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And for completeness sake…About 30 minutes after the plane crash, a Metro car derailed near Federal Triangle killing three passengers and injuring 25. It was a quite day, the scene on the bridge was particularly bad. There was a news camera on-site on the bank of the Potomac within a few minutes and we were able to watch events unfold in real time, an unusual occurrence.

ann

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I freely admit to being a coward but I can play the odds with the best of them. A pack of twenty or more riders makes the likelihood of me having an unfortunate misunderstanding with a four-wheeled vehicle lower. Of course riding in a pack raises other issues.

To my credit or stupidity I’m riding more in the streets alone. Yesterday I was on a road I didn’t care for much. Lots of traffic moving quickly, no bike lane. In situations like that I wish I had a bright yellow jersey with the words, “Caution Wide Load” on the back. But I’m lucky, 90% of my interactions with vehicles are positive.

ann

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I hope over time when folks have good experiences with group rides they will post here and tell the rest of us. That would be tremendously helpful. There’s nothing worse than showing up expecting a hit and giggle ride and finding yourself on a death march. I once rode with Satan. Seriously, it was July and the ride was 70 miles. The dude showed up dressed completely in black. That should have been my first clue…

ann

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Santa likes you best.

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There is a group ride for everyone who manages to keep the rubber side down (most of the time).

Community Rides: Low-key, relaxed, usually minimal Lycra rides.
Some of the most fun I’ve ever had on a bike involved Dirt, a community ride, and a vuvuzela.

Social Rides: Generally low-key, usually Lycra is involved, focus on cooperation and education, secondary focus: food. These can be very fun or a complete bore depending upon who shows up and what kind of rapport develops during the ride. But who cares? It’s an investment of a few hours. I would say all D rides and most C rides as defined by Potomac Pedalers fit into this category. Perhaps some rides out of the LBS fall into this category.

Serious Rides: Honestly, they are fun. But ride into them with your eyes wide open and your ego in check. I’ve ridden so hard in some of them I’ve almost thrown up. But for me, that’s my idea of fun. Set your own limits ahead of time, have a plan for what to do if you get dropped, ride within your abilities. The benefit of riding with stronger people is you learn to ride faster, work harder and see what is possible. Maybe you’ll be able to keep up for ten miles the first time. Next time try to keep up for twelve. For me a ride like Contes/Fresh Bikes is tough, so is the Wakefield Park Ride if I’m riding with the B group.

Happy trails,
ann

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I almost said to Jabberwocky, I know someone who is even more odd and more fun and more friendly. I should have known there could be only one Dirt.

I didn’t know about this ride when I was sorting all of this out, but wish I had. This is exactly the kind of ride a new rider could try and have a good experience. How bad can a ride be if it involves food (and beer)? I’ve never been, but I’ve heard good things about it and I know someone on the Forum will have had firsthand experience. http://www.commuterpage.com/eventdetail.cfm?eventID=1306

Greenbelt, I hope you get that off the ground, you are a terrific person to ride with.

ann

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Yes, they are. I spent a lot of time last summer with them.
ann

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And if for some reason they don’t work, you are pretty close to Carolina Brother’s BBQ if you can make it a little further down the road. Um, due to a little mishap on New Year’s Eve, I found out the hard way you need an adapter to make the free air at Smith’s Switch work on a road bike tire.

ann

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Here is a picture of the bike I rented. It wasn’t fancy but for three days I paid $51.00 because I was not charged for Christmas Day. All it lacked was E.T. riding in the basket. This picture was taken at South Point Park, the fishing pier is in the background. There is a wide bike path through this area leading to a marina, there are restrooms and lucky for me a concession stand with a great big ice-cold Diet Coke. (It seems there is a Pepsi preference in Miami, go figure.)

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From a bike/pedestrian trail within Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park. At the entrance of the park there was a sign asking all bicyclists to dismount and pay a $2.00 user fee. The park ranger was taking the fees from the cars but waved me right through. The trails rolled along the perimeter of the park with some waterfront views and led to the lighthouse at the tip of the park. There were restrooms and water available in several locations.
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From the Venetian Causeway. This is a marked bike route and there is almost a constant parade of bikes moving through the area in both directions. When I was taking this picture at least three roadies asked if I needed assistance, such nice men. The only problem was the east bound lane is under construction and I happened to be riding back during rush hour, not my brightest decision. I came across a nice resident who was singing and weaving a bit on his bike, I stayed behind him and figured if he had survived this ride before I would too. But that’s another story for another time and involves me calling out to him for directions in broken Spanish and him leading me the wrong way down roads in Miami Beach to get there while serenading me. Again, not my brightest decision.
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The pretty bike path pictured previously was from Crandon Park, a jewel. It is right along the ocean and contains wide beaches that are quiet and secluded. There are clean well-equipped bathrooms, a full-service grill, ice cream, cold drinks and a paved trail that runs along the oceanside.
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Now I have to confess. I made a few bad decisions. My worst was relying on a colorful tourist map to guesstimate the distance from Miami Beach to Key Biscayne. What I thought was about thirty miles was almost fifty, it’s funny now, but not when I was riding the last two miles in the dark along a fairly busy road. As it became dark I had the presence of mind to return the rental and pick up a Decobike that was equipped with the equivalent of a nightlight for the short roll back to the hotel. Like I said, it’s a hilarious story now… Or perhaps my worst idea was my blind faith that if the icon on the map indicated the route was a bike route there would be restrooms and water available along the way. It was 84 degrees and sunny, I quickly learned to fill up my water bottle at any and all opportunities. My only moment of mild concern happened when I pulled into a place called Bayside near the cruise ships and bus station. It was an open-air mall and I asked the security guards where I could lock my bike while I used the ladies room. They laughed and said don’t bother, it wasn’t safe. I jumped back on the bike and kept going.

ann

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The day I was there I saw hikers who asked at the door if they would be welcome. It wasn’t a problem for either of us.

ann

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The best advice I can offer is to try that ride on a Saturday or Sunday morning when you do not have any time pressures and see how it goes. And have a backup plan in case something happens, maybe cab money or knowledge of the bus routes. There are old threads on this forum that address lighting, I prefer a set-up that incorporates a helmet light and a light on my handlebars in case one goes out. I have a red light attached to and reinforced with duct tape on my messenger bag. I don’t have them but spoke lights are worth looking into.

I’d also take a long hard look at the weather-related gear advice on the forum.

ann

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I love my Garmin almost more than my children after two snow days. You will not regret it. It tells you everything. Speed, route, heart rate, cadence, miles. It can predict the future too.

ann

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Liz, I am the quintessential village idiot of this forum so I decided I’d try to ride down to Mount Vernon because if I can do it, 95% of the population at large can do it, even without a bike. I picked my way down there and just stuck close to the river using the advice in this thread until I picked up the MVT trail again near a great big apartment complex. I even made it back. Therefore, you will have no problem.

ann

Jim’s map was very helpful.

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Oh my, I had zero acceleration. I was spinning like a hamster on crack and not clearing traffic well. Yes, terrible duty working in Miami, hideous thing to be forced to view all those beautiful people wearing such little clothing.

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Saw very few helmets in Miami Beach, but on my ride to Key Biscayne most people wore them. I pack my helmet. It means I bring less shoes. Ah, the sacrifices I make.

Ann

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