Missed connection

[baiskeli]

@bentbike33 143738 wrote:

First thing I did when I got home and into a darkened room was check the aim of my light. It was exactly where it is supposed to be.

When on level ground. But if you were going uphill, and an approaching cyclist was coming uphill, the angle of your light could be straight into his/her eyes.

[consularrider]

@Steve O 143786 wrote:

Me: Approaching Columbia Pike on the W&OD on my way to CCCC
You: Two joggers, one with double stroller, ahead of me going my way
Me: Ding
Double-stroller lady: !!!! Total no-look Crazy Ivan !!!
Me: “AAAGHGGHGH! Crazy Ivan!!! Don’t do that!!” (and swerve). I actually yelled “Crazy Ivan!” which I’m sure sounded pretty odd.
Stroller lady: “sorry”

The other jogger lady went on, so although it looked like they were together, I guess they weren’t.

Well, have you ever noticed that people standing on the side of the trail will treat the sound of your bell like the starter’s pistol in a track meet? Maybe she thought that was the timer telling her it was time to turn?

[mikoglaces]

Me: Riding to work on the Custis, descending the hill between Rte. 66 and the apartment buildings just before Lee Highway.
You: Called “on the left”, and pulled up alongside m, but didn’t pass. Then there was oncoming traffic, and you rode on the yellow line.
Me: Cussing you out and pointing out what you did was unsafe.
You: Claiming I “wouldn’t let you pass.” That I sped up to keep you from passing.

Really? I get passed all the time. By guys who know how to pass. I don’t “let them pass.” They go faster and they pass. Yes, I sped up because we had just crested a hill.

I thought that was it but wait for it.

Two minutes later:

Me: On the Custis along Lee Highway, crossing at the light just before the Intersection Of Death.
You: (the same You as above): making unannounced “pass” on my right in the crosswalk, forcing me to the left as we go onto the sidewalk from the crosswalk.
Me: Out loud: “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
You: dropped back due to slower cyclists on the right anyway. But of course you shoaled us all at the red light at the IOD.
Me: Cussing you out the whole time you were waiting for the light.
You: You are a menace. Learn how to pass safely before you hurt someone.
Me: To all the other cyclists at the light: I am sorry you had to listen to me cussing non-stop for 2-3 minutes.

[Anonymous]

Me, last night, descending on the bike/ped path along Harborview: Slowed to walking speed behind a **group** of pedestrians, waiting until we all got by the other **group** of pedestrians coming the other direction to safely pass.

You: flying by/through/around us all at full-descending-speed with no warning, passing by me close, fast, and startlingly enough that I blurted out “holy crap” or something similar, which usually only happens when big metal boxes moving in excess of 40mph pass me too closely. Then weaving in, around, and through other pedestrians as you continued on downhill.

Me, a couple minutes later, near the top of the climb to the bridge across the beltway before descending again to the WW: Despite you having a pretty good head start on the climb from your mad descending skillzzzz, and me continuing to slow as needed for safe and polite passing of pedestrians, catching up to you before reaching the top of the climb. I decided not to pass, correctly guessing that as soon as we started down again, you’d go full speed ahead and continue weaving through and around everyone else and I’d just as soon not be in front of you at that point.

Dude, no one is impressed with how fast you can ride *down* the hills.

.
.
.
.
.
Me (completely unrelatedly:cool:): ..new PR on that climb…

[Tania]

@Amalitza 143855 wrote:

Me (completely unrelatedly:cool:): ..new PR on that climb…

Aw yeah!!!!

My favorite thing to do is almost-but-not-quite-draft off morons like this up hills. Just enough to make them push and suffer a little.

[Steve O]

@Amalitza 143855 wrote:

catching up to you before reaching the top of the climb. I decided not to pass, correctly guessing that as soon as we started down again, you’d go full speed ahead and continue weaving through and around everyone else and I’d just as soon not be in front of you at that point.

Dude, no one is impressed with how fast you can ride *down* the hills.

I’ve never done this, but been tempted. As I catch the uphill slowpoke, I’d love to say, “Why do you slow down so much on the uphills?”

In fact, just yesterday, Mr. Speedy passed me by the two ponds on the Custis (before the 2 sisters). Of course, despite his getting all up out of the saddle on his crabon bike and everything, I had to slow on both sisters. I opted not to pass back, for the same reason as Amalitza, but I did visibly half-wheel him, seated.

Just to be clear, I have nothing against people who take their time going up hills. That’s all good. It’s the ones who pass just before the hills and then immediately block you. Those are the ones I wanna get snarky with.

[Judd]

@Tania 143856 wrote:

Aw yeah!!!!

My favorite thing to do is almost-but-not-quite-draft off morons like this up hills. Just enough to make them push and suffer a little.

I would suggest adding some cheerful whistling to help further illustrate how easily you’re making it up the hill.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[notinthe18]

Commute home on MVT today, between the airport bridges where it’s a little hilly. Two lycranauts call their passes and make it clean. Cool. Dude with a mullet in a blue shirt (thanks for not wearing a helmet, I enjoyed the mullet), a pannier, and a messenger bag is trying to draft off them (?) and tries to pass. Unfortunately, oncoming traffic down that little hill nearly caused him to run me off the road. When I said (fairly politely and without vulgarity, all things considered) “hey man, don’t pass there!” he stopped dead in the road and tried to cuss me out.

Always gotta be karma for this morning’s delightful ride in full of wonderful etiquette…

[DCAKen]

@Steve O 143858 wrote:

I’ve never done this, but been tempted. As I catch the uphill slowpoke, I’d love to say, “Why do you slow down so much on the uphills?”

In fact, just yesterday, Mr. Speedy passed me by the two ponds on the Custis (before the 2 sisters). Of course, despite his getting all up out of the saddle on his crabon bike and everything, I had to slow on both sisters. I opted not to pass back, for the same reason as Amalitza, but I did visibly half-wheel him, seated.

Just to be clear, I have nothing against people who take their time going up hills. That’s all good. It’s the ones who pass just before the hills and then immediately block you. Those are the ones I wanna get snarky with.

Occasionally when I’m running in Rock Creek Park, I’ll pass bikers going up some of the short, steep hills. I take extreme pleasure in calling out “Passing left” to those who have buzzed by without calling their passes.

[ursus]

I was returning home to DC this afternoon after a long bike ride. I successfully crossed the Intersection of Doom and then the switchbacks. I was then on the sidewalk next to the entrance lane to the TR Island parking lot. I slowed down to my usual crawl to make the first of two 90 degree turns. After making the first turn I noticed that there was a woman standing on the path immediately after the second turn. I could only see the upper part of her since there was a car in the first parking spot. Thankfully I saw her because what I did not see was that there was a second woman sitting in the trail next to her blocking the oncoming lane. Had the first woman not been there causing me to just about come to a halt, I might have hit the second woman since I find it impossible to stay completely in my lane while making those turns. Also thankfully no bikers were coming towards me.

[dasgeh]

Dude pulling a trailer EB along the Custis this morning: You rock for pulling your kid along in the morning. He was adorable. Running the lights at Scott and Nash – I get that, not my style, but I understand. But running the solid don’t walk at the intersection of doom… I’m really glad those THREE cars that had to screech to a stop didn’t smush you or your adorable kid.

[dkel]

My son and I were just in Bike Club in Falls Church (his idea to look there) wanting to see what cheap, used bike or frameset might be available and in my son’s price range. We asked lots of questions and worked our way down from the shiny bikes up front to the half-disassembled bikes scattered haphazardly around the place. After no more than five minutes of talking to the guy, he tries to get us to make him an offer on the frame he has in his hand, and when I say we probably wouldn’t buy anything just today, he literally throws the frame onto a pile, and says, “no more questions! I’m not talking about this anymore!” To which I reply, “then we’ll shop somewhere else,” and walk out without looking back. Seriously, I haven’t had reason to go in there in years, but after that exchange, I wouldn’t go back in there if I had a reason. 😡

[KLizotte]

@dkel 144437 wrote:

My son and I were just in Bike Club in Falls Church (his idea to look there) wanting to see what cheap, used bike or frameset might be available and in my son’s price range. We asked lots of questions and worked our way down from the shiny bikes up front to the half-disassembled bikes scattered haphazardly around the place. After no more than five minutes of talking to the guy, he tries to get us to make him an offer on the frame he has in his hand, and when I say we probably wouldn’t buy anything just today, he literally throws the frame onto a pile, and says, “no more questions! I’m not talking about this anymore!” To which I reply, “then we’ll shop somewhere else,” and walk out without looking back. Seriously, I haven’t had reason to go in there in years, but after that exchange, I wouldn’t go back in there if I had a reason. 😡

According to Mt Airy’s Bikeshop’s website (located in College Park) they have approximately 2,700 bikes in their warehouse looking for a home; most are used. They keep a list of available bikes on their website.

[bobco85]

Short version of story: the intersection of W&OD/Four Mile Run Dr/Columbia Pike needs to be “No Turn on Red” for the Leading Pedestrian Interval to actually be safe for trail-users because drivers are only looking left at traffic when turning right on red.

Long version of story (4 people involved: Me, Pressured Driver, Idiot, and Passenger):
Me: Westbound on the W&OD, pulling up to the red light, pushing the crosswalk button, and taking a few sips from my water bottle
*BEEP*
(few seconds later)
*BEEP*
Idiot: Impatient driver who is waiting behind Pressured Driver on Four Mile Run Dr, honking because he’s not turning right onto Columbia Pike.
Pressured Driver: Looking more and more anxious, inches out a little farther and stops because drivers in the right lane on Columbia Pike are not using their turn signals to indicate whether they are turning onto Four Mile Run Dr or going straight.
Me: Watching this, understanding that if I were driving, I would not pull out into the intersection either.
*BEEP*
Idiot: Does not care.
Pressured Driver: Finally turns onto Columbia Pike, has slow acceleration as he tries to get to speed up so there isn’t an accident (luckily the car approaching was able to slow down).
(after a couple more cars pass, Columbia Pike gets a red. Four Mile Run Dr stays red as the LPI for the W&OD starts)
Idiot: Looking to his left the ENTIRE time, turns right across the crosswalk just as I was about to enter.
Me: Knowing this was going to happen, stops just short of the crosswalk. I still gestured at the crosswalk light and red light and yelled, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Passenger: Looks at me from the passenger side of Idiot’s car because she actually saw me; the look on her face makes me hopeful that she later would lay the smackdown on Idiot for his aggressive driving.
Me: Thinking this light really needs a “No Turn on Red” because drivers are just not looking for people in the crosswalk.

[KLizotte]

Bobco,

Not sure who is the appropriate person, but please send a cut and paste to the Arlington roads folks. More care should be taken to protect peds and cyclists at that intersection given the high use of the crosswalk.

Very glad you are okay!

[Author]

Posts