My Morning Commute

[KWL]

@jrenaut 97794 wrote:

That would be Fast Friendly Guy, a regular on these forums. Say hi next time.

I was hoping to snag a photo of FFG and his jack-o-lantern helmet, but never had the camera out at the right time. It has been easy to spot him this week.

[DanB]

Thought this thread could use a little love this morning …

So, the trail was pretty empty then! [Done in my best Minnesota accent.] Still managed to get passed twice on the trek from Vienna to downtown–not to mention the guy who blew the red light on L Street.

Started out at 6:00 with a temp of 36° F. That’s probably about as low as I’ll go.

[Steve O]

@DanB 97939 wrote:

Started out at 6:00 with a temp of 36° F. That’s probably about as low as I’ll go.

Don’t put him on my Freezing Saddles team!!

[DanB]

@Steve O 97946 wrote:

Don’t put him on my Freezing Saddles team!!

It’s not that I mind the cold temps, but the risk of slipping on ice kind of puts me off. Especially after I heard about the guy who slipped and dislocated his shoulder. Oh, and the one who broke his hip. Oh yeah, and the one who fractured his skull…

[mstone]

Needs more studs!

[americancyclo]

I stopped to compliment a jogger this morning that had a really nice reflective jacket. She said she bought it because she had seen an accident on the W&OD near West St. She bought it at Athleta, and I was surprised to see it was almost $300.

http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1017878&vid=1&pid=138650012

[DanB]

@americancyclo 98026 wrote:

I stopped to compliment a jogger this morning that had a really nice reflective jacket. She said she bought it because she had seen an accident on the W&OD near West St. She bought it at Athleta, and I was surprised to see it was almost $300.

http://athleta.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1017878&vid=1&pid=138650012

Was that in Falls Church? I’ve seen a woman who walks/jogs that stretch with a jacket that has super-reflective material on the whole front and back. I looked online for what it might be and found this:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rareflective/ra-reflective-360-reflective-performance-for-men-a
http://rareflective.myshopify.com/

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6914[/ATTACH]

[runbike]

Nike made a jacket called the Vapor Flash. I don’t know if it’s still in production.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6915[/ATTACH]

[americancyclo]

@DanB 98029 wrote:

Was that in Falls Church? I’ve seen a woman who walks/jogs that stretch with a jacket that has super-reflective material on the whole front and back.

Yup, just east of the Citizens’ Bridge over Broad St. on the W&OD. She said quite a few cyclists have stopped to say hello already. I remember first seeing her with it a few weeks ago. She told me she got it from Athleta, and the pattern on the website matches the jacket she was wearing.

[americancyclo]

@run/bike 98030 wrote:

Nike made a jacket called the Vapor Flash. I don’t know if it’s still in production.

Looks like it’s Shield Flash now from the Nike Store, but at $395-$500 it ain’t cheap. I can see why $300 seems like a bargain after that.

Of course they could always rock a free BikeArlington vest and get pretty much the same effect

[jnva]

Awesome commute this morning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many cyclists this late in the season.

[cyclingfool]

@jnva 98034 wrote:

Awesome commute this morning. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many cyclists this late in the season.

Nice avatar! There were a goodly number of folks out this morning.

I had limited responsibilities at home this AM (normally have to make breakfast for the kiddo before leaving for work), so I harbored hopes of doing the 4MR and Custis legs of the Arlington loop in order to get into DC this morning (especially given the weather). Sadly I didn’t get my butt in gear early enough to get out the door in time to allow that. I did manage to tack a few extra miles onto my commute, though. What a gorgeous morning.

One minor annoyance on this morning’s ride in. Someone was conducting a “traffic study” in Crystal City this morning at the corner of Potomac and Crystal. I use quotes because the only reason I know it was going on was because of simple homemade signs reading TRAFFIC STUDY that appeared to be hastily taped to the windows of a couple cars. The cars, occupied by “observers”, were PARKED IN THE BIKE LANE!!! 😡 If there was any official government involvement in this so-called traffic study, shame on its poor organization and logistics. On second thought, shame on it in any case. Note to cagers: Just because you’re sitting in your car doesn’t mean you’re not “parked.”

[mstone]

@americancyclo 98033 wrote:

Looks like it’s Shield Flash now from the Nike Store, but at $395-$500 it ain’t cheap. I can see why $300 seems like a bargain after that.

Of course they could always rock a free BikeArlington vest and get pretty much the same effect

Yes, you’re paying for style rather than visibility. A highway safety vest is good for visibility on a budget ($5). But if someone is going to spend a bunch of money on fashion, it’s nice if they get visibility also rather than being a fashionable ninja.

[americancyclo]

@cyclingfool 98036 wrote:

Someone was conducting a “traffic study” in Crystal City this morning at the corner of Potomac and Crystal. The cars, occupied by “observers”, were PARKED IN THE BIKE LANE!!! 😡

Maybe they should study what happens to traffic if they park in the car travel lane instead.

[lordofthemark]

The problem with not bike commuting for a few weeks is that you forget your routine – I didn’t realize I had forgotten my windbreaker till I was out the door and on my way. Fortunately it was quite warm enough today.

Maine Avenue continues to evolve. South sidewalk is back in business – a bit of an obstacle course with the orange barrels, but no pedestrians, so I still chose it over Maine Avenue itself. Eye Street was a bit hairier than usual, between cabbies pushing a few inches into the bike lane, and more door activity than usual. Somehow managed to make to work in time to change and shower and get to a gathering to introduce new hires, despite staying a bit late at HDCC and stopping on Maine to give my wife info on blue line operations.

[Author]

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