February 2015 Trail Conditions

[Tania]

@Dickie 109377 wrote:

I’ve been riding the WOD from Gallows to the Custis interchange this week and I can attest that the Fairfax and Falls Church sections are still bad unless you have studs, and even then it’s bone shaking with all the ruts. Got home last night to find that my rear wheel cracked at the rim seam…. perhaps taking the moguls at speed wasn’t the best idea

Dickie – how is the mile from Gallows to Virginia Lane (skinny slicks)? If I can get to Virginia Lane, then I can take Boomer2U’s route to the Custis. Otherwise I’d have to take Shreve from Gallows/29 and there’s zero shoulder…

[colleen]

4MR: 1-2 ft long ice patches scattered next to the sewage plant; mostly avoidable. Larger patches underneath the W Glebe Rd and 395 underpasses – definitely advise walking.

WOD: Thin dry path is appearing between Shirlington and Columbia Pike. I took a mix of road and WOD on that stretch. Large piles of snow at the crosswalks and the occasional disappearance of the dry path make the straight shot impassable for now.

[jrenaut]

They’re saying another 1-3″ of snow tonight in DC. That should help.

[PotomacCyclist]

The WP Capital Weather Gang is forecasting 40% chance of snow north of the Beltway, 50% chance in DC, and 60% chance south of the Beltway. DC could get 1″. A dusting, north of DC. A couple inches, south of DC. But their confidence level is low-medium on this.

[jrenaut]

@PotomacCyclist 109399 wrote:

The WP Capital Weather Gang is forecasting 40% chance of snow north of the Beltway, 50% chance in DC, and 60% chance south of the Beltway. DC could get 1″. A dusting, north of DC. A couple inches, south of DC. But their confidence level is low-medium on this.

Wunderground and Forecast.io are both pretty confident DC is going to get more than that.

[Boomer Cycles]

@Tania 109396 wrote:

Dickie – how is the mile from Gallows to Virginia Lane (skinny slicks)? If I can get to Virginia Lane, then I can take Boomer2U’s route to the Custis. Otherwise I’d have to take Shreve from Gallows/29 and there’s zero shoulder…

I rode the WOD westbound on Monday night from VA Lane to Gallows, and it had 2 big ice patches where I had to portage my road bike. The VA Lane bridge sidewalk over 66 is a sheet of ice, so stay on the street for all of VA Lane. The second patch of ice was just west of the I495 overpass, where the sun doesn’t shine. Otherwise I found that WOD segment to have enough dry pavement to ride my skinny road tires. Hope that helps. Ride on, but be safe.

[hozn]

@Boomer2U 109401 wrote:

I rode the WOD westbound on Monday night from VA Lane to Gallows, and it had 2 big ice patches where I had to portage my road bike. The VA Lane bridge sidewalk over 66 is a sheet of ice, so stay on the street for all of VA Lane. The second patch of ice was just west of the I495 overpass, where the sun doesn’t shine. Otherwise I found that WOD segment to have enough dry pavement to ride my skinny road tires. Hope that helps. Ride on, but be safe.

Similar conditions this AM, yes. In general there were enough slick sections on the trails that I found it worthwhile to have the studded tires on still. I realize that doesn’t help you much if you don’t have studded tires. I wouldn’t do the commute by trail yet on slicks if that was all I had, but I might have braved it tomorrow (assuming melting today) … IF it wasn’t going to snow tonight.

Yup, looks like we’re getting snow tonight. Yay. I knew there was something missing from this week’s “winterness”.

[PStokes]

Any recommendations on an ice free way into DC from the Custis Trail? The MVT and Roosevelt Bridge are not ridable. How is the 14th Street Bridge and MVT to the Four Mile Run trail?

[NickBull]

@hozn 109402 wrote:

Similar conditions this AM, yes. In general there were enough slick sections on the trails that I found it worthwhile to have the studded tires on still. I realize that doesn’t help you much if you don’t have studded tires. I wouldn’t do the commute by trail yet on slicks if that was all I had, but I might have braved it tomorrow (assuming melting today) … IF it wasn’t going to snow tonight.

Yup, looks like we’re getting snow tonight. Yay. I knew there was something missing from this week’s “winterness”.

Even if we only get an inch of snow it could make riding very sketchy. Right now, you can see the singletrack bare pavement and the cliffs to the right and left of it. But with an inch of snow it could be hard to distinguish those cliffs, with potentially nasty consequences. This has been an unusual winter riding season. I think I’ve used my studded tires more this year than any year since 2008 (?) when we had those back-to-back three foot snowfalls.

[NickBull]

@PStokes 109403 wrote:

Any recommendations on an ice free way into DC from the Custis Trail? The MVT and Roosevelt Bridge are not ridable. How is the 14th Street Bridge and MVT to the Four Mile Run trail?

Depends where in DC. Key Bridge is clear. Surface streets afterwards are clear.

[Mikey]

@PStokes 109403 wrote:

Any recommendations on an ice free way into DC from the Custis Trail? The MVT and Roosevelt Bridge are not ridable. How is the 14th Street Bridge and MVT to the Four Mile Run trail?

You can cut through Rosslyn and get to the VA 110 trail over by the IWO JIMA memorial, then up to the Memorial Bridge, to near the Lincoln Memorial, from there it depends where you are going. You will need to Blanche Dubois the GWP crossing, but the one near Memorial Circle is not as bad since the cars are slowing anyway.

[PStokes]

@NickBull 109405 wrote:

Depends where in DC. Key Bridge is clear. Surface streets afterwards are clear.

I was wondering about Key Bridge, I may use it on the way home. Thank you.

[Yggdrasil]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]7937[/ATTACH]

W&OD just northwest of Columbia Pike. I was hoping that some of it had cleared and would allow us to pass to Bluemont Junction just fine — nope. Looks like the backroads and a Rt.50 crossing to Custis from the 4MR area are still necessary to get to DC from around here.

[vern]

@hozn 109375 wrote:

Well, Vienna to EFC needed studs last I checked. I am leaving my studded tires on …. all week, I am guessing.

Edit: and I will revise my 95% clear west of Vienna to be more like 90% clear. Maybe 85. In my excitement that they had plowed at all, I guess I misremembered the sections in Reston itself and the few shady spots that are still all snow-covered ice stuff. Still very fast, though.

So, if I by-pass Park St. to Gallows, and then by-pass the WOD from Shreve to 29 I’m ok on slicks (but for maybe a few short portages)?

Saw you this a.m. on Van Buren.

[Crickey7]

I think road surfaces will warm up enough, snowfall will be small enough, and timing will be favorable to keep roads clear. Trails are a different story.

[Author]

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