Hurricane mods for your commuter?

I’m pretty certain we won’t need any additional devices to capture wind on Tuesday, I’m seriously considering being a total wimp and driving that day or wearing my hockey equipment on the bike for extra protection!

@Certifried 34507 wrote:

just wear this, you’ll be safe

Don’t forget to tether yourself to your heaviest bicycle (no carbon bikes allowed) or you’ll be sailing off like a kite.

Yeah, 50 mph gusts are a problem in a CAR, much less on a bike! Eesh!

@thecyclingeconomist 34521 wrote:

I guess I could wear my full-face downhill helmet and put on the downhill body armor… However, given that gusts of 50mph are expected, I’ll probably work from home. That’s just not ride-able. (I’ve tried, and was literally picked up and dropped 6 feet from where I’d been… in the ONCOMING lane of traffic when a 50mph gust hit me from the right side. That was the last time I rode in, or will ever ride in sustained winds over 30mph with higher gusts)

um, ok, so, you’re saying it’s, like, kind of serious? holy shit batman… I was thinking, “how bad could it really be?”. Even thinking if it wasn’t all THAT bad, I’d ride. The visual of being picked up and dropped in an oncoming lane of traffic has me convinced 😮 I think I would’ve shat myself.

Low profile wheels would be my choice. I will NOT be using the 60mm carbon tubulars on my hurricane rides. I also won’t be using the Fat-Front Zombie apocalypse bike either. The huge front tire tends to want to go with the flow of water when it gets deep. I’ll be on the cyclocross bike with a duck-bill fender. I found that normal fenders tend to rub in winds over 40mph.

One other suggestion that I’d make is to pick your bridge carefully. Key is the best to cross in a hurricane. It has wide lanes, decent rails on both sides and is a little shorter. Roosevelt is the worst. Memorial is kind-of okay. It is one of the shorter crossings, but has no rail between you and traffic. 14th street is awesome, except you’re out over water for a long, long time. The benefit of using 14th is that you don’t have to deal with M-street on the far side of the bridge.

Be safe! If riding in this stuff scares you, then find a way NOT to ride. It shouldn’t be that hard to do.

Underpasses on the W&OD (Bluemont (Wilson Blvd) and Carlin Springs) are almost always flooded. Downstream currents (riding with the flow of water) are usually mellow, but if you see white caps or big ripples in the main flow of water, then don’t even risk it. If there’s any doubt at all, take the overpass.

Keep in mind that the section of the W&OD between Wilson Blvd (Bluemont) and East Falls Church is VERY Prone to flash floods. Keep an eye out for rising water. Think about ways to get off the trail quickly if you need to. Think about that TODAY rather than when you’re trying to ride through it. Flash floods happen fast. I’ve seen water depths in creeks rise in this area at rates of 2-3 feet per minute. It doesn’t happen often, but there is a reason why they’re called “flash” floods.

If you’ve read this far, then you probably have figured out that riding through hurricane and tropical storm weather can be really dangerous. I do ride through bad weather sometimes, but I always keep an extra eye on conditions. I always think about what to do when stuff gets worse. I always have a plan for getting to high ground ASAP my route progresses.

Make wise decisions.

If you choose to brave it, then I’ll see you at Hains Point for intervals. Those 50mph winds with driving rain are gonna be ugly!

Love,

Dirt

@Dirt 34555 wrote:

Make wise decisions.

I’m highly amused that Dirt can do a long, informative post on the best routes to bike commute during a hurricane.

I’m pretty sure my supplemental cycling kit for Tuesday will be my Smartrip card. Or working from home.

@dasgeh 34567 wrote:

Our stupid division decided to reiterate our telework policy earlier this week: it’s a privilege, not a right, and you need approval at least a day before to take it. It’s the dumbest rule, and leaves no room for “except when OPM has declared unscheduled telework”. Luckily, I was able to get approval for next week, with the argument of “no one wants me to go into labor and be stuck on the wrong side of the river”, so if the weather is really that bad, I’ll get to work from home. The rest of my division is SOL. Ugh

Remember how this worked that winter when people were stuck for 10 hours on the parkway? You’d think they learned their lesson. That’s ridiculous. OPM should declare unscheduled telework and leave now for Monday and Tuesday. Better to be wrong than force people out into the storm.