Today, many places are celebrating Bike to Work Day in an effort to inspire more people to ride bikes. Unfortunately for those who may have planned to try out bike commuting and enjoy one of the many pit stops scattered throughout the city, today was a true commuter test. It poured cats and dogs all through the morning commute.

Generally, one of the best parts of my day is the bike ride to work, especially this time of year. Morning temperatures are comfy.

The city is still groggy and the tourists are barely getting going. There’s a little race-tracking on one of the streets on my morning route, but generally the craziness is minimal, just the way I like it.

Even this morning’s ride in the pouring rain turned out to be enjoyable. Many familiar faces were out and about despite the weather, and all we could do was laugh about how perfectly the rain managed to coincide with Bike to Work Day.

I’ve peppered this post with a few of the #BikeDC faces I encountered this week on my commutes. For me, one of the best parts of riding in this area over the years is the people I have come to know who also ride.

I think most people have the occasional commute that is less than perfect in some way, but encountering a friendly #BikeDC face helps any commute headaches fade and makes the day better.

Happy Bike to Work Day (aka Friday), everyone.