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

[Terpfan]

@cyclingfool 90461 wrote:

What was it with people last night? There were some REALLY dumb passes on the MVT last night. I was passed in three different instances by jackholes who couldn’t wait until we cleared a blind corner or until the other way was clear. You’re welcome to all of you for my choice of discretion being the better part of valor, or else things would have been ugly…

As they were just south of the airport ramp crossing, shortly after dumb pass #3. Not sure what had happened. but a rider had “hit the deck” here He was just getting up, surrounded by several other riders when I approached and then stopped. Since he was being attended to by what appeared to be his friends and there were other bystanders around who presumably saw more of what happened than I did, I rode on after stopping trailside for a few seconds. That little chicane there can be dicey at rush hour, and with the number of idiots doing stupid things last night, I wouldn’t be surprised if someone made an ill-advised maneuver there that either brought the rider down or forced him to take evasive action which led to a fall.

These instances are certainly something I didn’t miss when I was on-street more going through Crystal City and down Potomac Ave. I might have to default back to that route again, though I’ve been enjoying the change of scenery afforded by the reopening of 4MR.

I hate that spot just past the ramp crossing. I’ve seen so many people fly both ways despite oncoming people. I’ll go faster, but only if it’s absolutely clear. The other spot I hate people pulling passes on is right north of that semi-crossing (I say semi since the first one there isn’t really cars anymore) under the bridge. Last week, I had someone pass me with an oncoming cyclist. All I could think was let’s pray no one screws up because I don’t want to end up in a head-to-head with GWMP traffic.

[Powerful Pete]

Evening commute: nothing to report, beyond the fact that my distances were off for some reason.

Without losing my way (I double-checked on Strava), my commute home taking the 14th street bridge is 14.5 km (~9 ish miles). That is good. May try a shorter version tomorrow… or may not.

Thoroughly enjoyed myself riding home, although a hot humid wind is not my preferred riding companion.

Mental note numero uno: need full water bottle even for the commute, apparently the heat and humidity are on par, if not worse, than the Little Rock area (something I thought impossible short of riding in a tropical rain forest during a monsoon). Was rather dehydrated and unhappy by the time I rolled home.

Mental note numero due: a dainty young lass on a Cannondale happily passed me as if I was moving backwards on a slight uphill on the trail. Much work to be done to lose weight and regain riding fitness. Eat better, drink less beer, ride more.

Mental note numero tre: a bad moment on a ride is better than a good moment in the office! It is great to be on the bike twice a day.

[KLizotte]

^^Join the Bike Arlington team on the National Bike Challenge! We need more members!!

[americancyclo]

@Powerful Pete 90969 wrote:

a dainty young lass on a Cannondale happily passed me as if I was moving backwards on a slight uphill on the trail.

there are a lot of hardcore racers and commuters of all genders out on the trails around here. Some are in super stealth mode, too. Let them be an inspiration!

[Steve]

@Powerful Pete 90969 wrote:

drink less beer

Don’t be silly.

[Powerful Pete]

@americancyclo 90989 wrote:

there are a lot of hardcore racers and commuters of all genders out on the trails around here. Some are in super stealth mode, too. Let them be an inspiration!

Absolutely, my statement was about her hard core stealthiness. As the father of two daughters, I am all for dainty [or not so dainty] lasses kicking men in the rear!

@ Steve. Ok, I will be more honest in the future.

[dplasters]

Holy headwind Batman!

[Crickey7]

@dplasters 91279 wrote:

Holy headwind Batman!

So that I can go home in the other direction.

[dplasters]

@Crickey7 91281 wrote:

So that I can go home in the other direction.

NNW … On what tiny planet do you get to choose which direction to go??? Gusts around 20ish?

[jnva]

The only thing worse than riding into a headwind is riding into a headwind and getting stung in the mouth by a bee.

[Crickey7]

@jnva 91285 wrote:

The only thing worse than riding into a headwind is riding into a headwind and getting stung in the mouth by a bee.

I got stung on the head by a bee on the CCT just last week. I do recall seeing a car that looked like Courtland Milloy’s with a beehive stiching out of it right before . . .

[KayakCyndi]

@dplasters 91279 wrote:

Holy headwind Batman!

Ah, the omnipresent NW (or WNW or NNW) wind. Does it ever blow the other direction?

Still there is some lovely weather coming behind that wind so I’ll take it!

[ShawnoftheDread]

@jnva 91285 wrote:

The only thing worse than riding into a headwind is riding into a headwind and getting stung in the mouth by a bee.

A bee flew into my neck last week on the WOD. I hit it so hard it died without stinging me and I had to pluck it out of my jersey.

[vern]

@ShawnoftheDread 91288 wrote:

A bee flew into my neck last week on the WOD. I hit it so hard it died without stinging me and I had to pluck it out of my jersey.

Haha…that happened to me, too.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Tonight’s commute ended in a long shop session…did my first square taper BB install (2nd BB install overall) and it seems to have worked without a hiccup. I really wanted to ditch the square taper and swap my cheap fixed gear over to a GXP crankset, but since I already had the square taper crank, I couldn’t justify to cost of buying a whole new GXP crankset just to avoid buying a BB tool. So now, for the first time in probably two years, all the bikes in my shed are fully functional. All five of them……

[Author]

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