My Evening Commute

[Dickie]

Was not my finest. It started OK as I stopped off at Bikenetic to see Dirt and talk new cross/commuter tires as mine are completely shot and flatting all the time. Dirt was not around but Jan was glad to help out. I left informed but without new rubber for now. Back on the WOD and being careful to elude the dreaded FCPD I slowed at the Grove St. crossing only to be passed by a dude with absolutely no regard for the stop sign. He flew through the intersection just as I was getting clipped in without even a look. He then pulled the ultimate DB move, passing (and nearly clipping) two woman with strollers as they crossed paths with a gentleman walking towards them… yep, four abreast with him at speed. The gentleman yelled and put his hands out for protection and the ladies screamed. I slowed, apologized for his behavior and chased the scum down. As I got next to him (and gestured for him to remove his headphones) I became possessed by a sudden calmness (weird). I decided to politely explain what I had just witnessed and suggested better methods for future situations… he tolerated my intrusion and then I flatted. DANG IT! Luckily it was directly in front of the “Free Air” station on the WOD so I rolled my bike to the station, leaned my steed against the air machine (you can see where this is going), started taking off my back pack when I watched my bike slowly roll forward and fall against the pole…. result:

Needless to say, wasn’t a great ride home.

Topic

[Judd]

@KLizotte 163958 wrote:

I’ve often wondered why the MVT isn’t swarming with bats since they could have their easy fill of food. I’m all for installing bat boxes along the trail to cut down on the bug population.

There’s a group of bats that hang out around the power plant in Alexandria. I had one dive bomb into my leg about a year ago. I imagine the lack of suitable places to be a bat in the daytime along the MVT is why we don’t see more.

[bobco85]

My guess is that it’s hard to use echolocation when you hear the deafening noise of planes nearby.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@dbb 163959 wrote:

A metric ton of gnats would be 1.1 billion

And known as a “ghöst of gnåts.”

[ginacico]

Pretty please, someone take a picture of the inflatable Trump Chicken on your way past the Ellipse this afternoon? I’m not downtown today. 🐔

[huskerdont]

@ginacico 164033 wrote:

Pretty please, someone take a picture of the inflatable Trump Chicken on your way past the Ellipse this afternoon? I’m not downtown today. 🐔

If it’s still there, I’ll do so and put it on my Strava ride. But given the thin skin of certain people…

[dasgeh]

@ginacico 164033 wrote:

Pretty please, someone take a picture of the inflatable Trump Chicken on your way past the Ellipse this afternoon? I’m not downtown today. ��

Not there today.

[Brendan von Buckingham]

You might not know it but I was the Hero of the Commute for Monday. Woman ahead of me on Memorial Bridge had something bounce out of her panniers. Turned out to be car keys. I scooped them up and reeled her in around the AC metro. It took her a second to compute what happened when I showed her her keys.

And Hero of the Commute for Tuesday too. At Rhode Island and 7th a guy asked me how to get to Key Bridge. I noticed his fully loaded rig and asked him how long he had been riding. He started at Conowingo Dam, about 90+ miles for the day. He was on a Florida, Niagra Falls, Erie Canal, DC, Pittsburgh insane bicycle meander. He was actually looking for the C&O towpath. I gave him an escort to the canal, but bought him a beer first.

I’m shooting for Hero of the Commute for the whole week. Don’t bother trying to take that away from me; so don’t do anything nice for anyone. It’s mine, all mine.

[Judd]

@Brendan von Buckingham 164241 wrote:

I’m shooting for Hero of the Commute for the whole week. Don’t bother trying to take that away from me; so don’t do anything nice for anyone. It’s mine, all mine.

Komorebi reported glass on the MVT to an NPS worker today, so today’s good deed has to be better than that. Thanks for being a good human being.

[Steve O]

@Judd 164250 wrote:

Komorebi reported glass on the MVT to an NPS worker today, so today’s good deed has to be better than that. Thanks for being a good human being.

I put someone’s dropped chain back on for him this morning. When it took me all of 4 seconds, he asked “Is that it?” I told him the secret and sent him on his way.

[Judd]

@Steve O 164277 wrote:

I put someone’s dropped chain back on for him this morning. When it took me all of 4 seconds, he asked “Is that it?” I told him the secret and sent him on his way.

Komorebi is still in the lead.

[Judd]

@Brendan von Buckingham 164241 wrote:

I’m shooting for Hero of the Commute for the whole week. Don’t bother trying to take that away from me; so don’t do anything nice for anyone. It’s mine, all mine.

How did the Hero of the Commute for the week turn out?

[Emm]

There were some epic gnat-ghosts out last night on the MVT around 8:15-8:30 PM between Jones Point Park and Belle Haven. It really was like biking through a sea of the little creatures. Much worse than anything I’ve experienced this year, and this year has been bad already. They were decently large creatures too–I felt them hit my skin and shirt as I biked through them, and ended up having to cover my nose to so I wouldn’t inhale them.

The joggers were hilarious though and made all the grossness worthwhile. I saw the gnats thanks to my headlight so I shut my mouth and covered my nose when I saw them coming, but a few joggers didn’t notice them until too late. One man let out a stream of expletives like I’ve never heard before when he got into a cloud of them. Not sure his logic was sound though, since swearing involves opening your mouth and breathing, which I’m sure let in a whole bunch more of the bugs. Another female jogger shrieked when she entered one of the gnat-clouds, and turned around and ran away frantically wiping them off herself. I would have laughed, but that involved opening my mouth and I at least thought that one through…

Worst part is my schedule is such that I’ll be biking through this gnat-zone around the same time the next 2 nights. God help me.

[huskerdont]

@Steve O 164277 wrote:

I put someone’s dropped chain back on for him this morning. When it took me all of 4 seconds, he asked “Is that it?” I told him the secret and sent him on his way.

So what is the secret? Enquiring minds, you know.

My secret is to pick up a stick to use so you don’t get grease all over your hands. Is that it?

[TwoWheelsDC]

@huskerdont 164455 wrote:

So what is the secret? Enquiring minds, you know.

My secret is to pick up a stick to use so you don’t get grease all over your hands. Is that it?

Spin the pedals and give the front derailleur an upshift. Many times a dropped chain can be fixed without even getting off the bike.

[huskerdont]

@TwoWheelsDC 164456 wrote:

Spin the pedals and give the front derailleur an upshift. Many times a dropped chain can be fixed without even getting off the bike.

Oh yeah, I learned that one for while you’re still riding when it just dropped. But when it’s a done deal and the chain is on the frame and you’re stopped, I never seem to have enough hands to lift the bike, shift, and spin the pedals.

[Author]

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