[5555624]

They are not closing Wright Gate to cyclists at 6:00 p.m. — they are closing the gate to visitors. (If you have a DoD ID (CAC), you can still use the Wright Gate until 11:00 p.m.) They are not singling out cyclists. Whether you are on a bike or in a car, if you are a visitor, they have to record your information — that takes longer than simply waving you through, if you have a DoD ID.

A lot of military installations require ALL visitors to report to a visitor/pass office, which would make cycling through one on a commute a real pain. The problem with using a route through a military installation is that access can be limited or eliminated at any time, without notice, for drills, exercises, threat levels, emergencies, etc. (Which is one reason I’ve never cut through Fort Myer, even for around eight years when my commute took me from S 2nd St down to Columbia Pike, past the Pentagon, and up to Memorial Bridge — checking a traffic report before leaving lets me know if a street is closed, but it doesn’t tell me if a gate/base is closed.)

[5555624]

I’ve been commuting to the Navy Yard for more than 14 years. Admittedly, I do ride in earlier than everyone else here, but I always take M Street. (Even if I ride in later than usual, I take M Street.) The lights are the real problem. If you’re comfortable riding in traffic, the only spots that can be tricky — at whatever hour you’re riding in — would be 4th Street SW (Fort McNair) and S Capitol St, since both have lots of cars turning right.

Commuting back to Virginia, I follow the same route in reverse. (Sometimes, such as during the Cherry Blossom Festival, I’ll take the Case Bridge.) If you’re before 5:00 p.m., the biggest problem is at the DMV, where traffic can be backed up trying to turn into the parking lot. (As I have told people, the “Parking lot full” sign is really a secret code for “Free burgers.”)

As for the gym, you should be okay next week. A major renovation project will start on 27 February. (I believe the second floor locker rooms will be closed first, then the first floor.)

[5555624]

I don’t shoal — I tend to assume I’m going to be slower than the cyclist that’s already stopped.

I rarely get shoaled. On the way home, I’ll sometimes have a cyclist stop next to me, but usually, they just run the red light. That includes the illegal “‘turn right’ for five or so feet, cross the street, and ‘turn right’ again” maneuver, which I’ve seen twice this week. (If I come across a cyclist in the morning, which does happen maybe once a month, they’re usualy not going my way.)

[5555624]

Channing the box-style curb cuts would be a good idea. I’m not sure if extending the bike trail helps or not. The sharrows might help. The cones? I’ve never had an issue with them.

My only problem in this area is heading westbound and getting from the right lane to the left lane when there is a lot of traffic — usually just during the Cherry Blossom Festival and some other peak tourist times.

Well, I do occasionally have a “problem” in the morning, heading eastbound, but none of the ideas discussed will keep the Park Police from parking on the sidewalk. (I think they do it to see if I’ll hop off the sidewalk and onto the street — so they can give me a ticket for riding the wrong way.) The real trick is to make sure you see this far enough in advance to aim your light a little higher, so it’s at least parallel to the ground.

[5555624]

@ShawnoftheDread 42860 wrote:

It might not become as widespread as planking, but it could become a thing like bike power naps. With bonus points if people are in the shower too.

If the people are wearing Spandex in the shower, are they ELITE?

[5555624]

@bobco85 42275 wrote:

What is that? An earring? It makes me think of a jester’s hat.

A really, really small jester’s hat.

[5555624]

@Chris Eatough 42257 wrote:

Trails are probably less salted, so take care there.

The trail from the Pentagon to just past the southbound GW Parkway is salted. (It was completely dry when I rode in.)

[5555624]

@PotomacCyclist 41756 wrote:

What about the pre-2009 days? I think Bike Washington may have been the primary source of online cycling-related info in the D.C. area, before local jurisdictions like Arlington set up more polished bike sites of their own.

Before the Bike Washington days and before the Web became ubiquitous, how would local cyclists communicate to others about various weather-related and other hazards on area roads and trails? Paper sheets stapled to telephone poles? Morse code light signals? Bat Light? Perhaps all of the cyclists knew each other back then because there were so few of them, and there were fewer dedicated bike facilities than there are now. (No Mount Vernon Trail before 1973. No W&OD Trail before 1974. No Custis Trail before late 1982. No Capital Crescent Trail before 1996!) How did cyclists get around in those years?

Although I stopped reading it a couple of years ago, the dc.biking newsgroup goes back to the mid-1990s. Trail conditions, route information, Allen’s class announcements, etc. (The last message I have saved from the newsgroup is from March 2010, “W&OD trail plowing.”) If I recall correctly, it started out as a mailing list “dcbike@igc.topica.com” before becoming a local newsgroup.

Oh, there was also some informal mailing lists, too. Looking back, I see some messages from Allen Muchnick, with a list of people. That included an “Arlington Bicyclists” e-mail address.

I see I have a discussion of “WB&A Expansion to PG County” that was on dcbike@igc.apc.org, so that’s where the mailing list was before switching to dcbike@igc.topica.com in the Fall of 1999.

[5555624]

From what I could see, I’m guessing most streets in Arlington are fine. Columbia Pike, Glebe Road, and Wilson Blvd were all fine where I was riding earlier this morning, as were the various side streets. The bike lanes on eastbound Fairfax Drive had some slush in spots.

(I had initially headed out to hit the MVT, but mechanical problems had me walking home after a third of a mile and swapping out the wheels, so I went back out without the studded tires.)

[5555624]

I have an early commute.

[5555624]

@OneEighth 41479 wrote:

CX tires today. Why take away the adventure prematurely?

Exactly. Well, that and I was too lazy to swap out the wheels this morning.

[5555624]

@dcv 41475 wrote:

First snow of 2013, this time we’ll have a chance to ride in it. Hip, hip, hoorah!

Hold it down! Enough with the cheering. The best thing about riding in the snow is the quiet.

[5555624]

@KelOnWheels 41452 wrote:

Not having things to do at work is dangerous.

Not having things to do at work and sitting in front of a computer is dangerous.

[5555624]

@Certifried 38581 wrote:

beautiful pic, Dirt! Thanks for sharing! I, again, did not ride today LOL. I’ve always had the “constitution” of a crocodile (look it up!), but this year I’ve been hit with various ailments 3+ times. The + time was a few hours where I thought I was coming down with something, went to bed, and woke up feeling fine. So, even though I whine and complain like a little girl about not riding in (I always whine when I’m sick, because my mom actually is awesome and would baby me haha) so I love seeing these awesome pictures.

In other words, your next new jersey should simply say: “Rule #5”?

[5555624]

@Dirt 38569 wrote:

I would not trust the structural integrity of something that extended the length of your handlebars so that you can clamp bar-ends onto them. It just doesn’t sound safe. I’d suggest getting a new handlebar.

I agree with Pete. Extending the length of the handlebar just adds another potential failure point. I don’t worry about my handlebar breaking, but if I had “extenders” on it, I probably would.

[Author]

Posts