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

[cvcalhoun]

@dcv 107287 wrote:

I use plastic grocery bags between the shoe and show covers, feet will stay dry for a few hours

And if you do this for long enough, you can be giving the rebuttal to the State of the Union address.

[dplasters]

I intend on wearing shorts this evening. Light jacket. Sunglasses. I’m going to imagine its April.

[rcannon100]

Is it “evening” yet so that I can go out and bicycle in this fabulous weather???

[jrenaut]

It’s 3pm and you work for the government. Of COURSE it’s evening.

[americancyclo]

it is really nice out there

[vern]

@rcannon100 107527 wrote:

Is it “evening” yet so that I can go out and bicycle in this fabulous weather???

No after dark points. No below freezing points. What’s the point of riding?

[rcannon100]

@vern 107532 wrote:

No after dark points. No below freezing points. What’s the point of riding?

[Terpfan]

Aside from my Strava deciding to end my ride 5 miles short, I had the great misfortune of breaking a spoke. But, thankfully the good folks at Spokes, Etc. at the Belle View Alexandria location were kind enough to fix it for me despite being past when they typically do repairs. It was certainly helpful and I appreciate that they have helped me out a few times now right before closing. So just a positive shout out for them.

[KWL]

Nice tailwind today…until the hard right turn at Gravelly Point where it suddenly became a nasty headwind. It was nice the Weather Liars were wrong once again, with no rain or snow as the front came through.

[consularrider]

@KWL 108312 wrote:

Nice tailwind today…until the hard right turn at Gravelly Point where it suddenly became a nasty headwind. It was nice the Weather Liars were wrong once again, with no rain or snow as the front came through.

Didn’t you see the giant’s dandruff flakes this morning?

[brendan]

I ROCKED the ride back from Herndon tonight! Even the flags at the W&OD/Lee Highway intersection were snapping to attention (that is pointing east, flapping violently) in honor of my awesomeness…

B

[Terpfan]

I did score 5 PRs yesterday on my ride home. I was booking it down the MVT at an average of like 22-23mph. Got myself into the top 10% for most of the segments, previously I was mostly only in top 20. The sad part was I wasn’t even trying that hard. And, to top it all off, a motorist complimented me on my booties and their visibility; even said I was more of a man than he for riding yesterday (more applicable to today, but awesome nonetheless).

The only downside was I did sort of hit that concrete bollard on southbound side of Key Bridge. I was going real slowly because there were four college-aged kids walking four abreast in front of me and not hearing my on the left call. Then suddenly a big gust came and turned my whole left drop into the bollard. No damage, but slightly annoying. That and the idiot taxi driver in neighborhood next to mine who decided he could just turn left in front of me because I was on a bike. I only know this because I yelled “wtf” and he slowed to respond I’m on a bike therefore he’s allowed to do it or something. If I wasn’t on a motivational high, I may have cared enough to scribble down his taxi number to complain to Fairfax County, but I said, eh, enough going well for me that I would let it slide.

[komorebi]

Tonight was the first time I biked home and didn’t see any other cyclists on the MVT. A combination of the cold weather and the holiday weekend, I guess. I’m going to miss these conditions come summertime, when all the fair-weather riders are back out in force.

[dasgeh]

I had a long meeting yesterday afternoon at my agency’s _other_ building. I loaded everything up, biked up to the meeting, and locked up outside. After the meeting, I changed into my snowman uniform and headed outside, hopped on the bike and pedaled away. My motor, however, decided that it was not happy having been left in the cold for 4+ hours. Like really not happy. Like not really working AT ALL.

The upshot:
1) I can actually bike my INCREDIBLY heavy bike home, even with little-to-no help from the motor, even in the third trimester, with lots of crap from work and lots of hills in the way.
2) It takes twice as long to bike my INCREDIBLY heavy bike home, even with little-to-no help from the motor.
3) When you dress like you’ll have a motor to help you on the way home, and you don’t actually have a motor to help you on the way home, you get really hot, sweaty and stinky on the way home.

Oh, and my legs were sore after my ride in today. Ha.

[Alcova cyclist]

@dasgeh 109038 wrote:

My motor, however, decided that it was not happy having been left in the cold for 4+ hours. Like really not happy. Like not really working AT ALL.

On the plus side, you didn’t piss off NickBull.

[Author]

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