My Evening Commute

[bobco85]

@DismalScientist 94769 wrote:

This happened last year as well. Why is it incumbent on racers in a school sponsored cross country meet to dodge outside obstacles? Last year cyclists went through interfering with runners when a race marshal explicitly asked them to stop. After all, we get the police to stop traffic for the Arlington Fun Ride. I don’t see the difference.

I also don’t see why they design a race course that crosses an open trail.

Armchair quarterbacking here, but it seems like for an event such as this, they could:

• post signs informing other trail users that there will be large groups of joggers passing through the area and that speeds must be slowed (cycling equivalent of driving through a construction zone with lower speed limits)
• hire a cyclist or two to ride in front of the joggers, acting like a pace “bike” with a sign in front to warn oncoming traffic of the group and to warn the group of any upcoming obstacles (cycling equivalent of a car in front of a “wide load” tractor trailer)
• close off a part of the trail with detour signs for other trail users (I don’t like this option but would accept it in the name of safety)

I don’t think it would be asking too much, and with a couple of volunteers everything could be done safely. Regarding the competitors (joggers), while I would agree that they should follow normal trail rules and etiquette, I understand that they are likely too preoccupied because they are in a competition. The onus of providing for their safety lies on the organizers. I would apply this to any pedestrian/cyclist event on the trails regardless of the age of the competitors.

[Dickie]

It really wasn’t a problem, the runners themselves pretty much kept to their lane and as Bobco guessed; seemed occupied by the competition more than anything. It was the non-competitors that were running all over the place in a blind cornered tunnel that nearly took down two of us, and we were going about as slow as we could to anticipate such possibilities. Hearing consularrider yell “Give em hell, Dickie” as I rang my bell and barked to make my presence clear was the highlight of my night!

[consularrider]

@DismalScientist 94769 wrote:

This happened last year as well. Why is it incumbent on racers in a school sponsored cross country meet to dodge outside obstacles? Last year cyclists went through interfering with runners when a race marshal explicitly asked them to stop. After all, we get the police to stop traffic for the Arlington Fun Ride. I don’t see the difference.

I also don’t see why they design a race course that crosses an open trail.

It’s not just crossing an open trail, but running along the W&OD for about a quarter mile. In general I have no problem with running events on the trails when there is advance notice posted and there is some sort of adult supervision of the event participants, both sorely lacking in yesterday’s evening’s cross country meet. These high school cross country meets using Bon Air and Bluemont Parks only happen two or three times a season so it’s not a big inconvenience, but again, if no one knows they are happening until you ride into the middle of one, there’s something wrong with the planning. The Lost Dog August races in the same area were post well ahead of time and I made an effort to avoid that section of the W&OD on my way home on those Fridays.

[rcannon100]

I have contacted Parks and Wreck on this point before and would encourage you to do so as well. Many of these events that take place on the MUT simply overwhelm the MUT creating traffic scenarios that are dangerous. In this case maybe it was traffic crossing the MUT. Whatever. It would be nice if Parks and Wreck, which permits large groups using the facilities, would consider potential impacts of heavy traffic on or across MUTs.

[dasgeh]

@consularrider 94792 wrote:

It’s not just crossing an open trail, but running along the W&OD for about a quarter mile. In general I have no problem with running events on the trails when there is advance notice posted and there is some sort of adult supervision of the event participants, both sorely lacking in yesterday’s evening’s cross country meet. These high school cross country meets using Bon Air and Bluemont Parks only happen two or three times a season so it’s not a big inconvenience, but again, if no one knows they are happening until you ride into the middle of one, there’s something wrong with the planning. The Lost Dog August races in the same area were post well ahead of time and I made an effort to avoid that section of the W&OD on my way home on those Fridays.

I believe the correct contact for this issues is Debbie Defranco. Seems like there could be some simple changes to increase safety for all.

[DismalScientist]

For clarification, last year’s race just crossed the WOD and did not run on it like it apparently did yesterday. The course ran sideways up the hill that was “painted” green last winter. Apparently the race course has changed, and not for the better from a cyclist’s perspective.

[vern]

It sucked…I rode the Metro home and left my bike in my office. My hips (arthritis) and left quad (muscle strain or some such thing…I was playing kickball yesterday and as I cut my quad grabbed). I can push through the arthritis, but this afternoon I tried to cross my legs and couldn’t lift my left leg over my right.

[lordofthemark]

Tonight was the first time I had biked to beer, the first time I had biked FROM beer, and it was the first time I had biked after sunset since a rather scary ride without lights on Cape Cod in 1979.

Good to see everyone at happy hour, including the folks I met for the first time. The ride home was fine and I am very pleased with my new light, though still getting to used to using it while being polite to the twilight walkers on the 4MRT and the Lucky Run MUT.

[KWL]

I worked a couple of hours late, missing what would have been my Second Third Thursday. Listed in order of occurrence on the MVT:

Gnats!! The first hard freeze cannot come soon enough.

Dozens of riders on a winding dirt trail near the 14th Street Bridge between the Parkway and the MVT. How many years have I ridden by here and not seen that? Is this new?

Gnats!!

Holy Moley that headlight is aimed high! (shielding eyes)

Gnats!!

Gnats redux!!

[ShawnoftheDread]

@KWL 94880 wrote:

Dozens of riders on a winding dirt trail near the 14th Street Bridge between the Parkway and the MVT. How many years have I ridden by here and not seen that? Is this new?

That’s the Thursday cyclocross practice.

[dbb]

@ShawnoftheDread 94881 wrote:

That’s the Thursday cyclocross practice.

I saw someone on a CaBi there last night. Talk about a fitness opportunity!

[Terpfan]

@KWL 94880 wrote:

I worked a couple of hours late, missing what would have been my Second Third Thursday. Listed in order of occurrence on the MVT:

Gnats!! The first hard freeze cannot come soon enough.

Dozens of riders on a winding dirt trail near the 14th Street Bridge between the Parkway and the MVT. How many years have I ridden by here and not seen that? Is this new?

Gnats!!

Holy Moley that headlight is aimed high! (shielding eyes)

Gnats!!

Gnats redux!!

Yah, that’s almost a weekly occurence for that cyclocross team.

I would like to give a shoutout to the Swedish Embassy driver. Coming off 34th to go across and right onto the sidewalk requires being in the left lane. Cars coming from across the street (albeit it’s maybe every 7th or 8th time there is a car there) rarely yield to let you proceed straight. Actually rarely would be overstatement, they have never yielded until last night when a car with diplomatic tags did. I can only presume it’s from the Swedes with their embassy right there. Good stuff.

As for the actual path, so many people walking a wide two abreast or three abreast. I don’t usually mind except when their walking puts them on the wrong side of the path and they don’t even try to move a hair for called passes or even people coming the other direction.

The only other negative was a clicking noise. I’m thinking wtf, the bike barely has 200 miles on it and is almost brand new, how can it be. I spent the last five miles fretting I will have to figure out what it is. Get home and spin the crank, but no noise. Take off my shoes and suddenly I hear a slight metallic click. Yep, one little washer on the cleat was loose.

[AFHokie]

@Dickie 94751 wrote:

Yep, he was there to “help” with the high school cross country running event that occurred about an hour later. Consularrider and myself hit the Wilson underpass just as about 150 student runners filled the trail. And when I say help, he actually just stood there telling cyclists to be careful and slow down while letting the kids do as they pleased, which in our case was running across the trail nearly colliding with us… ahhh how teenage hormones have an amazing ability to block the brain.

I came through the area on Tuesday after the race had started and the runners were spread out so they were not an issue. However, the spectators… Particularly, the teen who locked eyes with me as he started to cross the trail and then stopped in the middle, turned his back to me and (I assume) promptly forgot about me as he stood in the middle of the trail shouldn’t have been so surprised when due oncoming traffic, I passed him on the right.

At that point he was a human bollard.

[cyclingfool]

@dbb 94883 wrote:

I saw someone on a CaBi there last night. Talk about overage fees!

ftfy

[KWL]

@ShawnoftheDread 94881 wrote:

That’s the Thursday cyclocross practice.

Cyclocross? Where were the logs and mud?

[Author]

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