My Evening Commute

[Judd]

Saw Fingerman last night as I was heading to the 14th Street Bridge. Had a nice ride along and chat down the MVT and finished with a low five. It’s a sure sign that it’s going to be a good Freezing Saddles season.

I also continued my streak of not doing a Hains Point lap in 2018.

[wheelswings]

Riding up the WOD with my groceries just now, I passed a family on a trail intersection near Bluemont…two adults and a boy who was maybe 12 y.o. (though far larger than my girl of same age) with their bicycles. The adults were chatting and the boy was jumping around on the side of the trail…I figured he must be cold. He was watching me intently, but I did not think much of it ‘cause I watch fellow bicycle riders too.
The moment I was passing, the boy darted across the trail immediately in front of my bicycle. I yelled out and clenched my brakes so that my front wheel would not crash into him. It turned out he was bored and had devised this little game. As soon as I got by, I commented very loudly that this was absolutely not funny. At that point I heard one of the adults raising their voice (at the boy), so I just kept riding. Hopefully he will never repeat this moronic behavior.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Mostly warm, but plenty of pockets of really cold (relatively) air…especially along the river and 4MR.

[Crickey7]

So this was a first for me. I’m riding home on the generously wide shoulder-cum-bike lane alongside a posted 45 mph road, and a car pulls alongside and proceeds to pace me going around maybe 25 mph. After about 20 seconds, I turn to ask what they’re doing, and the driver tells me she’s got her flashers on in order to keep me safe. I thanked her and told her it was unnecessary, thinking to myself that she had managed to accomplish the exact opposite by going about half the prevailing speed of traffic.

[Crickey7]

To be honest, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. My thought was that if it got too bad, I’d bail and take the bus. I didn’t bail, and the bus I was behind didn’t go any faster than I did.

There was only one time the wind almost blew me over a guardrail into a ravine.

[huskerdont]

@Crickey7 175520 wrote:

To be honest, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. My thought was that if it got too bad, I’d bail and take the bus. I didn’t bail, and the bus I was behind didn’t go any faster than I did.

There was only one time the wind almost blew me over a guardrail into a ravine.

Friday, yeah. My average speed was 9.9 mph, but at no time did I think I was gone die. Except maybe when I reached the I-66 bridge, felt the first gusts, saw the whitecaps on the Po, and thought of what it would be like being blown over the 2-ft high guardrail into the Interstate. Then I turned around and went to Key Bridge, which is usually worse but was much better for some reason. I guess the wind direction just was better for Key on that day.

[PeteD]

Honestly, was I the only one to see the Acura SUV parked in Bon Aire park at the Picnic grounds tonight? I wasn’t hallucinating?

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[josh]

@PeteD 175778 wrote:

Honestly, was I the only one to see the Acura SUV parked in Bon Aire park at the Picnic grounds tonight? I wasn’t hallucinating?

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It was still moving right before I saw you. Was trying to figure out how it got there.

[AliasXIII]

Me this morning: Well, now that Freezing Saddles is over I’m free of the pressure to ride every day! I don’t think I’ll ride my bike at all.

Me, this evening: Wow, this freezing rain is awful. Why would I walk a mile in this like a chump?? I’ll take a CaBi home from the Metro…

[huskerdont]

I actually missed a traffic light yesterday because of the wind.

[DanB]

I have a confession to make. I moved last September from Vienna (VA) down to West Springfield and haven’t biked to or from work since. 😮 On my regular, motorized commute I take an express bus to the Pentagon, and I biked to and from there just once.

Well, today’s the day I’m biking the whole way home (a little ways south of the Audrey Moore RECenter). I have mapped out two routes, one that takes the W&OD to Banneker Park and then south to Annandale Rd (17 miles). The other takes the W&OD to Gallows and then connects to the CCT (23 miles). I’m taking the shorter one today.

If anyone has tips on navigating Annandale, I’d appreciate any intel.

[Shawnbeast]

@DanB 177431 wrote:

I have a confession to make. I moved last September from Vienna (VA) down to West Springfield and haven’t biked to or from work since. 😮 On my regular, motorized commute I take an express bus to the Pentagon, and I biked to and from there just once.

Well, today’s the day I’m biking the whole way home (a little ways south of the Audrey Moore RECenter). I have mapped out two routes, one that takes the W&OD to Banneker Park and then south to Annandale Rd (17 miles). The other takes the W&OD to Gallows and then connects to the CCT (23 miles). I’m taking the shorter one today.

If anyone has tips on navigating Annandale, I’d appreciate any intel.

How was the ride through Annandale? I’ve only taken that route once, but I found that the roads with bike lanes were pretty well marked and I felt safe enough. The ride up Gallows is also very decent, but obviously longer. I take the CCT from West Springfield to near Mosaic about once a week and its wonderful, makes me happy to get to ride through the trees along the creek.

[DanB]

@Shawnbeast 177477 wrote:

How was the ride through Annandale? I’ve only taken that route once, but I found that the roads with bike lanes were pretty well marked and I felt safe enough. The ride up Gallows is also very decent, but obviously longer. I take the CCT from West Springfield to near Mosaic about once a week and its wonderful, makes me happy to get to ride through the trees along the creek.

The ride went well. I was fortunate to pull up behind a regular commuter who has been riding Annandale Rd (McLean – Burke) since before it had a marked bike lane. He let me know that Hummer Rd (south of the Gallows/Annandale intersection) has a marked bike lane now, too. That was good to hear, because it doesn’t show up in Google Street View. He also let me know the best route to the pedestrian bridge to Wakefield Park and that I should watch out for the gravel on the other side–all helpful info.

So the ride went well, I wasn’t even that tired from it after not biking much recently. I did get the worst seasonal allergy reaction of my life, though, with something like poison ivy hives on my neck, under my eyes and up and down my arms. Perfect timing for my business trip starting Wednesday. :rolleyes: I’m telling myself it was so bad, because I haven’t been out biking in the pollen all spring to help build up resistance. Anyway, it wasn’t my last time biking that route.

[scoot]

What was the recommended route between 236 and the Wakefield Park ped bridge?

[lordofthemark]

@scoot 177485 wrote:

What was the recommended route between 236 and the Wakefield Park ped bridge?

I have not been there in almost 4 years, but I used to take Americana Drive.

[Author]

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