WABA Sweet Ride and Shindig – June 15th

[Steve O]

@Judd 190743 wrote:

Because I think you’re all rad, if you use promo code Judd2019! when you register, you’ll get $10 off your registration. If you want to use some of that sweet savings to buy me a beer, that would be cool.

Come on the Bicycle Fan Club ride and I’ll use the savings to buy you 2/3rds of a beer.

[Judd]

Draft routes are now available for the Sweet Ride and Shindig at waba.org/sweet Our very own Komorebi created the routes and found some great pit stop locations. The 5 and 15 mile routes are designed to be low stress and family friendly. The 30 mile and 50 mile routes add some more road riding and climbing.

The fine folks at Bike Arlington are lending us their giant Jenga and giant Connect Four set for the block party as well as some of their neat bike coloring books if you’re bringing your little ones. Lots of other great things in the works that I’ll share as soon as they’re finalized.

You’ve still got an opportunity to save on your registration when you use the promo code JUDD2019! when you register. (all caps and includes the exclamation point)

[dasgeh]

@Judd 190941 wrote:

Draft routes are now available for the Sweet Ride and Shindig at waba.org/sweet Our very own Komorebi created the routes and found some great pit stop locations. The 5 and 15 mile routes are designed to be low stress and family friendly. The 30 mile and 50 mile routes add some more road riding and climbing.

Thanks for the routes. Are you all taking feedback on them? For example, that switch back to get from the FMR trail to Potomac Ave is not cargo bike friendly.

[smb9600]

I will be looking for my 2/3 beer on Sunday. Thank you

[smb9600]

@Steve O 190763 wrote:

Come on the Bicycle Fan Club ride and I’ll use the savings to buy you 2/3rds of a beer.

I am expecting payment of 2/3 beer in full Sunday.

[komorebi]

@Judd 190941 wrote:

Our very own Komorebi created the routes and found some great pit stop locations. The 5 and 15 mile routes are designed to be low stress and family friendly. The 30 mile and 50 mile routes add some more road riding and climbing.

I should add — all of the draft routes use bike infrastructure that members of this forum have championed, advocated for, and helped make safe for others. So come check out how your efforts have borne fruit in projects like the restored trails on either side of Four Mile Run, the Eads St. protected bike lanes, the Potomac Yard Trail, the bike lanes on King and Cameron Streets in Alexandria, and the bike lanes on Quincy and Veitch Streets in Arlington.

Also, if you don’t know where this cool piece of chainsaw art is, that’s all the more reason to sign up for the 50-mile ride:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]20098[/ATTACH]

[komorebi]

@dasgeh 190949 wrote:

Thanks for the routes. Are you all taking feedback on them? For example, that switch back to get from the FMR trail to Potomac Ave is not cargo bike friendly.

Sure, I’m happy to collect feedback and send it to WABA. Sooner would be better than later, though, because WABA would like to finalize the routes at least a week before the event. Thanks.

[Judd]

@komorebi 190962 wrote:

Sure, I’m happy to collect feedback and send it to WABA. Sooner would be better than later, though, because WABA would like to finalize the routes at least a week before the event. Thanks.

All of the routes are going to get pre-rides to identify any issues. The zig zag is indeed tough for any bike. I don’t think I’d be able to get a cargo or long tail through there.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[dasgeh]

@Judd 190963 wrote:

All of the routes are going to get pre-rides to identify any issues. The zig zag is indeed tough for any bike. I don’t think I’d be able to get a cargo or long tail through there.

Issues that jump out at me:
0. The Mt Vernon Ave Bridge is under construction. Have you confirmed how the rides will cross & that it’s family friendly? (5 mile)
1. The zig zag is just not possible for a bakfiets. It really shouldn’t be on any family ride route. (5 mile, and maybe 15 mile)
1.5. If you want/need to add length to the 5 mile ride, the Long Bridge Park Esplanade is just lovely for a family ride. But I would not drop down to the street — I would out and back on the Esplanade. (5 mile)
2. After the Ballston pit stop, I’d consider routing people south to 5th Street, then taking that to Quincy, so people can see the protected part of Quincy, which WABA pushed for. (30, 50 mile)
3. That section of Lorcom to Old Dominion/29 to Old Dominion is pretty high stress. You can stay in the neighborhood and avoid all of that. (30 mile)
4. I would take Military to Nelly Custis to Lorcom (instead of Military to Lorcom — it’s just more pleasant. The Military/Lorcom intersection is really annoying with a really annoying light and you have to stop on a steep kicker). (30, 50 mile)
5. By Mom’s, I’m not sure why you wouldn’t take the exit from the trail at McCoy park, instead of hooking around at the sidewalk. The curb cut at Uhle on that sidewalk sucks. (30, 50 mile)
6. After Mom’s, the route turns onto Key Blvd to get to Rhodes — that’s not the bike boulevard part of Key, that’s the apartment parking lot part of Key, and it’s not great. All the cool kids stay on Veitch, which turns into 15th (and passes some new stuff at Courthouse, where the Arlington BAC meetings are) to get to Rhodes. (30, 50 mile)
7. I understand wanting to use trails, and the W&OD, FMR & Custis will have people, but probably not be crowded. The MVT, on the other hand, will likely be crowded. I have taken smaller rides on the MVT, and it’s been an issue. Instead, I would use the 27 Trail to get from Columbia Island to Boundary Channel Drive (the Pentagon). (30, 50 mile).

-Gillian “I’ve been planning & leading family friendly rides around Arlington for 7 years” Burgess

[komorebi]

Thanks for the feedback, dasgeh. I’ll pass it along to WABA. Some responses/questions below.

@dasgeh 190966 wrote:

0. The Mt Vernon Ave Bridge is under construction. Have you confirmed how the rides will cross & that it’s family friendly? (5 mile)

The next bridge to the west, on Glebe Ave, is under construction. But the Mt Vernon Ave bridge was construction-free when I rode through last week. Is there a new project on the Mt Vernon Ave bridge that I’m not aware of? The bridge is admittedly very narrow, and I’ve recommended that WABA give some thought into how they stagger the timing of the different rides to avoid conflicts.

@dasgeh 190966 wrote:

4. I would take Military to Nelly Custis to Lorcom (instead of Military to Lorcom — it’s just more pleasant. The Military/Lorcom intersection is really annoying with a really annoying light and you have to stop on a steep kicker). (30, 50 mile)

On a typical Saturday afternoon, how is the traffic if you’re trying to turn left from Nelly Custis onto Lorcom? I’ve gotten stuck there in the past waiting to make that turn, because of the amount of Lorcom traffic in both directions. The hill leading up to Military/Lorcom sucks, but at least there’s a left turn lane to wait in and you’ll get the light eventually. That seemed to me to be the lesser of two evils.

@dasgeh 190966 wrote:

7. I understand wanting to use trails, and the W&OD, FMR & Custis will have people, but probably not be crowded. The MVT, on the other hand, will likely be crowded. I have taken smaller rides on the MVT, and it’s been an issue. Instead, I would use the 27 Trail to get from Columbia Island to Boundary Channel Drive (the Pentagon). (30, 50 mile).

I also strongly prefer not to use the MVT for group rides, but I recommended an exception in this case because (1) this is an open section of the MVT, without any blind curves; (2) using this section of the MVT avoids some of the dangerous highway-ramp crossings on the Route 27 trail, including the one that requires people to make a sharp right on a narrow platform or risk tumbling down a steep hill; and (3) thisÂ’ll show people how to ride the MVT-LBJ-Pentagon connector, which is a useful route to know about.

[CaseyKane50]

@komorebi 190979 wrote:

Thanks for the feedback, dasgeh. I’ll pass it along to WABA. Some responses/questions below.

0. The Mt Vernon Ave Bridge is under construction. Have you confirmed how the rides will cross & that it’s family friendly? (5 mile)

The next bridge to the west, on Glebe Ave, is under construction. But the Mt Vernon Ave bridge was construction-free when I rode through last week. Is there a new project on the Mt Vernon Ave bridge that I’m not aware of? The bridge is admittedly very narrow, and I’ve recommended that WABA give some thought into how they stagger the timing of the different rides to avoid conflicts.

The construction on the Mount Vernon Avenue Bridge impacts the west side sidewalk. The sidewalk on the east side is open and is not currently planned to be closed.

[consularrider]

@Judd 190743 wrote:

WABA has a brand new signature ride and it’s in Virginia! Join me on June 15th for the Sweet Ride and Shindig!

This event has something for everyone with four routes ranging from 5 miles to 50 miles. The 5 mile route will be safe for your kiddos to ride and children 12 and under can ride for free.

The ride will begin and end at the Grounds in Pentagon City which is across from the Whole Foods. The after ride party is called the Shindig and will be a free block party open to anyone. There will be live music, games, food trucks and beer.

To sign up to ride, visit waba.org/sweet

Because I think you’re all rad, if you use promo code Judd2019! when you register, you’ll get $10 off your registration. If you want to use some of that sweet savings to buy me a beer, that would be cool.

Who’s in?

Sorry, my flight that day doesn’t land until 13:45 at Dulles.

[Judd]

@consularrider 190995 wrote:

Sorry, my flight that day doesn’t land until 13:45 at Dulles.

Booooooooo!

[dasgeh]

@komorebi 190979 wrote:

Thanks for the feedback, dasgeh. I’ll pass it along to WABA. Some responses/questions below.

The next bridge to the west, on Glebe Ave, is under construction. But the Mt Vernon Ave bridge was construction-free when I rode through last week. Is there a new project on the Mt Vernon Ave bridge that I’m not aware of? The bridge is admittedly very narrow, and I’ve recommended that WABA give some thought into how they stagger the timing of the different rides to avoid conflicts.

See Casey’s note — there is definitely something going on with Mt Vernon Ave. It sounds like the east side is open, but I strongly recommend talking to DES to make sure they don’t make changes that impact the ride.

@komorebi 190979 wrote:

On a typical Saturday afternoon, how is the traffic if you’re trying to turn left from Nelly Custis onto Lorcom? I’ve gotten stuck there in the past waiting to make that turn, because of the amount of Lorcom traffic in both directions. The hill leading up to Military/Lorcom sucks, but at least there’s a left turn lane to wait in and you’ll get the light eventually. That seemed to me to be the lesser of two evils.

At Military and Lorcom, the left turn lane doesn’t get a protected light. I live less than half a mile away, and I would take Nelly Custis. There’s also a crosswalk, and I’ve moved over to it to get a break in traffic when necessary.

@komorebi 190979 wrote:

I also strongly prefer not to use the MVT for group rides, but I recommended an exception in this case because (1) this is an open section of the MVT, without any blind curves; (2) using this section of the MVT avoids some of the dangerous highway-ramp crossings on the Route 27 trail, including the one that requires people to make a sharp right on a narrow platform or risk tumbling down a steep hill; and (3) thisÂ’ll show people how to ride the MVT-LBJ-Pentagon connector, which is a useful route to know about.

I’ve done led group rides on this stretch of the MVT, and recommend against it. Your route also has highway crossings – unfortunately, they are a fact of life in that party of the County. I find the 27 trail a much more useful connector than the LBJ connector, because 27 is so much shorter.

[Emm]

@dasgeh 191084 wrote:

See Casey’s note — there is definitely something going on with Mt Vernon Ave. It sounds like the east side is open, but I strongly recommend talking to DES to make sure they don’t make changes that impact the ride.

I ride this section every day. It’s completely open on the east side, and it will stay open since the deterioration does not affect that side. They’ve installed numerous, semi-permanent signs directing people to the east side.

They’ve confirmed that the east side will remain open via press releases, notes to citizens associations, and notes to other affected parties numerous times since the issue was discovered a few months ago. They will NOT be closing the east sidewalk unless something unexpected and catastrophic happens, since it’s a VERY important crossing for bikes and pedestrians in the area.

Since I live close by I’ve paid very close attention to this issue since this bridge, and the one just north where both sidewalks are closed, are on my commute.

https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/four-mile-run-bridge-west-sidewalk-closed/

https://www.arlnow.com/2019/01/15/safety-concerns-prompt-sidewalk-closure-on-four-mile-run-bridge-to-alexandria/

[Author]

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