Pointless Prize: Freezing Saddles Gives Back

[Judd]

@Mtansill 213628 wrote:

From the Proteus Velo Club/Greenbelt:

Hi, Jeff L here. Instead of Monday lunch laps in the Greenbelt Park, I’m going to do a ride from about 11am-2pm on Monday MLK day to scout, and, if needed, clear snow and ice from some of the trouble spots on the Anacostia River Trail System in Prince George’s County. I’m assuming we will get 2-4 inches of new snow and slop on top of the existing snow- and ice-covered bridges that will need to be cleared, and I want to clear that before the next deep freeze turns it into glacier. My main objectives are the known trouble spots: wood bridges, the sidewalk by Charles Armentrout Road, boardwalks, etc. Not trying to plow the entire trail system — the sun and the still-high trail surface temps will take care of the main sections of trail, and the cities do plow many parts of the trolley trail.

MEETUP: 11am, Proteus Bicycles parking lot (the bike shop is closed on Mondays). Probably rolling around 11:15 to 11:30 depending on coffee (see below under RSVP)
ROUTE: South on the College Park/Hyattsville trolley trail to the NW Branch trail, then south on the ART to the boardwalk past the Bladenburg Marina, then turnaround north on ART and NE Branch trails back to College Park.
DISTANCE: Total of about 20 miles RT, with frequent (I’m assuming) stops to clear snow on bridges and other trouble spots.
BRING?: A shovel! Not necessary if you just want to ride, and I will try to bring two. But there will lots of shovel stops if it snows several inches. If it turns out that we don’t get additional snow, we can just stop at the few remaining trouble spots that currently exist, particularly the boardwalk at Bladensburg, the wood bridges on the NE Branch, and (possibly) the new boardwalk section on the Indian Creek trail in Greenbelt. If it turns out that the snow changes to all rain and washes away even the existing trouble spots, then we can leave the shovels at Proteus and just have a nice ride!
RIDE: If it’s snowy on the trails, a mountain bike or street bike with wider tires and some tread will be better than a road bike with slicks.
RSVP: Not necessary, but if you can let me know you’re coming here on this thread or at Strava (jeff lemieux) If enough people come out, Annie may open the Proteus Brews coffee shop for us at 11 for pre-ride hot beverages.
WEATHER: I’m hoping it will be above freezing by 11am on Monday, but it will be pretty cold and could get breezy later in the day. Bring an extra layer just in case!
TEAMS: All teams welcome!
NOTE: If you’ve never taken a shovel on a bike, it’s fun and exciting! Some can fit scoop side first in a large pannier, or can be strapped to a backpack. I don’t recommend the one-handed carry while riding, particularly if the trails are snowy or slushy. A good idea to test your system in a safe place beforehand.
-Jeff

NOTE FOR JUDD: Will participating in this event count towards receiving any bonus points?

MEGA BONUS POINTS are available for anyone who participates in this event.

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[kmrice]

Picked up a box springs and bed frame from a donor for Arlingtonians helping Afghans— an ad hoc group finding and furnishing apartments for recent refugees. No bike, because. . . A truck was needed. Stating the obvious, I’m not very good at selfie’s[emoji2957]

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[Judd]

MEGA ULTRA POINT OPPORTUNITY!

Donate blood and save a life. Anyone who rides their bike to donate blood in the month of January will receive 50 points, which would instantly put you near the top of the leaderboard. If you’re unable to donate blood (I’m not eligible because I lived in England and am full of mad cow disease) I’ll award 30 points if you donate $30 to the American Red Cross (or another blood service) in the month of January and post proof of donation.

[Gina]

@Judd 213955 wrote:

MEGA ULTRA POINT OPPORTUNITY!

Donate blood and save a life. Anyone who rides their bike to donate blood in the month of January will receive 50 points, which would instantly put you near the top of the leaderboard. If you’re unable to donate blood (I’m not eligible because I lived in England and am full of mad cow disease) I’ll award 30 points if you donate $30 to the American Red Cross (or another blood service) in the month of January and post proof of donation.

Would a blood donation on 1/13 count? I rode my bike there but didn’t take a photo. But I did get this hat!

[Mtansill]

Sorry for the late posting. We lost our internet for a couple of days and then work was busy.

On MLK Jr Day I joined the Proteus Velo Club (College Park, MD) in shoveling some of the local and not-as-local trails after that last storm. We started at Proteus. First we went south on the Trolley Trail, which is a backbone for bicycle commuters and users of all types in our community. We cleared the snow and slush that the plows had left in 7 intersections along this trail. Then we headed further south to Bladensburg and the ART. I personally cleared the straight wooden bridge that you see in the photos here, and the three of us then cleared the very long, twisting, wooden boardwalk so that there was at least one good-sized lane along the entire length.

Afterwards, I ate some dumplings and remembered the awesome Chinese New Year ride that Komorebi organized a couple of years ago.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26397[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]26398[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]26399[/ATTACH]
Last photo was by Greenbelt.

[Sophie CW]

Volunteering at the Rockville Bike Hub again:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]26543[/ATTACH]

[Gina]

I joined the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail today to pick up trash and clear invasive vegetation near the 14th street bridge

[Judd]

20 Mega Bonus Points have been awarded for snow clearing. Excellent job with pandering by clearing an access point to the Mount Vernon Trail.

@Boomer2U 213504 wrote:

Any Mega Volunteer points laying around between snow storms for good deeds that facilitate access to the next Mega Volunteer event?

After

Before (but after I already started and remembered “oops” need a pic!:-0).
Sent from Boomer_Cycles via my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Judd]

10 Points for volunteering with a bike organization. 5 Bonus Points for learning a new skill!

@Sophie CW 213622 wrote:

Weekly volunteering at the Rockville Bike Hub:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]26049[/ATTACH]
I learned how to change out a worn free wheel cassette today.

[Judd]

5 Points for volunteering for Arlingtonians Helping Afghans! 5 Bonus Points to encourage you to continue working on your selfie skills. Reminds me of LordoftheMark’s early selfie work.

@kmrice 213699 wrote:

Picked up a box springs and bed frame from a donor for Arlingtonians helping Afghans— an ad hoc group finding and furnishing apartments for recent refugees. No bike, because. . . A truck was needed. Stating the obvious, I’m not very good at selfie’s[emoji2957]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Judd]

I’m counting it! 50 Points for donating blood. 5 bonus points if you wear the beanie to the next FoMVT event.

@Gina 214053 wrote:

Would a blood donation on 1/13 count? I rode my bike there but didn’t take a photo. But I did get this hat!

[Judd]

20 Points for clearing snow with a 2X MLK multiplier equals 40 points. 5 bonus points for name dropping Komorebi and her upcoming Chinese New Year Ride. 45 points!

@Mtansill 214233 wrote:

Sorry for the late posting. We lost our internet for a couple of days and then work was busy.

On MLK Jr Day I joined the Proteus Velo Club (College Park, MD) in shoveling some of the local and not-as-local trails after that last storm. We started at Proteus. First we went south on the Trolley Trail, which is a backbone for bicycle commuters and users of all types in our community. We cleared the snow and slush that the plows had left in 7 intersections along this trail. Then we headed further south to Bladensburg and the ART. I personally cleared the straight wooden bridge that you see in the photos here, and the three of us then cleared the very long, twisting, wooden boardwalk so that there was at least one good-sized lane along the entire length.

Afterwards, I ate some dumplings and remembered the awesome Chinese New Year ride that Komorebi organized a couple of years ago.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]26397[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]26398[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]26399[/ATTACH]
Last photo was by Greenbelt.

[Judd]

10 Points for bike volunteering. 5 bonus points for the sweet upside down picture. 15 points!

@Sophie CW 214376 wrote:

Volunteering at the Rockville Bike Hub again:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]26543[/ATTACH]

[Judd]

10 points for volunteering with the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail!

@Gina 214427 wrote:

I joined the Friends of the Mount Vernon Trail today to pick up trash and clear invasive vegetation near the 14th street bridge

[Judd]

Gina has moved into the lead, but it’s still anyone’s game. Mega points are still available for the next week for donating blood or donating some bucks to a blood service organization.

Player Total Points
Gina 90
Boomer2U 70
Komorebi 55
kmrice 45
Mtansill 45
Sophie CW 40
CaseyKane 35
Sfrank 25
lordofthemark 10

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