DMV Charity Bike Ride Start Lines: Distance and Timing

DMV charity bike ride start lines decide more than where you clip in. On the Bike to the Beach DMV ride, each distance has its own start address and clock, and every route still finishes together at Dewey Beach. If you are still choosing what kind of bike ride fits your miles and your team, start there, then come back and pick the line that matches the distance you registered for.

Call (202) 860-3211 to confirm your DMV start

Five starts cover the DMV ride. They are Union Market in Washington, Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore, and Centreville Middle School for the Bay to Beach 100 and the 70-mile ride. The shorter rides start at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Denton and Old Paths Church of Christ in Georgetown, Delaware.

Confirm the address on your registration. Then use the DMV ride details page if a start time or parking note changes before event day.

Which DMV charity bike ride start lines match your distance?

Your registered distance chooses the start. A 100-mile rider does not share a clock with a 25-mile rider, even though both groups meet again at the beach. The addresses, roll times, and parking notes below are taken from the current DMV ride details page. Read the row for the distance on your confirmation, not the start a teammate mentioned in a group text, and use that page if a line changes.

Every listed start rolls toward the same finish at Dewey Beach Lions Club, 115 McKinley Ave, Dewey Beach, DE 19971. If you are still choosing a distance, the DC charity bike ride guide explains the DMV ride as a whole. This page stays on the morning question: which line, what time, and what you confirm before you roll.

Registration fees do not count toward the fundraising minimum. Build that plan before ride week so start-line check-in is about your bike and your bib, not a last-minute fundraising scramble.

How early should you arrive at DMV charity bike ride start lines?

Plan to be parked and walking toward check-in at least 45 minutes before your roll time. The 5:00 AM waves at Union Market and Baltimore leave little room for a wrong garage, a locked school lot, or a helmet you left in the car. A 9:30 AM Georgetown start still needs the same buffer, because day-of packet pickup happens only at the start you selected.

Use the buffer for four checks, in this order:

1. Confirm the address on your registration matches one row in the table above.
2. Park where the ride details page lists parking for that start, then walk the bike to check-in.
3. Pick up your bib and matching helmet and bag tags if you did not already collect them.
4. Attach the rider-number tag to the one bag you want carried to the finish.

The DMV ride details page says bag service is one backpack or duffel per rider, 20 pounds or less, with nothing strapped to the outside and the rider-number tag attached. Drop it at the start-line luggage point and collect it at the finish. If the bag is over that published limit, leave the extra at home or in a car that is not part of the luggage truck. If the ride page changes the rule, follow the page, not this recap.

Riders hauling a bike from another city should read how to travel to a charity bike ride with your bike before promising a 4:00 AM arrival. Travel time to the start is part of the plan, not a surprise on Friday night.

What do you confirm at morning check-in?

Check-in is the last moment to match your body, your bike, and your registered start. Day-of packet pickup is available only at the starting location you selected. Arriving at Denton with a Union Market bib plan will not get you a packet.

Before you roll, confirm each of these:

• Your bib number is on your bike, and the matching tag is on your helmet.
• The bag tag is on the single piece of luggage you handed to the truck.
• Your phone has the Ride with GPS route downloaded for offline use. The course does not use road signs.
• Your lights work if you are on a 5:00 AM or 6:00 AM wave. Rental road bikes from the event partner do not include lights.
• You know the first rest stop tied to your start, in case you need a landmark before the route feels familiar.

DC 100-mile riders meet first support near Rita’s Italian Ice at 2163 Defense Hwy., Crofton, MD. Baltimore riders look for Sawmill Creek Park, 7405 Charley Eckman Lane, Glen Burnie, MD. Bay to Beach riders look for Clabber Hill Furniture and Gift Store, 3401 Church Hill Rd, Church Hill, MD. Later stops, including Denton, Bridgeville, Georgetown, and Lewes, can change before event day, so treat the current ride details as the list that wins if a landmark moves.

The same ride details page says riders crossing the Bay Bridge must reach the Annapolis transition between 6:45 AM and 9:30 AM. Riders off that window may be picked up by a sweeper or chase vehicle and moved forward. Treat that as published support, not a reason to start late, and recheck the page if the window changes before event day.

How do teams and relays use the same start lines?

A team can share one start or split miles across the route. Relay riders may divide a 25-, 50-, or 100-mile total however they like. Two riders can split halfway. Four riders can take quarters. Ten riders can take about 10 miles each. There is no required split.

The start line still has rules for a relay:

• The first rider must be at the start that matches the total distance, at that distance’s roll time.
• The team brings its own chase vehicle and decides where riders swap.
• Each rider still needs a bib, a helmet tag, and a plan for the one bag the luggage truck will carry.
• Swaps are the team’s job. Volunteers at a rest stop are not there to manage your handoff schedule.

The charity bike ride relay team tips cover how to divide miles and keep a chase car useful. Use that guide for the handoff plan, then come back here for the address and clock of the first rider’s start.

Corporate teams often meet at one start so the photo and the roll-out happen together. If part of the company is riding 25 miles from Georgetown while another group rolls from Union Market at 5:00 AM, say that in the team message the night before. One group chat with two addresses is how people miss a wave.

What if you rent a bike or need a supported start?

Bike to the Beach partners with Unlimited Biking for DMV bike rentals. A rental is a road bike with bottle cages, picked up the day before and collected at the finish. You still bring your own lights. If you ride with clipless shoes, you bring your own pedals and have them installed before event morning. Mechanics will not swap pedals at the start.

That rental plan changes your start-line timing. You are not loading a bike into a car at 3:30 AM. You still collect the bike the day before. You also need a way to reach Union Market, Baltimore, Centreville, Denton, or Georgetown. Ask Unlimited Biking which pickup option matches your start before you book a hotel on the wrong side of the region.

Support on the course is real, and it starts after you roll. Mechanics and chase cars cover the route. Police or volunteer support covers harder sections. Rest stops sit about 15 to 20 miles apart on the 100-mile ride. None of that replaces a safe start. The fully supported bike ride guide explains what support covers once you are moving. The Federal Highway Administration’s bicycle and pedestrian safety resources are a useful reminder that event support sits on public roads, not a closed course.

Riders who need a shorter morning, a later clock, or a team handoff should say so when they register. The 25-mile Georgetown start at 9:30 AM is a different day than a 5:00 AM century. Both are part of the same fundraiser for local autism and disability programs.

How does the start connect to the Dewey Beach finish?

The start is the logistics. The finish is the shared point. Riders from DC, Baltimore, Centreville, Denton, and Georgetown all aim for Dewey Beach Lions Club on McKinley Avenue. Funds raised by riders support local programs for people with autism and other disabilities. The Why We Bike page is the place to read how that mission shows up in the community, separate from which parking lot you use at dawn.

Use the current DMV ride details page for active finish-area room blocks and start-area lodging information. Rates, booking cutoffs, and event dates are time-sensitive, so do not rely on figures in an older article. If you stay near the start, leave enough time to reach your assigned address before roll. A hotel address is not a start line. Confirm the location and any booking code on the official page.

Families and teammates who are not riding can still be part of the morning. Agree on one meetup spot at the correct start, not at the finish hotel. Volunteers who want the start-line role, rather than a rider bib, should use the volunteer page. The public course is an event on open roads. The ADA.gov overview is the right reference for access questions that go beyond what a ride checklist can promise.

Choose your DMV start and register

Frequently asked questions

Where are the DMV charity bike ride start lines?

The 100-mile ride has three starts: Union Market in Washington at 5:00 AM, Francis Scott Key Elementary/Middle School in Baltimore at 5:00 AM, and Centreville Middle School at 6:00 AM. The 70-mile ride also starts at Centreville Middle School, at 7:00 AM. The 50-mile ride starts at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church in Denton at 8:00 AM. The 25-mile ride starts at Old Paths Church of Christ in Georgetown, Delaware, at 9:30 AM.

Can I pick up my packet at a different start?

No. Day-of packet pickup is only at the starting location you selected. If you cannot attend the earlier packet pickup, arrive early at your own start for check-in, your bib, and your wristband.

Do all DMV starts finish in the same place?

Yes. The listed starts finish at Dewey Beach Lions Club, 115 McKinley Ave, Dewey Beach, DE 19971. Your start decides the morning. The beach is the shared ending.

What should a relay team do at the start line?

Put the first rider at the start that matches the team’s total distance, on that distance’s clock. Bring your own chase vehicle, decide the swap points in advance, and give every rider a bib plan. Rest-stop volunteers do not run your handoffs.

Are the roads closed at the start?

No. The route is not a closed course, and there are no signs along the route. Download the Ride with GPS file for offline navigation, follow the support vehicles and rest stops, and give yourself time at check-in before the roll.

Ready to pick your DMV start line?

Match the distance on your registration to one start address, one roll time, and one parking note. Then register, or update your plan, before ride week crowds the morning.

Register for the DMV Bike to the Beach ride or call (202) 860-3211 to confirm your start.