Wednesday Night Spins – Crystal City, every Wed. in March

[PotomacCyclist]

I saw this item in the latest Crystal City BID e-newsletter.

Wednesday Night Spins

When: Every Wednesday in March from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Location: 2345 Crystal Drive Parking Garage – G4 Level
Registration: Coming soon! Visit CrystalCity.org for updates.

The Crystal City Business Improvement District (BID) in partnership with Vornado/Charles E. Smith and Crosshairs Cycling will host an indoor bike race every Wednesday night in the month of March. With the weather and the local cycling race calendar, March is the perfect time for an indoor race and add to a racer’s pre-season training program. The course will be fast and fun for all abilities, providing great viewing and happy hour drinks in the Washington Wine Academy beer and wine garden. With weekly prizes for top finishers, competitors will also earn points toward being the best rider of the month.

– See more at: http://www.crystalcity.org/item/ride-walk-run-in-crystal-city#sthash.rTb7GYgI.dpuf

Topic

[jpetty1]

Update from Crosshairs about the next two weeks at the Crystal City Wednesday Night Spins.

“Quick announcement about the next two editions of Crystal City BID and Crosshairs Cycling’s Wednesday Night Spins. This week (Race #3) will be the final race for the Elite “A” race in the series. So if you want to experience 45 minutes of fun, and you’re one of the fast guys, tomorrow is your final chance.

For week four, March 25, the final race of the night (replacing the “A” race) will be the Fixed-Gear Finale. We’ve had a lot of requests for this field, so we’re giving the people what they want. One gear, no freewheels, for that race only. If that’s not your thing, I hear you! But still, ride out, have a beer, and watch what should be an entertaining race.

Registration for all races is here: https://www.bikereg.com/crystal-citywednesday-night-sprints

If you’re thinking about jumping into the beginner “C” race, it is almost sold out for tomorrow night.

-Bill”

[Arlingtonrider]

It sounds like this Wednesday’s final garage races will be even more fun than usual! They’re now planning a “Tandem, Cargo and Bikeshare Showdown” in addition to the B and C races and the Fixed Gear Finale.

Registration is still open for all but the C races. These are really fun events to watch, and those who have raced say that they’re very fun to participate in too. Admission to watch is free.

The races are held in the bottom levels of the garage at 2345 Crystal Drive from roughly 6 to 8 pm, and beer and Sol Schott’s awesome Acme pies (by the slice or whole) are sold at the event.

If watching, you may want to bring an additional layer to wear as it is sometimes a little cool in the lower levels of the garage, although it hasn’t been as cold as it was the first couple of times.

[Tim Kelley]

@Arlingtonrider 112007 wrote:

It sounds like this Wednesday’s final garage races will be even more fun than usual! They’re now planning a “Tandem, Cargo and Bikeshare Showdown” in addition to the B and C races and the Fixed Gear Finale.

This will be fun–I’ll be out there with the cargo bike!!

[Jason B]

@Tim Kelley 112045 wrote:

This will be fun–I’ll be out there with the cargo bike!!

EGAD! These were scary enough on my 17lb carbon. I can’t even imagine what it would be like on a 40lb hunk of steel…..wait a second, this could be fun. YEA, Rollerball baby. Bring on the Thunderdome!

[Tim Kelley]

@Jason B 112074 wrote:

EGAD! These were scary enough on my 17lb carbon. I can’t even imagine what it would be like on a 40lb hunk of steel…..wait a second, this could be fun. YEA, Rollerball baby. Bring on the Thunderdome!

It’s closer to 60 lbs, and it’s aluminium, thank you very much. See you there? Grab and Bikeshare bike and trade paint with me.

[Bruno Moore]

How far’s the nearest CaBi station from the garage, and would I be able to grab a bike, race it, and have it back in the dock within 30 minutes and in time to run back downstairs for the podium photos?

[jpetty1]

The closest station is right outside the garage entrance located at 23rd Street S. & Crystal Drive. The race is scheduled for 20 minutes so riders will be cutting it close to dock it within the 30 minutes.

[Sunyata]

@jpetty1 112139 wrote:

The closest station is right outside the garage entrance located at 23rd Street S. & Crystal Drive. The race is scheduled for 20 minutes so riders will be cutting it close to dock it within the 30 minutes.

Maybe the race organizers should have a rule that each participant must dock once within the race? Or perhaps have a Le Mans-style start where the participants have to run to the dock, check out the bike, and ride back up to the course? 😎

[Arlingtonrider]

I don’t think anyone should sweat this. I havent checked recently, but I think the first extra half hour is about $1.50 or so.

[kwarkentien]

@Arlingtonrider 112178 wrote:

I don’t think anyone should sweat this. I havent checked recently, but I think the first extra half hour is about $1.50 or so.

Here are the overage costs:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8166[/ATTACH]

Isn’t really an issue until you start to amass several hours worth of charges.

[PotomacCyclist]

But what if some people here want to do a 24 Hours of LeMans CaBi race? (Not me, but others.)

[PotomacCyclist]

Are the CaBi bikes 60 lbs.? That seems about right, but I’ve always wondered what the exact weight is. I know they are heavy. I tried rolling it up once on the side of the steps of the Four Mile Run temporary access path. Didn’t go too well.

[PotomacCyclist]

@Arlingtonrider 112007 wrote:

It sounds like this Wednesday’s final garage races will be even more fun than usual! They’re now planning a “Tandem, Cargo and Bikeshare Showdown” in addition to the B and C races and the Fixed Gear Finale.

The words “Tandem, Cargo and Bikeshare Showdown” remind me of Tonto, Tarzan and Frankenstein singing, for some reason.

[video]https://screen.yahoo.com/seasons-greeting-tarzan-tonto-frankenstein-000000685.html[/video]

P.S. I say this as a Bikeshare fan. Most of my rides are on CaBi.

[Tim Kelley]

@PotomacCyclist 112236 wrote:

Are the CaBi bikes 60 lbs.? That seems about right, but I’ve always wondered what the exact weight is. I know they are heavy. I tried rolling it up once on the side of the steps of the Four Mile Run temporary access path. Didn’t go too well.

I think they come out to be about 45 pounds.

[Tim Kelley]

Getting rad on the cargo bikes:

[ATTACH=CONFIG]8172[/ATTACH]

UNITED STATES: MARCH 25, 2015: Crystal City Wednesday Night Spins bicycle race at 2345 Crystal Drive Parking Garage, Arlington Virginia. The race is held every Wednesday night in the underground parking deck and is open to the general public to watch and to race. (Photo by Douglas Graham / WLP)

[Author]

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