Team 19 – Ride of the Penguins

This topic has 29 replies, 16 voices, and was last updated 8 years, 2 months ago by kwarkentien.

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January 11, 2017 at 1:33 pm #1063328

jepstein
Participant

Jonathan here. FS rookie having only just discovered it a couple of months ago.

I live in Del Ray, Alexandria. The bulk of my riding is my 4 times a week work commute to NoMA and back.
And the bulk of those miles are pre-dawn (hitting the road between 6 and 6:30am), when I try to do at least a couple of laps around Hains Point in addition to my otherwise 9 mile ride.
With a young kid at home, it’s tough for me to get many other rides in besides that, but I’m good for maybe 1 or 2 weekend rides a month (during nap time!). It’ll be even tougher for me to make happy hours, so I may be the lurking teammate no one ever sees – but I hope not.

My goals for 2017 are commuting 150 days and 4,000 miles.

January 11, 2017 at 2:27 pm #1063233

megoc42
Participant

Hey there Team 19!

My name is Meaghan and this is my second Freezing Saddles (first was 2015). I commute at least three days a week from the Manor Park/Brightwood area to Chinatown, and usually try for four. We’re a family of bikers, and I bike my kiddo to kindergarten before continuing on downtown.

I’ve lived in DC for 8 years, originally from the Boston area, and I’ve been a regular bike commuter for three years now.

I’m definitely up for some weekend rides – this past year I did my first half-century (cider ride) and want to keep building on that – but won’t be able to make it all the time because my husband will be jealous of the riding time.

Hope to meet you all in person!

Cheers,
Meaghan

January 11, 2017 at 3:13 pm #1063222

randomduck
Participant

Howdy, Team 19!

Or “Hey Nineteen” – a theme song! Steely Dan! Woot!

Ahem.

Hi there! I’m Rudi, this is my second Freezing Saddles (first was last year). I’m a Utah native, spent a decade in Connecticut, then moved to DC in early 2003.

I live in DC, a stone’s throw from Bier Baron. Why was I not there last night, you ask? Because I’m also an alpine ski racing coach and have training every Tuesday and Thursday evening throughout the winter at Liberty Mountain, Pennsylvania (not to mention the weekend training and racing duties). So while y’all were enjoying hoppy beverages, I was on the side of a mountain, trying to shape the future of ski racing in the United States (or at least make sure my athletes didn’t kill themselves by defying the laws of physics), and steeling myself for a drive back through freezing rain (it wasn’t too bad as these things go).

I do quite a bit of riding in and around the greater DC area. I love long rides with long climbs and fast descents, but really: if I’m on a bike, I’m a happy fella. I an the former chair of Potomac Pedalers, and lead a series of summer rides for them, the “Downtown Breakaway” (every Wednesday evening from the beginning of April until the first week of September). I co-lead a Wednesday night winter ride on the C&O Canal Towpath called “Lights! Gravel! Action!” in association with District Cycle Works. I’ve Coffeeneured for the past handful of years, and have also participated in the Errandonnée. I also help lead bike tours for The Bluemont Connection during the warmer months.

My winter cycling goal is to simply ride when I can. My weekends are chock-a-block full of ski racing duties, as are my weeknights. My weekdays have a lot of freelance work, as well as searching for a full-time job with health benefits (hey, gotta be honest here). But there’s plenty of room to get rides in here and there.

I’m also bracing for total hip replacement surgery in early April – my #projectfemur repair is degrading, and I need to fix things soon. If anything, the bike makes it easier for me to get around with my wobbly hip. My yearly mileage goal is somewhat amorphous: get in as many quality miles as I can before surgery, then see what happens afterward. I know that the bike – either on an indoor trainer or outdoors – will be an essential part of my rehabilitation. I managed almost 4,200 miles in 2016 with my ski racing and hip surgery downtimes, so we’ll see what 2017 brings.

I look forward to meeting those of you I haven’t met before – perhaps a team happy hour or coffee klatsch is in order….

Mmmmm, beer. Mmmmm, coffee.

January 11, 2017 at 4:49 pm #1063355

megoc42
Participant

Beer. Coffee. Yes.

Also – I’m jealous of your time on the slopes, I haven’t been out in years.

Also also – Ouch! Keep us posted on the surgery so we can send positive healing vibes.

@randomduck 152124 wrote:

Howdy, Team 19!

Or “Hey Nineteen” – a theme song! Steely Dan! Woot!

Ahem.

Hi there! I’m Rudi, this is my second Freezing Saddles (first was last year). I’m a Utah native, spent a decade in Connecticut, then moved to DC in early 2003.

I live in DC, a stone’s throw from Bier Baron. Why was I not there last night, you ask? Because I’m also an alpine ski racing coach and have training every Tuesday and Thursday evening throughout the winter at Liberty Mountain, Pennsylvania (not to mention the weekend training and racing duties). So while y’all were enjoying hoppy beverages, I was on the side of a mountain, trying to shape the future of ski racing in the United States (or at least make sure my athletes didn’t kill themselves by defying the laws of physics), and steeling myself for a drive back through freezing rain (it wasn’t too bad as these things go).

I do quite a bit of riding in and around the greater DC area. I love long rides with long climbs and fast descents, but really: if I’m on a bike, I’m a happy fella. I an the former chair of Potomac Pedalers, and lead a series of summer rides for them, the “Downtown Breakaway” (every Wednesday evening from the beginning of April until the first week of September). I co-lead a Wednesday night winter ride on the C&O Canal Towpath called “Lights! Gravel! Action!” in association with District Cycle Works. I’ve Coffeeneured for the past handful of years, and have also participated in the Errandonnée. I also help lead bike tours for The Bluemont Connection during the warmer months.

My winter cycling goal is to simply ride when I can. My weekends are chock-a-block full of ski racing duties, as are my weeknights. My weekdays have a lot of freelance work, as well as searching for a full-time job with health benefits (hey, gotta be honest here). But there’s plenty of room to get rides in here and there.

I’m also bracing for total hip replacement surgery in early April – my #projectfemur repair is degrading, and I need to fix things soon. If anything, the bike makes it easier for me to get around with my wobbly hip. My yearly mileage goal is somewhat amorphous: get in as many quality miles as I can before surgery, then see what happens afterward. I know that the bike – either on an indoor trainer or outdoors – will be an essential part of my rehabilitation. I managed almost 4,200 miles in 2016 with my ski racing and hip surgery downtimes, so we’ll see what 2017 brings.

I look forward to meeting those of you I haven’t met before – perhaps a team happy hour or coffee klatsch is in order….

Mmmmm, beer. Mmmmm, coffee.

January 12, 2017 at 4:30 pm #1063510

WeirdBeard
Participant

Hey All!

Super stoked to be competing with everyone! This is my first FS, and I’m geared up to get some distance back in my life. I just finished up a new build (last bike was stolen), and have been itching to get some mileage under my saddle. BTW, if anyone ever needs a hand with repairs/maintenance, give me a shout. Tools/stand/knowledge at your disposal.

I live on Capitol Hill, and commute to New Carrollton rail yard during the workweek, so about 12-13mi each day. I plan to ride to the office 5 days a week, but that will probably be based off of weather and my time constraints for work.

It was great to meet some of your lovely faces at Bier Baron on Tuesday, and we should totally build in some awesome excuses to get out for a ride and meet-up again.

-Jamie (WierdBeard/James Hall on Strava)

Side Note, should we create a Group for our team on Strava? I’ve seen a few other teams have them up.

January 12, 2017 at 4:59 pm #1063516

ewilliams0305
Participant

@WeirdBeard 152305 wrote:

Side Note, should we create a Group for our team on Strava? I’ve seen a few other teams have them up.

https://www.strava.com/clubs/BAFS2017-Team19

We do:)

January 12, 2017 at 5:03 pm #1063517

ewilliams0305
Participant

Hi Ya’ll

I plan to hardly ride during the week and sleep all day and not really participate much at all, until!!!! THE WEEKENDS!

I will ride my butt off every weekend because that’s just what I do. Great to meet you’ll all happy hour and I hope we can get some groups rides together sometime.

as for the name, I’ve never been accused of being a word smith so I game for whatever.

-Eric

January 12, 2017 at 8:11 pm #1063544

KLizotte
Participant

You can’t have an avatar like “weird beard” and not post a pic! Pic! Pic! Pic!

We will decide if it is weird.

Yes, I know. I’m not formally a part of this team. I’m just stalking. Cause I can.

January 13, 2017 at 5:47 am #1063663

randomduck
Participant

@KLizotte 152341 wrote:

Yes, I know. I’m not formally a part of this team. I’m just stalking. Cause I can.

Oooooooh – stalker.

Hmmmm. Guess I’ll need to wear my clean kit when I ride from now on…

January 13, 2017 at 12:02 pm #1063676

SarahBee
Participant

@Kitty 152041 wrote:

Hello hello and welcome to Team 19! This is your Captain speaking, Kitty (or Grace as it shows on Strava.)

It was wonderful to meet as many of you as I did at the kick-off happy hour. For those of you who I didn’t meet directly, I was the one dressed as a penguin. For that reason I have “Ride of the Penguins” as a place-holder team name.

To that end, one of our first orders of business is to decide what we want for a team name (or if we just want to go with that).

The second is to get to know each other! Please post to this thread with a brief introduction: tell us a bit about yourself, where you live (or ride), how many year’s you’ve done Freezing Saddles, your goals for the year/winter, your favorite type of ride etc.

To get things going I’ll go first:

As noted above, I’m Grace but I go by Kitty (seriously, they are used interchangeability, will answer to either.) I’m a Michigan native, but have lived in Arlington for the past 8 winters. I miss the snow of the North, but love being able to ride more months of the year. This will be my 2nd Freezing Saddles, and my 1st as a Captain. I have a somewhat short commute, but will try to make it up by riding everyday and taking advantage of/making opportunities to ride this winter. My goal is to ride with each of you at least once over the course of the competition. My favorite rides are at least 25 miles and end with a beer or baked goods.

Finally, I have created the necessary Strava group for our team, which can be found here: https://www.strava.com/clubs/BAFS2017-Team19
I tried to invite who I could, but the system would only let me direct-invite those who were on my “Follow” list. Please join up so the Freezing Saddles system can track your miles for our team.

With that, LET’S RIDE!

Kitty, don’t you know penguins don’t ride bikes?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

January 13, 2017 at 4:09 pm #1063726

megoc42
Participant

Hey team – anyone else interested in the Capture the Flag side bet?

January 14, 2017 at 1:21 pm #1063863
Kitty
Participant
Nice to meet you all! It sounds like we’ve got a great gang of folks that ride bikes, which is just what we need! With my shorter commute I will be solidly in the middle of the pack, but I will try to make up for it with tenacity (#RideEveryDay) and encouragement. I tend to be at the office late so I am not often able to spend a lot of time on the computer when I get home, but I’ll do my best to be a good Captain.

A few notes now that its the end of the week and I have a moment to post:
- Strava Team: We’re 10/11 for teammates on the Team 19 Club. It took me a long time to track down Ltierstein and WeirdBeard, but I think I’ve found you and sent an invite. Your Strava names were different from the list the overlords gave me. We need everyone on here so our team gets points in the official BAFS leader boards. Plus, it will be a convenient way to make time-sensitive announcements
- Ride Opportunities: I will try to organize a few team-specific rides throughout this, but will also try to post about 3rd party ones I hear about. I’ll be busy the next few weekends, but if you have an idea for a ride or outing, don’t be shy! Please do organize. Strava has a ride-invite feature if you want to keep it private to our team
To that end, Bike Arlington’s Balaclavas, Baklava, and Beer event is back on Sunday, Jan 29th! This is a really fun event with something for everyone. It will be at New District Brewery in Sherlington, and feature bike-related games, sweets, and an opportunity to make your own balaclava free! (RSVPs are needed for the sewing part as they have a limited number of machines, but I went last year without sewing and had a blast drinking beer and hanging out with other bike folks) I plan on going in the early part after church.

@megoc42 152529 wrote:

Hey team – anyone else interested in the Capture the Flag side bet?

Oh my goodness YES! Thank you for drawing my attention to this! I work in the Farragut Sq. area within close distance of Embassy Row! I’m happy to go for it!

@SarahBee 152477 wrote:

Kitty, don’t you know penguins don’t ride bikes?

I dunno, I did some research prior to setting up the team. According to this peer-reviewed study, it might not be that penguins don’t ride bikes, just that it’s harder for them than most. Kind of like fixie-purists.
January 14, 2017 at 1:24 pm #1063864
SarahBee
Participant
@Kitty 152670 wrote:
Nice to meet you all! It sounds like we’ve got a great gang of folks that ride bikes, which is just what we need! With my shorter commute I will be solidly in the middle of the pack, but I will try to make up for it with tenacity (#RideEveryDay) and encouragement. I tend to be at the office late so I am not often able to spend a lot of time on the computer when I get home, but I’ll do my best to be a good Captain.

A few notes now that its the end of the week and I have a moment to post:
- Strava Team: We’re 10/11 for teammates on the Team 19 Club. It took me a long time to track down Ltierstein and WeirdBeard, but I think I’ve found you and sent an invite. Your Strava names were different from the list the overlords gave me. We need everyone on here so our team gets points in the official BAFS leader boards. Plus, it will be a convenient way to make time-sensitive announcements
- Ride Opportunities: I will try to organize a few team-specific rides throughout this, but will also try to post about 3rd party ones I hear about. I’ll be busy the next few weekends, but if you have an idea for a ride or outing, don’t be shy! Please do organize. Strava has a ride-invite feature if you want to keep it private to our team
To that end, Bike Arlington’s Balaclavas, Baklava, and Beer event is back on Sunday, Jan 29th! This is a really fun event with something for everyone. It will be at New District Brewery in Sherlington, and feature bike-related games, sweets, and an opportunity to make your own balaclava free! (RSVPs are needed for the sewing part as they have a limited number of machines, but I went last year without sewing and had a blast drinking beer and hanging out with other bike folks) I plan on going in the early part after church.

Oh my goodness YES! Thank you for drawing my attention to this! I work in the Farragut Sq. area within close distance of Embassy Row! I’m happy to go for it!

I dunno, I did some research prior to setting up the team. According to this peer-reviewed study, it might not be that penguins don’t ride bikes, just that it’s harder for them than most. Kind of like fixie-purists.
Kitty, are you saying that penguin cyclists are hipsters? Cute book btw.

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January 14, 2017 at 1:35 pm #1063869

Judd
Participant

@SarahBee 152671 wrote:

Kitty, are you saying that penguin cyclists are hipsters? Cute book btw.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I see penguins all the time with mustaches and messenger bags.

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January 14, 2017 at 2:28 pm #1063875

ewilliams0305
Participant

I’m working in MLK day but I propose a team ride anyway! I’m sure all the other teams will make a point to have group rides. I could however be a say Hanse point by maybe 4/4:30 to ride a few laps with y’all

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