My Morning Commute

[bobco85]

Missed out on seeing everyone this morning at HDCC because I woke up late. Sorry, guys. That also means I missed out on bacon cheddar scones. I will make up for it by attending the newish WTFCC tomorrow!

I didn’t just wake up late, I woke up late-for-work late. So, there was a loud “OH S***” when I saw the time and a quick call to my supervisor before flying through my apartment, dressing myself, filling my water bottle, petting my cat (meow), packing my backpack, and grabbing my bike as I headed out the door. Running late.

I used multiple tricks to skip as much traffic on Beauregard & Walter Reed as possible, hitting the sidewalk to bypass long stretches of hulking metal boxes to get onto the W&OD Trail. Still running late.

Then, I came across the immediate aftermath of a crash between a cyclist and driver. If you want to know what happened, I wrote about it here: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?10998-Crash-on-W-amp-OD-Trail-9-7-2016 I stopped and helped as best as I could, letting my supervisor know I’d be even more late (she was not happy, but I felt stopping was the right thing to do).

Eventually, I made it to work in a sleepy, stressed, and somewhat somber (due to the crash) mood. And the one bit of good news I have for this morning is…

MY VACATION STARTS TOMORROW!!!

Oh, why is it that the craziness has to just build right up to one’s vacation?

[Emm]

TODAY’S MORNING COMMUTE WAS AWESOME BECAUSE I WAS ON A BIKE!!!

First commuting ride since hip surgery in late May. The ride was gorgeous, stress free and overall really pleasant going from south Alexandria to SW DC. I got my route right (thanks for all the advice on getting through Fort Hunt and Old Town!!!), and on another positive note the commute took me ~15 min less than anticipated, which was good because it took me 15 minutes longer to leave the house than I expected I’m a little sore, but that’s mostly residual pain from a tough PT session on Wednesday.

I am trying to figure out how I go through rear lights so quickly though, and where on earth my back rack light mounts went (they’ve disappeared off both of my commuter bikes…), so I’m placing yet another amazon order for lights and mounts since not having a rear light at 6:25AM on a busy road wasn’t fun…

[mello yello]

@Emm 145651 wrote:

TODAY’S MORNING COMMUTE WAS AWESOME BECAUSE I WAS ON A BIKE!!!

First commuting ride since hip surgery in late May. The ride was gorgeous, stress free and overall really pleasant going from south Alexandria to SW DC. I got my route right (thanks for all the advice on getting through Fort Hunt and Old Town!!!), and on another positive note the commute took me ~15 min less than anticipated, which was good because it took me 15 minutes longer to leave the house than I expected I’m a little sore, but that’s mostly residual pain from a tough PT session on Wednesday.

I am trying to figure out how I go through rear lights so quickly though, and where on earth my back rack light mounts went (they’ve disappeared off both of my commuter bikes…), so I’m placing yet another amazon order for lights and mounts since not having a rear light at 6:25AM on a busy road wasn’t fun…

Hooray! It will only get better as it turns to later summer and the temperatures only reach the upper 80’s into October!
Boo hiss about the lights. Some brands bounce off more easily than others, I’ve found… including my favorite PB Superflash blinkies. Does your rack have screw holes for a permanent one?

[Emm]

@mello yello 145679 wrote:

Hooray! It will only get better as it turns to later summer and the temperatures only reach the upper 80’s into October!
Boo hiss about the lights. Some brands bounce off more easily than others, I’ve found… including my favorite PB Superflash blinkies. Does your rack have screw holes for a permanent one?

I have screw holes so I can mount a new one–most of the ones I see just clip into the rack mounts though. For whatever reason they just keep breaking off my bike, getting unscrewed, encountering water damage, or having their covers break off. I just ordered one which can be mounted to a helmet, so I may try that one, or at least keep it in reserve for when the next rack mounted one bounces off…

My front light on the other hand is about to start it’s 3rd year of use without issue. I’m guessing the $70 price difference between them may partly explain the difference in reliability and mount quality

[mello yello]

Now that I’m looking into it I’m getting an adapter for my own bike… thanks for the inspiration!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]12395[/ATTACH]

[lordofthemark]

My ride this morning was good – lovely weather, though not used to it being that dark when I head out. Somehow I timed the ride to have to wait for a school bus stop sign on 31st street. It was nice seeing everyone at coffee club. This was my first commute with the 28’s – I think I was about 1 MPH faster than usual – I guess they help less on uphills? I was also a tad hesitant on rougher surfaces (like Eads or the turn into Crystal City on 18th) though I had no real problems (mello – I would still like to ride them a bit more for deciding for certain). It seemed like everyone who passed me was riding a road bike, which could mean I was riding faster, or it could mean there just were not a lot of other folks riding hybrids today. Eye Street was a bit more annoying than usual, with more parking turnover, u-turns and general craziness.

Biggest surprise was when I arrived at USDOT – every single bike rack in East building was completely full (at least on parking level one – I don’t even know if there are bike racks on parking level two) so I ended up going all the way to the West end of West building – a two block additional walk to my desk!

[Tania]

Traffic was already bumper to bumper at 6:20am on 66 as I crossed above it on Virginia Lane and then the TR Bridge coming into the city was also completely backed up.

Bike paths were blissfully clear.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Tania 145922 wrote:

Bike paths were blissfully clear.

The CCT was a zoo! A couple of times I had to stop behind pedestrians and wait for a line of like 10 bikes to go by before I could pass. Curse this beautiful weather!

[Anonymous]

@Tania 145922 wrote:

Traffic was already bumper to bumper at 6:20am on 66 as I crossed above it on Virginia Lane and then the TR Bridge coming into the city was also completely backed up.

Bike paths were blissfully clear.

yeah I was in a car this morning (with plans to bike home this evening/in tomorrow morning) and this would have been a really good day to be on the bike instead. just in case any of you were running low on schadenfreude this morning, I am here to help.

[Tania]

@TwoWheelsDC 145926 wrote:

The CCT was a zoo! A couple of times I had to stop behind pedestrians and wait for a line of like 10 bikes to go by before I could pass. Curse this beautiful weather!

I’ve been surprised at how the traffic on the W&OD/Custis has quieted down after Labor Day – especially Monday when it was nice and cool. My schedule is earlier than most people’s so maybe all that bike traffic is now leaving a little later (school etc).

[Steve O]

@Tania 145928 wrote:

I’ve been surprised at how the traffic on the W&OD/Custis has quieted down after Labor Day – especially Monday when it was nice and cool. My schedule is earlier than most people’s so maybe all that bike traffic is now leaving a little later (school etc).

Perhaps. There seemed to be more than the usual number of bike riders about 8:10-8:35 along the Custis, and the usual walkers near Rosslyn. All well behaved, I am pleased to say.

[Emm]

@Tania 145928 wrote:

I’ve been surprised at how the traffic on the W&OD/Custis has quieted down after Labor Day – especially Monday when it was nice and cool. My schedule is earlier than most people’s so maybe all that bike traffic is now leaving a little later (school etc).

I’ve always found the number of bike commuters drops around back to school time on the MVT. I also love back to school time since it seems like the # of tourism buses drops around that time too. It’s not as severe as the drop in commuters and buses that occurs once it gets below freezing in the morning, but it’s a nice and noticeable change.

[mello yello]

@lordofthemark 145827 wrote:

This was my first commute with the 28’s – I think I was about 1 MPH faster than usual – I guess they help less on uphills? I was also a tad hesitant on rougher surfaces (like Eads or the turn into Crystal City on 18th) though I had no real problems (mello – I would still like to ride them a bit more for deciding for certain). It seemed like everyone who passed me was riding a road bike, which could mean I was riding faster, or it could mean there just were not a lot of other folks riding hybrids today.

It can take a bit of getting used to. It’s ok- take as long as you need to decide. If you don’t want them I can always put them on the wheels I’m building in my imagination (I got the rims in hand… just need the spokes, nipples, and time… then to build another bike to put them on… then… well, you know how this cycle goes)

[bobco85]

I was surprised this morning when I was passed by not one, but two cyclists while riding down the hill on Beauregard St towards King St. I also saw 2 cyclists heading the other way on the sidewalk. Happy to see more cyclists on the road there.

[ejwillis62]

I will be going down tonight heading home from Mark center. I am so looking forward to it. I love Friday ride homes because there is almost always a stop in Old town for a drink.

[Author]

Posts