Hills. I hate them. What Would Dirt Do?
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Week #2- Ain’t Dead Yet.
I received helpful ideas and suggestions about how to deal with the hills I loathe on my commute. I mulled them over. I reread posts on the Bike Forum and pondered. What should I do?First, I named them. Naming the hills helped me focus my anger, I blame the hill and not myself. The first bit of evil I named Northface. I have to stare at him from the bottom while I wait for the light at University Drive to turn green. I hate that hill more than I hate okra. The second hill is a tricky bastard, he isn’t hard, just a long slog right up until the very end (not unlike first husbands) so I named him Killawomanjaro. The third hill is actually a combination of two hills with a very small separation in between. The second one is more rounded and shaped than the first so I call it, My Best Friend’s Boob Job.
Then I sat and thought. And as I thought I began to formulate the one question that would help me the most. What Would Dirt Do?
[ATTACH=CONFIG]627[/ATTACH]By God, he’d put on his Forever Lazy Suit and stand up to climb.
And that’s exactly what I did.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]628[/ATTACH]Note: I found a way to deal with the rain ruining my hair.
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I was 44-16 on my first attempt. The second was 48-18. Those were marginal for me. To keep the bike moving, I was hauling on the bars so hard I was afraid I was going to break them.
Man, you guys are making me want to go back and try it again.
As it turned out, blah , more inner suburbia – and more hills.
Whadyatalking about? That hill leads into nirvana! aka Arlington. Oh the places you can go. Turn left, and follow the road across Glebe Rd. Now, choices. This is a corner of Arlington – and from this corner you can do a great road circumnavigation of Arlington!!! Turn East, and go down Military Road, through Bellview Forest, Donaldson Run Park, Lee Heights, and past my favorite Windy Run. All on nice Bike Lanes – with killer hills the whole way. At this point you are in Lyon Village and can hop on the Custis Trail.
Or go South-West along Glebe Road until you hit Williamsburg. Bike lanes. Hilly but more slopey. This is taking you towards Falls Church. When you hit the circle, you take Sycamore South to 66. Now you can hop on the W&OD trail.
And at that corner on the top of the hill, that’s civil war Fort Ethan Allen. Not well marked but it is there, as well as some of the old fort walls. Just west, from the bottom of the hill, up a dirt path, is Fort Macy.
I am not sure what the “official” circumnavigation trail is – but every weekend the spandex kings are out on Military in droves making the tour.
And personally, the hill in question, I walk up in – I have never really attacked it as its so steep I fear falling over.
@jabberwocky 13977 wrote:
Man, you guys are making me want to go back and try it again.
It is mocking you, sir.
@Marcella 14022 wrote:
I don’t think Military has killer hills. You need to get off the main road onto the side streets for the real inclines.
Military itself is a nice grinder, decently long though not that steep. You’re right that the really fun stuff is off to the side.
@Marcella 14022 wrote:
But then again I wear spandex shorts, and I sense that is considered a bad thing.
Spandex represent.
But then again I wear spandex shorts, and I sense that is considered a bad thing.
😎 He He 😎 Nah…. I wear spandex shorts… It’s just that, well, its just so cute to see the noobs come out on the weekend, you know, the matching young couples, in their perfectly matching, brand new, spandex. On their bikes where all the equipment is original and there are no scratches on the paint. And they gleefully cycle down the MV trail, side by side – making it dangerous to pass – and they are not sure what the bell is for on their handlebar
My favorite is the guys I see recently wearing full spandex pants, and matching jackets et al…. when its 50 degrees out.When I see a guy whose equipment, 50 percent of it doesnt match, and his bicycle looks like its been through the ringer, and he’s wearing pretty much whatever he found on the floor (or his Bike to Work Day shirt from 8 years ago)… that’s a commuter.
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