Tuesday Freshbikes (fka Conte’s) Arlington Hill Ride is back

[Mark Blacknell]

From Squadra Coppi:

Starting this Tuesday, April 17th, the Arlington hill ride at Freshbikes (formerly Conte’s) is back! Please join us for riding, BBQs, happy hours, and Strava competitions throughout the season. With hundreds of riders showing up each week, this has become one of the largest group rides in the country.

Ride Time: 6:30pm at Mosaic Park, Google Map. Just down the street from Freshbikes
A ride: The A ride is a series of 4-5 hill sprints with some regrouping at the end of each sprint point. This is a drop-ride with no sweep. Cue sheet available soon on the Freshbikes website Event Page.
B ride: The B ride is a single loop with plenty of climbing, but no sprint points. The ride does not regroup, but there is a sweep at the back of the ride. With hundreds of participants, there will be a group that’s right for every pace. Cue sheet available soon on the Event Page.
Safety: During the ride, all riders must obey traffic signs and lights and try to minimize any negative feedback from the neighborhoods and vehicular traffic with respect to blocking traffic, annoying pedestrians., etc. Riders engaging in dangerous or careless behavior will be excluded from the ride. There will be a police escort most weeks. Helmet required. Flat tire kit strongly suggested. Front and rear light strongly recommended in the latter part of the season, or for anyone attending happy hour.
Monthly BBQ: The BBQs are also back on the 1st Tuesday of every month (May 1st, June 5th, July 3rd, August 7th, September 4th). After the ride, go to the bike shop parking lot for adult beverages and a free BBQ catered by Baja Fresh, courtesy of Freshbikes.
NEW Vapiano Mountain Challenge: Squadra Coppi’s new title sponsor has stepped up to provide prizes for a Strava competition on the third Tuesday of every month (May 15, June 19th, July 17th, August 21st ). Various prizes will be awarded on site for KOMs and QOMs. Free appetizers for participants. More details to follow.
Vapiano Happy Hour: On all the dates when there is not a BBQ, there will be a happy hour at Vapiano following the ride. 4401 Wilson Blvd. Drink and food specials for cyclists. We reserve the outdoor patio, where you can drink within sight of your bike.
Freshbikes Service: The shop mechanics will do their best to meet last minute service requests but it is very busy before each ride, so please come early and understand that there are often .
Weather: The event is rain or shine, but canceled in the event of lightning or heavy downpour.

On behalf of Squadra Coppi, thank you to Freshbikes, Vapiano and Arlington county police for putting so much effort into a great series of training rides.

Topic

[Mark Blacknell]

Me, Megabeth, Dave, Tim and some others are rolling tonight, but will probably roll early – 6:30. Welcome to join. Either way, watch for all the pavement work on Quincy. If I were rolling with the big group on that, I’d stay at the very front or very very back.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Bilsko 58759 wrote:

Reviving a long-sleeping thread. Is anyone riding tonight’s FB Tuesday-night ride? I’ve got a buddy going and was thinking of riding too.

I’ll be there (wearing my BA jersey) unless some crisis happens between now and then. I usually try to keep toward the front, as shenanigans seem to increase toward the back of the group. The cool kids start at 630 to mitigate this problem, but I don’t yet feel worthy to try and hang with them, so I continue to ride with the unwashed masses.

[Bilsko]

@TwoWheelsDC 58761 wrote:

I’ll be there (wearing my BA jersey) unless some crisis happens between now and then. I usually try to keep toward the front, as shenanigans seem to increase toward the back of the group. The cool kids start at 630 to mitigate this problem, but I don’t yet feel worthy to try and hang with them, so I continue to ride with the unwashed masses.

Shenanigans at the back? I would think all the racers would be gunning for position up at the front.
I’d try to get there early,but not sure I can do 630

[Bilsko]

@Mark Blacknell 58760 wrote:

Me, Megabeth, Dave, Tim and some others are rolling tonight, but will probably roll early – 6:30. Welcome to join. Either way, watch for all the pavement work on Quincy. If I were rolling with the big group on that, I’d stay at the very front or very very back.

OK – sounds like 6:30 is the way to go. Will try my best to get to the shop by then, but if you don’t see me there at 6:30 +/- 5 minutes, then don’t wait.

[83b]

I’ve never done this ride, but someone from work (who strong-armed me into doing the Culpeper century in October!) extended a general invite to join him on it sometime. What sort of a pace do the various factions within the group keep? And what sort of “shenanigans” should I be on the lookout for toward the back of the pack? Not DC Bike Party type foolishness I take it…

[Tim Kelley]

@83(b) 58765 wrote:

I’ve never done this ride, but someone from work (who strong-armed me into doing the Culpeper century in October!) extended a general invite to join him on it sometime. What sort of a pace do the various factions within the group keep? And what sort of “shenanigans” should I be on the lookout for toward the back of the pack? Not DC Bike Party type foolishness I take it…

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But seriously, there are a lot of inexperienced group riders at the back. For that matter there are plenty of inexperienced group riders at the front too…

Just don’t overlap wheels with anyone and watch out for people dodging potholes and you should be okay.

Pacing ranges from a consistently 22-23 at the front and probably drops to about 14 at the back.

[Bilsko]

@Tim Kelley 58767 wrote:

Triathletes! Triathletes everywhere!

But seriously, there are a lot of inexperienced group riders at the back. For that matter there are plenty of inexperienced group riders at the front too…

Just don’t overlap wheels with anyone and watch out for people dodging potholes and you should be okay.

Pacing ranges from a consistently 22-23 at the front and probably drops to about 14 at the back.

6:30 it is, then.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Bilsko 58762 wrote:

Shenanigans at the back? I would think all the racers would be gunning for position up at the front.
I’d try to get there early,but not sure I can do 630

Eh, the racers aren’t really the biggest problem…it’s folks who can’t hold their line (particularly the tri-bike riders), don’t maintain an even pace, make stupid passes, don’t call obstacles, etc…I think it may be more accurate to say that this happens in the middle of the pack more than anything. Being way up front, or way in back it’s much easier to avoid.

[83b]

Ahhh!

“Like a spitting cobra, a triathlete can fell a victim from a distance as great as a full bike length. This means if you can see a triathlete at all, you’re too close to him.” — BSNYC

[dasgeh]

We still have lots of tomatoes. Roll by on your way back if you’d like some. Or if you’d like some thrown at you.

Turn left onto 20th St N (the first street after Lee) and look for the house that reminds you of that song “one of these things is not like the other”.

[Tim Kelley]

@dasgeh 58775 wrote:

We still have lots of tomatoes. Roll by on your way back if you’d like some. Or if you’d like some thrown at you.

Turn left onto 20th St N (the first street after Lee) and look for the house that reminds you of that song “one of these things is not like the other”.

I’ll come by with my new helmet!

[DaveK]

@Tim Kelley 58776 wrote:

I’ll come by with my new helmet!

Remember all – don’t look directly at it.

TWDC – you are totally 6:30 material.

[Vicegrip]

I’m in for tonight. My guys from work velo club all bailed out. Feel bad for the young’uns seems they can’t take the heat and it is not even all that hot.

[KelOnWheels]

@83(b) 58774 wrote:

Ahhh!

“Like a spitting cobra, a triathlete can fell a victim from a distance as great as a full bike length. This means if you can see a triathlete at all, you’re too close to him.” — BSNYC

Also dudes smoking while riding skateboards in the Penn Ave cycle track. At least he apologized after I yelled “DUDE! You just SPIT on me!” Then he shoaled me.

[Megabeth]

@Tim Kelley 58776 wrote:

I’ll come by with my new helmet!

To which we all start singing the Mario Brothers song…

Dasgeh – THANK YOU for the ‘maters. Were delivered by the Mr. Timothy and much appreciated! (I was unawares of the “stop by” offer so I ended at FB and then rolled home…)

[Author]

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