CC Trail riders?

[KLizotte]

@Certifried 20988 wrote:

OK, I know the forums say Bike “Arlington”, but this seems to be the only decent discussion forum in the area, and WABA points here, soooooo….

Any Capital Crescent Trail regulars here?

I’m not a regular yet, but working up to it. I live in Bethesda and commute to Suitland, so the CCT is a large portion of my ride. Just want to say hi and maybe wave to you as you go flying by me

I don’t commute on it but do use it regularly on the weekends (I like to bike to Bethesda for lunch or early dinner). Came within a couple of feet of nailing a deer last weekend – it sprinted out of the trees right in front of me with nary a look. It was so close and fast that I never even had a chance to hit the brakes. Not sure who would have fared worse if I’d hit it broadside. Keep your eyeballs open for deer; they seem to be everywhere this year (Rock Creek, CCT, FMR, WO&D). Have yet to see one on the MVT but I’m sure they are lurking out there somewhere.

[Certifried]

Holy shnikes! Thanks for the warning, I actually didn’t even consider this. I’ve seen plenty along side the road on Beech Dr or down Rock Creek, but nothing on the CCT yet.

[KLizotte]

@Certifried 20994 wrote:

Holy shnikes! Thanks for the warning, I actually didn’t even consider this. I’ve seen plenty along side the road on Beech Dr or down Rock Creek, but nothing on the CCT yet.

Yup, it was hidden by trees/shrubs so I didn’t even see it; it didn’t help that it was dusk. It just jumped right out in front of me. Certainly woke me up! That was a first time for me; usually the deer are further from the trails but I’ve learned this year that they really aren’t afraid of people. I was hiking the Fairfax County Connector a few weeks ago and got within 10 feet of a deer that did not move when it saw me. We had a staring contest; I looked away first. :rolleyes:

[Certifried]

I don’t even want to think what would happen if I hit a deer. I’m not a small, sprite, agile guy so I would probably get banged up pretty bad.

I worked down in Quantico for a while. There’s no hunting on the Marine base (or, at least, the part I was in) so the deer seem to realize that it’s a pretty safe place. This has led to inbreeding or something, I saw some pretty crazy looking deer with bulging eyeballs and ratty looking fur. It was right out of a cartoon. Of course now I have nightmares that I’ll come across that thing one day and it will eat my face off (did I mention the zombie shirt I got the other day? lol)

[SilverSpring]

Certifried,

I know you’ve got a monster commute (what, something like 25 miles one-way?) but can’t recall when you started. The Crescent is going to be pretty busy this Summer but will ease up some in the Fall and will be yours (almost) alone come the first big freeze (but do chip out any less hardy commuters–such as me–you see trapped in the ice on the jogging path).

[Certifried]

SilverSpring,

21ish miles. Today was only my second full day though. My first was Bike to Work day, and I’ve done a number of one-way rides. I drive my car in and park overnight at work, metro home that evening, ride in the next morning, then drive it all home that afternoon. The logic is that the ride in is easier and I need to build up to it. So far it’s working out OK, but I have pretty bad arthritis down (basically) my entire low back (L2/3 to SI in the facet joints) so I can’t push it too hard or I’ll hurt myself.

So far the CC trail has been very nice, I can usually find someone that is riding around my speed, somewhere between the slower riders and the Lance Legstrongs. I promise to haul my icepick with me and help anyone out if I can, but I move at glacial speeds myself sometimes

edit: oh! and my time in was 1:30 this morning and 1:39 going home (seriously hurting though). My metro commute is, at least, 1:15 on the best days. So 15 minutes extra of my time gets me some serious work outs as well as saves me money (that I just end up putting towards a commuter-type-bike-ofsomesort-frame)

[SilverSpring]

Certifried,

You’re a zephyr, man. The fastest I can do (starting from Silver Spring over on the Georgetown Branch to around 12th and Penn) is maybe 1:05, and for the last part of that I’m questioning my decision-making skills. What you describe in terms of swapping out bikerides and driving makes a lot of sense, especially as you’re starting out and getting the feel for the riding and your arthritis. The CCT riders are a friendly lot and bikers/joggers/pedetrians seem to get along (most of the time) with an abundance of cheery “On your lefts!” (although on a ride today I was driving my Bride bonkers doing this…she’s not a Midwesterner). In addition to congestion, my biggest concern is the construction of the new building right at Bethesda Avenue and the Bethesda Trailhead. I don’t know how long it will be in the making, but I think it’s gonna displace the trail before adding a lot of cars in a little space.

[KelOnWheels]

Well if you’re glacial then I’m a plate tectonic or something…

[Certifried]

@KelOnWheels 21002 wrote:

Well if you’re glacial then I’m a plate tectonic or something…

hah! Watch all that shakin! I was a little faster 10 years ago, but no where near as fast as some of these guys out there. They go flying by like I’m standing still! Not that it matters any, I usually just put my head down and push, the only person I’m competing against is myself. I just push myself, I can’t help it. If I can get fast enough, I’d like to take part in some light racing. Hopefully get some people who would normally sit and let arthritis rot them to get up and move. I already have my race team name, “Just Crit My Pants”.

[Tim Kelley]

@Certifried 20988 wrote:

OK, I know the forums say Bike “Arlington”, but this seems to be the only decent discussion forum in the area, and WABA points here, soooooo….

A little history–the forum was originally started by BikeArlington, and about the same time WABA was interested in doing something similiar. However, WABA was transitioning to a new executive director and the WABA forum was put on hold. About a year later, after BikeArlington had things up and running, we partnered with WABA and goDCgo to bring everyone together. That’s why you’ll see it officially refered to as the Washington Area Bike Forum, but both http://www.washingtonareabikeforum.com and http://www.bikearlingtonforum.com go to the same place!

[KLizotte]

@Certifried 21003 wrote:

hah! Watch all that shakin! I was a little faster 10 years ago, but no where near as fast as some of these guys out there. They go flying by like I’m standing still! Not that it matters any, I usually just put my head down and push, the only person I’m competing against is myself. I just push myself, I can’t help it. If I can get fast enough, I’d like to take part in some light racing. Hopefully get some people who would normally sit and let arthritis rot them to get up and move. I already have my race team name, “Just Crit My Pants”.

Keep in mind that a lot of those folks going faster simply have much faster bikes; equipment can make a big difference (it also means they aren’t burning up as many calories per mile). They may be carrying less stuff too and most probably don’t have arthritis either. It also hurts a lot more if you hit something going really fast; never a good thing.

In any case, get yourself a professional fitting and make sure the fitter knows you are putting in 1-3 hour roundtrips. That’s some serious mileage by any measure.

[Certifried]

Thanks I have a fitting scheduled with Clovis, and it can’t come too soon. My ride home yesterday started to hurt, knees and back. Part of that was just conditioning, but part was also bike fit, I’m sure of it. Someone else mentioned a bike shop that has physical therapists to do the fitting. I’ve only had 1 physical therapist that actually knew what they were doing with me, sad to say. Clovis has an excellent reputation and deal in large volumes I hear. So, I’m leaning towards sticking with him, I’m sure I won’t be the only one he hasn’t seen with “problems”.

Wait… did you just insult my bike? I have even named it yet

[GuyContinental]

I used to do Clarendon Custis – CC – GTB to Silver Spring and do miss it. It was a super pretty and interesting way to get to work even if the GTB gravel sections resulted in a filthy bike. I never liked my last miles into/out of Silver Spring on E/W hwy, often resorted to the sidewalks!

[Bill Hole]

@GuyContinental 21030 wrote:

I used to do Clarendon Custis – CC – GTB to Silver Spring and do miss it. It was a super pretty and interesting way to get to work even if the GTB gravel sections resulted in a filthy bike. I never liked my last miles into/out of Silver Spring on E/W hwy, often resorted to the sidewalks!

I used to commute the opposite direction to Court House from Silver Spring. I usually work in Rockville now, but when I need to go to the home office at CH I just ride through the city. Knocks 5 miles off the one-way trip and keeps me from having to replace my tires after the gravel on the GTB rips out the sidewalls. If I do decide to ride on the CCT for some reason, I bypass the GTB by riding Jones Bridge to Bethesda.

I wish they’d build the Purple Line already so we’d have a usable trail between SS and Bethesda.

[DCAKen]

I try to hit the CCT at least once a week when I head home from downtown Silver Spring to Dupont Circle. It’s a nice change of scenery and a little extra mileage on pleasant afternoons

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