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@Subby 65613 wrote:

Thanks everyone. Really disappointed how many family and friends are asking me when I am going to quit biking.

Yeah, hi…I will never quit cycling. Ever. It’s who I am now.

Oh for heaven’s sake. If you had been in a car accident would they ask you when you were going to stop driving? If you slipped and fell in the shower would they ask you when you will stop bathing?

Keep riding.

But please, heal up. It’s annoying to have someone bleeding on the trails.

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*Sigh* I’m also very sorry you had to experience this. The great thing about being on a bike is getting to meet people you wouldn’t meet riding in a car. The bad thing about being on a bike is you get to meet people you wouldn’t meet riding in a car. Please don’t let this discourage you from either riding your bike or being less than friendly to other cyclists. Honestly, there are many more kind and helpful folks out there than what you encountered.

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Or, you can look at in another way.

Because I lack imagination and good sense, I run before sunrise most mornings. I don’t like it. In fact, I positively hate every stinking minute. But I see cyclists and runners out there without lights. (I’m lit up like a parade float.)

They cross intersections. They cross intersections where school buses are rolling through at a fast clip.

I do not want them to get hit. I feel sick every time I see them dart out into traffic.

Because I lack the ability to say no, I found myself on Lee Highway on a bike during rush hour. I did not want to get hit. I prayed to every god/goddess and Tom Cruise I could think of hoping to survive.

I did not want to crash. But I knew that even if I did everything in my power to be safe, in the end I had to rely on drivers not to kill me. No thanks, I need more control than that, or at least better odds.

When people hear about fatal bike crashes I believe they are trying to convince themselves it was avoidable, it couldn’t happen to them. Therefore, they say things like, “I’d never bike there.” Well yes, probably not. But that won’t protect them from the random violence that can happen. It just sounds comforting.

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@Tim Kelley 62512 wrote:

Sassy. And potentially a little NSFWish.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cguzman/urbanist-cycling-chamois-panties

And before you get any ideas about my online browsing habits, it was Zanna who found these…

Seriously? You’re hiding behind a woman? Own it.

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@jabberwocky 62779 wrote:

You could check my map here: http://www.logoffrideon.com/trails/index.php?title=Wakefield

The trails in the park are a bit confusing. I think there are CCT markers most of the way along, but as with elsewhere they are sometimes far enough apart that its easy to get lost.

Confusing?!
I’ve been lost twice in the woods out there.
Once by myself, somewhere against a steep embankment that frightened me enough not to turn around and go back up. It was a pathetic moment, the equivalent of being lost in a bathtub.
The other time I got hopelessly turned around out by the playground and became separated from a friend. I tried to convince my friend I did it on purpose. That didn’t work.

We won’t even talk about the time I almost ran over the enormous black snake sunning itself just around a curve in the path.

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You! Middle-aged man, bright yellow jersey, bib shorts, an orange pannier on the left side of your bike.
Time: 0905-0910 hrs.
You blew through not one, not two, but three red lights.
Quincy and Fairfax, Fairfax and Randolph, Fairfax and Glebe.

These weren’t stop signs.

This contributes to law enforcement’s attitude towards cyclists.

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@Dirt 61236 wrote:

Looking ahead: Perhaps a party-paced Gravel Ride on 8/25? This will be my last gravel ride before going to Idaho the next weekend. I’m thinking of riding the tandem.

Did you say party? Can I wear my cowgirl costume?

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@Dirt 60456 wrote:

If it is any consolation, I threw my back out this morning.

Was it recyclables day?

(So, you’re telling me only a metric century today?)

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@Dirt 60414 wrote:

You were a champ last night, Ann! The enthusiasm in your voice when I suggested another lap showed through! You absolutely kicked butt the third time up the hill! Nicely done!

Very nice to meet MRH last night! Thanks for joining us. It was fun riding with you.

Oh. That explains it. You were suggesting another lap— my bad….

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@Dirt 60372 wrote:

Yup. Pre-ride wheels rolling at 4:30pm. Main event rolling at 6:30pm. Probably be a small group tonight.

Thanks Dirt! That was fun. I can’t feel my legs, but that’s okay, right?

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@rcannon100 60379 wrote:

You know when this was an ice cream shop, what you bought here was a HELL of a lot cheaper.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]3429[/ATTACH]

BTW The Kid spends evenings staring at the Bike Arlington All Stars Leaderboard. He is in 5th place currently for the past 7 days, riding my piece of junk TREK. I told him that with his new toy, I expect him to ride out to Purceville and back.

Such child abuse….

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@rcannon100 59614 wrote:

The kid is officially thinking steel! Now we look at Surly’s!

I’m glad you are patient enough to let the kid try a bunch of different bikes. In the long run, learning to make a considered decision about a longterm investment is a terrific experience. Besides, the kid gets to learn a lot about bikes. Nicely done.

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@Tim Kelley 59437 wrote:

Joke of the Day, via twitter:

Q: Why wasn’t the flower able to ride a bike?
A: Because all of it’s “petals” fell off!

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@rcannon100 59342 wrote:

And the forum is back!! My productivity just dipped 53%

The pursuit of the bike for the kid continues. The kid is looking for an aluminum road bike. His short list has gone down to Canondale Synape Sora 7 VERSUS TREK 1.2 — thoughts???

My first road bike was a Trek. My current road bike is an aluminum frame Cannondale. The Cannondale is much lighter. The ride is more like a sports car, the Trek was more like a family sedan.

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@PotomacCyclist 59122 wrote:

http://www.bicycling.com/ride-maps/featured-rides/ocean-city-md

I’ve never biked there, so I don’t have an opinion. It’s the only place on the list in Maryland or Virginia.

It’s more fun to run the boardwalk than to try riding it. It seems less than 2.9 miles but I don’t remember. Every morning it’s a parade of vacationing families, teenagers, shame walkers, and lots of bikes going very, very slowly. There are some novelty bikes, like Big Wheels for grown ups, available for rent.

As long as you have your wits about you, Ocean City is easy and safe to bike. Most people who work in OC use bikes or the bus system to get around, it’s faster. Protip: The surf shops are more friendly and knowledgeable about the roads for biking than the one LBS up there.

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