Rosslyn. Fortunately, this Virginia city has skyways, relics of a 1970s-era scheme. I carried my bike up a set a steps, over a pedestrian bridge, and down the other side.
4. Logan Circle
Date: November 2
Distance: 3 miles
Bike: Brilliant Cooper
Coffee: The Coffee Bar
The problem with going out for coffee in DC is that sometimes there’s no place to sit. The Coffee Bar is a super-cute neighborhood coffee shop, an Instagram dream in fall with the changing leaves, but its photogenic nature means that it’s often full of people taking photos and drinking coffee when I want to take photos and drink coffee. I had to sit on a park bench.
5. Del Ray
Date: November 4
Distance: 15 miles
Bike: Specialized Sirrus
Coffee: St. Elmo’s
I have two bikes: a belt-driven, three-speed Brilliant Cooper (aka Belty) which I use for short trips and a Specialized Sirrus (the real bike) for longer ones. I took the Sirrus to the Del Ray neighborhood in Alexandria, VA. I love this route for it takes me down the Mount Vernon Trail, which was absolutely peaking with fall color.
6. Rock Creek Park
Date: November 10
Distance: 26 miles
Bike: Specialized Sirrus
Coffee: Firehook
The Capital Crescent Trail – Rock Creek Park Loop is an incredibly popular one among DC-area cyclists. The Capital Crescent Trail is a rail trail that runs from Georgetown to Bethesda. From there, you take city streets down to Rock Creek Park, which winds its way back to DC. During the pandemic, the National Park Service closed Beach Drive in the park to cars. They recently announced that it would remain closed – a victory for the people!
7. Downtown DC
Date: November 19
Distance: 6 miles
Bike: Brilliant Cooper
Coffee: Puro Gusto
Free is the most beautiful word in the English language. Pure Gusto, an Italian cafe, sent me a coupon for a free drink. Perfect timing. On a frigid day, I biked by the Downtown Holiday Market and then got a cappuccino.
That’s a wrap for Coffeeneuring 2022! Here’s to another great year of biking and drinking coffee! It’s a great way to stay busy during these cold months and discover new coffee places.
