Strava Ride Art

[Fast Friendly Guy]

Hey! The Circus Left Town Without Me!
Date: Feb 22. 2014
Strava Ride URL http://www.strava.com/activities/115329046

Miles: Drawing Only: 21.1 miles
Miles: Full Ride: 34.3

Just think, I used to be content to ride to Mt Vernon or Leesburg on a nice weekend day! Before STRAVA ride art, I used to draw on nice flat paper, so it’s always a surprise when I find the roads in my drawing are HILLY! Three separate times I learned that what I thought were alleys turned out to be long flights of concrete steps, and those were easy compared to the uphill pedaling!. When am I going to learn that roads with names like “Ridge” “Summit”, “Overlook” “Crest” or any name with the word ”Mount” are going to involve climbs?!

[vvill]

I rode this route today. It’s based on the “red dragon” of Welsh mythology.

Designed it some time ago but didn’t have a chance to ride it until today, when the conditions were perfect. I took one wrong turn and had to make a slight adaptation for it (once I realized where I actually was) to avoid overlapping, but it worked out okay in the end. You can tell the hind claws don’t look as originally planned.

I printed the map with the route on it from ridewithgps on two sheets of letter paper, folded them up and stuck them in my front pocket (Club Ride jersey) as I tend to work better with full maps than directions. All in all, it was much more fun than any sort of recovery ride I would’ve been doing, and having ridden maybe 60-80% of the roads below (and knowing a lot of them very well from my commutes) it was easier than I expected.

[Fast Friendly Guy]

@vvill 78091 wrote:

I rode this route today. It’s based on the “red dragon” of Welsh mythology.

Designed it some time ago but didn’t have a chance to ride it until today, when the conditions were perfect. I took one wrong turn and had to make a slight adaptation for it (once I realized where I actually was) to avoid overlapping, but it worked out okay in the end. You can tell the hind claws don’t look as originally planned.

I printed the map with the route on it from ridewithgps on two sheets of letter paper, folded them up and stuck them in my front pocket (Club Ride jersey) as I tend to work better with full maps than directions. All in all, it was much more fun than any sort of recovery ride I would’ve been doing, and having ridden maybe 60-80% of the roads below (and knowing a lot of them very well from my commutes) it was easier than I expected.

Will,
Whoa! Your Strava ride art masterpiece is one of the best! I hope you keep on creating. I use ride with GPS to compose also. That ‘rubber band’ route editing tool, set to follow roads, is a great feature! I knew you were up to something big, and I’m glad to see it turn out so well. Kudos

[Fast Friendly Guy]

Today My Voice is a Little Horse
Date: Feb 23. 2014

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME~1/David/LOCALS~1/Temp/msohtmlclip1/01/clip_image002.jpg[/IMG]
Strava Ride URL http://www.strava.com/activities/115630804

Miles: Drawing Only: 33.8 miles
Miles: Full Ride: 53.9 miles

Rode with KLizotte for entire drawing. Kathy you were great on the ride today as we cut through alleys, climbed stairs, and got lost (sort of) trying to find our way through the woods!

[eminva]

@Fast Friendly Guy 78073 wrote:

When am I going to learn that roads with names like “Ridge” “Summit”, “Overlook” “Crest” or any name with the word ”Mount” are going to involve climbs?!

You are right about that. At the end of my Capital Bikeshare illustration, I found myself in a neighborhood called “Spy Hill” — some Civil War connection, I assume. But the name sure fit.

@vvill 78091 wrote:

I took one wrong turn and had to make a slight adaptation for it (once I realized where I actually was) to avoid overlapping, but it worked out okay in the end. You can tell the hind claws don’t look as originally planned.

. . .

All in all, it was much more fun than any sort of recovery ride I would’ve been doing, and having ridden maybe 60-80% of the roads below (and knowing a lot of them very well from my commutes) it was easier than I expected.

Very good, vvill! This is why everyone should try this — to figure out how you recover from a mistake after a lot of painstaking work. I don’t think it is ever as bad as you expect but you never know until you upload. I am impressed you only made one. On my CaBi illustration, I stayed on Four Mile Run way too long which gives the rear wheel a “tail” at about 4 o’clock. But it worked out okay because it just looks like part of the chainstay/chain structure (and I couldn’t ride through a ball field as planned to complete the chainstay due to mud/ice/snow).

It is also fun to explore roads and neighborhoods you might be less familiar with. There are a lot of dog walkers in Arlington. And they probably all think I’m nuts.

Liz

[vvill]

@eminva 78115 wrote:

I am impressed you only made one.

Thanks, yeah, “this is easier than I thought”: that was probably the exact thought in my head at the point where I turned too early! Ah, complacency. And the difference between 26th and 27th St. I had designed my route so that I knew most of the roads pretty well, and some of them really well – especially around the dragon “head” (which looks a bit too canine to me). That said, the rear feet was the area I’d anticipated to have the most problems.

And yes! Exploring neighbourhoods: definitely one of the fun parts of this, although again I didn’t want to be riding through staring at a map in areas I didn’t know at all, so for me it was more backstreets I hadn’t turned down before.

I doubt I’ll do another one of these anytime soon, at least not solo. But I didn’t want to be awarding the FS Strava Art prize without at least participating!

[Fast Friendly Guy]

eminva, vvill,

You both have earned my admiration with your great drawings! Would you please consider posting images and a strava link in this thread?

Format:

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Title:
Date:
Image file showing the drawing
Strava Ride URL
Miles: Drawing Only
Miles: Full Ride
Comments, Explanation, Stories..

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[Fast Friendly Guy]

Strava Art ride by Dave P and Brad F.
Date: Mar 1. 2014

[ATTACH=CONFIG]4882[/ATTACH]Strava link http://www.strava.com/activities/117057077

Miles: Drawing Only: 19.6 miles
Miles: Full Ride: 72.3 miles
This ride was done together with Brad Fry, an accomplished cyclist, whose daily commute gave me the idea for this turtle. Our ride took us close to his office and down some busy main roads as well as quiet residential streets and lanes. We had to cut through the school grounds of Fallsmead Elementry, bushwhack down a steep ravine carrying our bikes and then make our way across a small river at Glenora Park. We had to ride/walk a circle through a complex of buildings to do the eye, skirt the outfield a baseball field at Monument Park for the right rear leg, and weave our way across a mall parking lot at Rockville Pike and Wooton Pkwy! Through all this Brad was a good sport and a valuable contributor to our artwork

[Fast Friendly Guy]

Title: Beam Me Up, Scotty
Date: March 2, 2014
[ATTACH=CONFIG]4885[/ATTACH]
http://www.strava.com/activities/117380484

Miles: Drawing Only = 15.6 miles
Miles: Full Ride = 33.3 miles
Comments, Explanation, Stories..
Cyndi Janetzko’s February 5, 2014 Strava Ride entitled, “Lunchtime CABI cruise” http://www.strava.com/activities/111362390 was my inspiration for this Strava art ride. Cyndi generously allowed me to have some fun with her ride/drawing. Thanks, Cyndi! I got started late, so I had to do most of this ride in the rain which started only one hour into my 3 hour ride. Yuck! Bigest problem with riding this drawing was the many obstacles in the way and the frustrating lack of roads where I needed them! I rode all the points in this drawing but I had to do a few GPS pauses to “beam” myself over Rock Creek Park, through the Verizon Center, and over I-395!

[Fast Friendly Guy]

Manta Ray!
Date: March 6. 2014
[ATTACH=CONFIG]4934[/ATTACH]

http://www.strava.com/activities/118287446

Miles: Drawing Only: 12.5 miles

Miles: Full Ride: 13.2 miles

The snow had melted just enough that I was ready for something more than a commuting ride. It was just a hair above freezing when I did this ride at lunch. I was wearing office clothes with a heavy jacket and gloves. After 10 minutes of hard riding, I got overheated and removed my jacket and gloves. My core was more comfortable, but I was already damp, so the wind cut through me and froze my hands! I didn’t want to stop and put it all back on, so I suffered all the way from Cherrydale to E Falls Church, where I relented and redonned my jacket and gloves, but I kept the jacket unzipped for the rest of the ride. My average speed was higher than for most drawings, because the navigation was simple with lots of long runs with no turns.

[Fast Friendly Guy]

Call or Text me 703-850-4433 if you’re game!
KLizotte, Moco_cyclist, and I have had a lot of fun making these Strava art rides so far, and I invite you to try it with me! I promise it will be unlike any usual ride you might do. As Brad so aptly put it, “It’s not a ride…it’s an adventure!” Plenty of unexpected obstacles, plus some fun miles! I have at least 4 drawings here to choose from each between 3-10 miles in length. We will do as many of these short drawings as we have time for and want to do. I’m starting in East Falls Church around 10 or 11 AM, if that works for you. We could start there, or if it’s closer for you, join me en route to Annandale, but call first to coordinate our rendezvous. The approach to Annandale and return to Arlington will be via ShawnoftheDread’s usual commute.

Samples:

The Lady
[ATTACH=CONFIG]4936[/ATTACH]

The Fluffy Pussycat (FYI, Dirt, it’s “fluffy”)
[ATTACH=CONFIG]4937[/ATTACH]
Others in waiting…..
The Fox….
The Jellyfish….(still needs a little work)
The playful monkey…

[americancyclo]

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Title: The accidental fish!
Date: 3/18/2014
[ATTACH=CONFIG]5001[/ATTACH]
http://www.strava.com/activities/121833546
Miles: 3.8
Miles: 3.8
Hey, it kinda looks like a fish!

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[Fast Friendly Guy]

What does this make you think of?…..Big floppy ears in Friendship Heights, cute button nose in Dalecarlia, front paws in the Palisades, hind legs thumping in Georgetown, and an adorable cotton tail that rings the VP’s mansion! A guaranteed adventure with a few happy surprises along the route.

Total drawing is a mere 19 miles (1311′ gain) i.e., no 70 mile Godzilla this! Start and finish in Georgetown; ride begins at 10:30 and ends between 12 and 1 with snack or pizza lunch (in Georgetown?) for anyone feeling hungry.

C’mon free that inner artist!
Speak up early if interested (PM me through the forum) on this ride there’s room for four besides me.

A few who might be interested (not limited to these)
Liz?
Kathy?
Will?
Steve?
Monica?
Alex?
Sarah
Karen Smith?

[consularrider]

So many conflicting ride possibilities on Saturday morning!

[KLizotte]

Keeping my fingers crossed my bike won’t be in the shop this wknd for repair. It’s making a weird noise….

[Author]

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