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

[consularrider]

@sjclaeys 110681 wrote:

With the warmer weather … The closely related helmet on the handlebars storer is sure to be here soon too.

Saw two of those today. Why bother?

[Alcova cyclist]

@sjclaeys 110681 wrote:

The closely related helmet on the handlebars storer is sure to be here soon too.

Spotted one today! It really is spring!

[dbb]

Most of the cyclists I saw this afternoon on my ride home were sporting their most recent piece of cycling kit — skin!

Did a memo go out mid afternoon directing people to wear only shorts?

[notlost]

Took the long way home, saw rcannon100 coming the other way (don’t think he recognized who was waving at him). The WOD between Columbia and Wilson was like an ice box…probably 15 degrees cooler than everywhere else!

@sjclaeys 110681 wrote:

With the warmer weather I saw the return of the unbuckled helmet wearer. The closely related helmet on the handlebars storer is sure to be here soon too.

Good on them for being out and about!

[dasgeh]

People were acting crazy last night. Not only on the roads (damn MD bus drivers), but on the trails. There was some girls athletic team running the Custis, which would have been great, except for the running 3- and 4- abreast and randomly moving to the middle to high five each other (AFTER I had dinged and the one coming at me could clearly see I was setting up to pass). Then on my way home from a meeting, a dude decided that he really had to cut the corner turning on to the Bluemont Trail to keep up his speed. Luckily, I suspected shenanigans and stopped. But I had to cold stop to avoid a collision. And I could go on…

[Powerful Pete]

Careful everyone, the fair weather riders and joggers are out. Which means that things will be exciting for a week or two before everyone begins to settle down. And hopefully at that point the weather will be good enough that the occasional enthusiastic exercise folks join us on the trails to make things more congested! :p

[Harry Meatmotor]

@dbb 110712 wrote:

Did a memo go out mid afternoon directing people to wear only shorts?

Hey man – my tan lines are looking awful. Rule #7.

[Crickey7]

@Powerful Pete 110735 wrote:

Careful everyone, the fair weather riders and joggers are out. Which means that things will be exciting for a week or two

.

Yep. One Crazy Ivan this morning, right behind one of the few, long refrozen patches (probably why he chose that spot). Fortunately, he completed his volte face in time and no harm was done.

[Anonymous]

@sjclaeys 110681 wrote:

With the warmer weather I saw the return of the unbuckled helmet wearer. The closely related helmet on the handlebars storer is sure to be here soon too.

Interesting. I have been this person, but only in cold weather. An unbuckled strap is a lot easier to notice when the helmet is the only thing on the head/face/neck area, than when fully bundled. I’ve even accidentally taken off without a helmet, because the feel of a hat on the head is close enough that I don’t notice the missing helmet.

[dbb]

@Harry Meatmotor 110779 wrote:

Hey man – my tan lines are looking awful. Rule #7.

What tan lines? I’m looking a little pasty.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Amalitza 110783 wrote:

Interesting. I have been this person, but only in cold weather. An unbuckled strap is a lot easier to notice when the helmet is the only thing on the head/face/neck area, than when fully bundled. I’ve even accidentally taken off without a helmet, because the feel of a hat on the head is close enough that I don’t notice the missing helmet.

Yep…I did both of these things at least once this winter.

[dkel]

@dbb 110784 wrote:

What tan lines? I’m looking a little pasty.

I have the opposite problem: I’ve always been pasty, but since I rode all summer for the first time last year, my legs got tanned and have still not faded back to pasty yet! I used loads of sunscreen, too! Is that weird?

(I know…TMI. :o)

[Crickey7]

It’s really more of an equipment question, but is it better to use a mummified monkey’s paw, or a medallion personally blessed by Mother Theresa, to ensure that the rain ceases between, say, 7 and 8 pm tonight?

[americancyclo]

@Crickey7 110807 wrote:

It’s really more of an equipment question, but is it better to use a mummified monkey’s paw, or a medallion personally blessed by Mother Theresa, to ensure that the rain ceases between, say, 7 and 8 pm tonight?

the answer is always ‘rain cape’

[brendan]

@americancyclo 110811 wrote:

the answer is always ‘rain cape’

The answer is “you’ll feel awesome once you get home and shower”*

B

* (and complain about the rain/fog online, which I did…and now I feel awesome).

[Author]

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