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Peak bloom for D.C.’s tourist-attracting cherry trees is just three weeks away, per the latest forecasts, but you might be able to get started on the celebration sooner than that by taking Capital Bikeshare. The local bikeshare operator has put a pink cherry blossom-themed bike into service to promote biking to the Tidal Basin and other events. It’s floating around D.C.
Begun this week, the “#BikeInBloom” campaign “encourages participants to spot the pink bike and post a picture” using that hashtag on social media, Capital Bikeshare writes in an email to members. “All posts will be automatically entered to win a special prize each week through April 14.” Although it’s not immediately clear what said prizes will be, at least one person has already found the bike. (Capital Bikeshare provides approximately 4,300 bikes.)
This isn’t first time the bikeshare service has featured an electric bike. Last year, it operated 80 pedal-assist electric bikes as part of a pilot program, and plans are in the works to bring them back with “a significant expansion,” D.C.’s transportation director said late last month.
Some Capital Bikeshare riders have recently reported an uptick in service problems, according to the Washington Post, but the operator denies that there have been any pervasive issues. Still, a software setback affected about one in 10 bikeshare stations for a couple of days last month, temporarily disconnecting about 50 stations from the network.