[Alcova cyclist]

I live quite close to the pentagon (central Arlington) and bike commuted there semi-regularly as a reservist.

A couple of other things to consider:
– The Pentagon Athletic Club is a really nice fitness facility, with a lap pool, indoor track, weights, basketball and racquetball courts — but you do have to pay for membership (cost based on rank). So if he’s planning to shower after arrival, factor that in.
– If you choose to live to the west of the pentagon, it is easy to cut through Fort Myer (at least with a military/DOD CAC card). If route planning on Google or similar, it might not auto-populate this option but it will save 2-3 miles coming from the west. Coming in from Falls Church for example you could come in on the W&OD trail, then cut straight across Arlington taking a mix of 8th/7th and ultimately back up to 2nd into the base. Way shorter than keeping on the W&OD to 4 mile run trail and up Eads or the Mount Vernon Trail. This puts Dunn Loring and Vienna in range (all of those are on the orange line for alternate commuting).
– Fort Myer has fantastic snow clearance, as does the Pentagon reservation.
– There’s plenty of bike parking at the Pentagon (and it’s all way closer than car parking, unless your husband is a general or something), but it is all uncovered.

If you’ll be here in early January, consider signing up #FreezingSaddles (see http://bikearlingtonforum.com/forumdisplay.php?41-Freezing-Saddles-Winter-Riding-Competition). It would be a good way to meet a lot of complete wackos who will be riding all winter long — but who will also have tons of good advice on riding in general, riding in all weather, good routes in the area, etc. FS two winters ago turned me from a 50/50 rider to an every day all year bike commuter.

[Alcova cyclist]

@Tania 147999 wrote:

But ugh. Memorial Bridge. My least favorite.

@Tania 147982 wrote:

Any tips on de-stressing the Memorial Bridge part? Even just getting to the Lincoln Monument annoys me.

What you find stressful about Memorial Bridge? It’s been part of my regular commute for a couple of years and doesn’t seem bad to me at all. Maybe I don’t want to know because then it’ll bother me too.

I will grant that the national mall is a mess in the afternoons with tourists (I switch routes to avoid it in the PM), and I guess the crosswalks on both approaches to the bridge could be designed a little better, but I find traffic is generally quite deferential to bikes in the crosswalks. The sidewalk on Memorial isn’t in the greatest shape, but it’s super wide – even the “temporary” wooden bridges are wider than the 14th street bridge bike path.

Would also add that if you’re eligible for one of the Fort Myer access badges, that would save you some time and a lot of hassle comapred to crossing 50 and riding on the so called “bike path” along 50 — that stretch would be my primary stressor on your current “memorial bridge” route.

[Alcova cyclist]

@DismalScientist 145702 wrote:

If the car was astride the crosswalk before the kid entered the crosswalk and the kid T-boned the car, it’s primarily the kid’s fault. There are no sightlines at that signal. As a driver, you can’t see down the sidewalk unless you are already in the crosswalk.

Then it sounds like drivers shouldn’t be turning right on red there under any circumstances. “Well I had no way to know if a bike/ped was coming, so I just went” seems like a really bad way to manage mixed use traffic.

The Virginia drivers manual says: “You may turn right while the traffic signal displays a red light. Before turning, you must come to a complete stop. Look both ways and yield the right-of-way to pedestrians and other traffic. Be sure to check for less visible vehicles such as motorcycles, bicycles and mopeds.”

[Alcova cyclist]

I’ve been an every day winter commuter for the last two years (thanks, BAFS!). My hands and feet are not prone to getting too cold, and I am not generally moving along much faster than 12-15 mph.

My gloves strategy is:
above 45-50 – half finger gloves (I wear these all spring/summer/fall after fracturing a bone in my hand in a fall two years ago)
35-45 light full fingered gloves (Pearl Izumi – I think maybe these: https://www.rei.com/product/872300/pearl-izumi-cyclone-gel-bike-gloves-mens)
25-35 thicker (but pretty cheap) Performance gloves
below 25 – back to the thin Izumis with generic ski gloves on over them

This doesn’t really help answer the OP, but FWIW, I find for my shortish commute that regular shoes on flat pedals works fine – and moreso in the ice and snow of winter. I went through most of last winter with Merrell “Cameleon Shift” Ventilator waterproof hiking shoes. They are awesome. On heavy snow days, I’d shift to a pair of old timberland hiking boots. I wear one or two pairs of wool socks of varying thickness as necessary.

[Alcova cyclist]

It’s been a few years, but I used to take the Connector Road (runs just east of the bus bays) from south parking to boundary channel drive to the long bridge that leads to the PAC entrance. Seems like and easy connection if you’re coming up Eads (which has pretty decent bike lanes for most of its run between 4MR and the Pentagon).

To get there you take Eads onto the Pentagon reservation, and turn left at the intersection where buses go straight for the bus bay area. Then an immediate right onto the connector road. It dead ends at boundary channel.

Another option to consider is that it might actually be just as quick to park your bike at the bike racks outside corridor 2 and walk to the PAC. Assuming you can change in your workspace for the ride home that will have you on your way south much quicker.

ETA: I would also recommend against the western route — the ride along 27 is unpleasant at best and dangerous at worst. Since you have to go around the helipads and cross 110, I don’t think it saves any time. Even coming in from the west, I go around the east side.

[Alcova cyclist]

@KLizotte 137880 wrote:

Anybody tried to cut through the Fort in the last month using a non-DoD federal ID yet?

It’s my normal commute route, so I’ve been going through 10x / week with a non-DOD federal ID all winter long. They’ve never turned me away, though every month or so I get told at Wright Gate (the one by Iwo Jima) that “soon” they’ll restrict non-DOD badges there and only allow them in at Hatfield (the main gate on 2nd St).

[Alcova cyclist]

@Bob James 135782 wrote:

It’s been very competitive for Team 11. We’ve been battling between 3rd and 6th place for weeks. It’s every bit as challenging and rewarding as battling for 1st place. Go Team 11.

Competition – the act or process of trying to get or win something (such as a prize or a higher level of success)

This is what I was trying to say upthread. It doesn’t bother me too greatly if a team or two or three runs away with it early (As I recall that happened last year too). But wherever you are in the standings it’s much more fun to have a few teams you’re slugging it out with. I just don’t know how you could adjust the scoring to make that more likely.

Also, I agree that the 10 point bonus is worth keeping in some form — it’s one of the things that taught me that you really can ride in weather that seemed impossible. It also gives lower mileage riders the chance to be solid contributors to their teams even if they’re never going to go ride a century on the weekend — and that aspect of community and encouragement across all levels of cyclists is part of the FS magic. “Freeze points” or something like it might be an alternative (or maybe I just like it because i come out way better by FP metrics than any other scoring system).

[Alcova cyclist]

This is my second year doing FS. After years as a on-and-off mostly just fair weather cycle commuter, last year’s FS converted me over to no kidding every day commuting, something which carried through all last year and right into this year’s contest. It fundamentally changed the way I approached cycling and commuting. For me, this is a huge component of “what FS is really all about” — helping people get over the hump about riding year-round. It also made me transition from a board lurker to occasional poster and I’ve even been to a few social functions and gotten to know several regular riders (unfortunately I’ve been crazy busy and therefore somewhat anti-social this year)

Last year I really enjoyed the competitive aspect (both team and individual) and I feel that was an important part of helping me convert to an every day rider. This year isn’t quite the same… but I think that’s just the unlucky way my team shook out in the standings. I don’t care (too much) that we’re getting crushed overall (18th out of 20 teams), but it’s kind of a bummer that we seem to be really far from the teams above and below us (400+ and 300+ point gaps respectively). That combined with the larger number of team members and I just don’t feel that extra push to do more like I did last year. I think putting a little (friendly) pressure on people (especially newer riders) to push the envelope is integral to getting other riders over the hump.

[Alcova cyclist]

As if the back-and-forth might never end…

Coming through Wright gate (the one on Marshall near the Marine Corps Memorial) last Friday night (Feb 5th 2016), the gate guard informed me that “soon” they will start restricting non-DOD federal ID holders to only be able to enter at the Main 2nd Street Gate (i.e. not the Wright Gate or the one over by the Air Force Memorial) — actually he said that this policy had already changed, they’re just not enforcing it yet.

He was really nice about it, but did not have answers for basic questions like “for bikes too or just motor vehicles?” and “when will enforcement actually start?” He made it pretty obvious that the gate guards are nearly as in the dark as the rest of us.

Take this with a grain of salt, since I got told something like this a month or so ago and have seen no changes actually put in place. But I guess for non-DOD feds, just be prepared with a “Plan B” for when they randomly decide to enforce. (And don’t let Plan B include the route 50 trail if it’s within a month or so of a snowstorm, as Arlington County can’t seem to be bothered to clear it even literally weeks later — I discovered that last week too when a really late night at work meant the Wright Gate had closed for the night and the Route 50 trail was still buried under snow and ice almost two full weeks post-storm.)

[Alcova cyclist]

Not a terrible commute.

Central Arlington residential streets have icy patches but are ok.
Fort Myer is clear, but the approach to 2nd street gate is a little dicey due to both ice and abnormal traffic patterns from lane closures
Did not cut through Arlington Cemetery due to a funeral in progress, so no report
Marshall Dr past Iwo Jima was fine
They’ve plowed the path along 110 and up onto Memorial, but it is VERY icy in places where runoff re-froze
Memorial itself is fine; sidewalks are clear to about the metro station, then rutted and icy… I stayed in the road
Memorial bridge has 2.5 lanes clear which is great because it’s like having a nice-sized bike lane
Memorial bridge sidewalk had about a 3′ path clear from the VA side to about the middle of the bridge, when it appeared to degenerate into icy rutted mess. not sure what happened there
National mall past Lincoln, reflecting pool, Washington Monument to 15th had been cleared and is good except for the odd ice patch. Crews were out spreading salt and clearing more snow

[Alcova cyclist]

Side roads were slick but passable.

Roads on Fort Myer were in great shape as always (it’s good to be well-funded…)

Trails/sidewalks/MUPs from Iwo Jima Memorial along 110, over Memorial Bridge and down the mall are untreated and still covered in snow. So far not terribly icy — or at least I didn’t hit anything too bad. It was navigable on standard road tires (getting my studs tonight hopefully).

Memorial bridge itself looked great — if I had to do it again, I’d definitely stay in the road over the sidewalk.

[Alcova cyclist]

The “seven” theme ought to give us some good options…

Lucky 7
Se7en

There are 7:
Dwarfs (or dwarves if you prefer the Tolkein spelling)
Wonders of the World
Deadly Sins
Samurai

I like the humble Team 7 “Wonders of the World” or “Team 7 Samurai” but am also good with Slushy Mushers or anything else really.

I am definitely not getting into another 32 page naming thread that’s fought to a draw.

[Alcova cyclist]

Hello everyone!

Looking forward to my second BAFS – last year I was on the mighty Team 5 (Who must not be named).

I live in central Arlington & typically commute daily into DC (about 12 miles roundtrip) — I usually go through Fort Myer and across the Memorial bridge. I work down near 12th SW & Maine Avenue (near where they’re building the Wharf waterfront development). I try to ride at least some on the weekends, but w/ family, etc. those are rarely anything longer than an Arlington loop or maybe an out-and-back to Vienna Inn for breakfast. Last year’s BAFS, I rode every day but 1… that decision not to put in just one lousy mile on January 8th, 2015 still bugs me. (There is no shame in sleaze rides… in fact they are essential to staying up in the rankings)

I am game for group rides and team happy hours. Last year we had a great time tackling some of the side bets as a team.

Go team 7!

[Alcova cyclist]

@TwoWheelsDC 130913 wrote:

Pearl Izumi has integrated touchscreen compatibility pretty much throughout their entire glove line.

I just got a pair of these also. They work fine for me — basically starting and stopping strava. The ones I have are a little too light to make it through winter, but I use them down to about 35 degrees or so. Between 25-35 I use a set of heavier gloves (sadly with no touchscreen compatibility) and below 25 I switch back to the Pearls but wear ski gloves on top.

There’s also this stuff that purports to turn any set of gloves into touchscreen compatible ones. It gets somewhat mixed reviews but I haven’t tried it myself.

[Alcova cyclist]

@jabberwocky 130487 wrote:

The question is who has the right of way if I enter a crosswalk in such a way that a car has time to slow down and let me cross, but if they held the speed they were going they would hit me? I can argue that I didn’t enter the crosswalk in disregard of traffic (since they had plenty of time to see me and stop) but they could argue that I entered in disregard of traffic, since they had to change speed once I left the curb.

See, for instance: http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-11-04/news/0311040307_1_crosswalk-enforcement-stings-state-highway-administration

Maryland has taken the point of view that, as long as there is room for the car to see and stop, pedestrian has the right of way (at least for the purposes of these stings). But they admit the law isn’t clear, and I’m not sure how much faith I would put in a VA cop interpreting it that way.

This is one of the exact points of confusion that causes problems. I interpret the Virginia phrasing to mean that a driver is not at fault if I leap in front of their vehicle just because I happen to be at a crosswalk, but that as a ped/cyclist I don’t have to wait until there is a completely clear stretch. In other words if a car is far enough away that they can reasonably see, react and slow/stop, then they are obligated to do so once I enter the crosswalk. Which is all well and good except that if they don’t, then I will die despite being in the right. The DC laws are much more explicit in this regard and match my interpretation of the VA law: Driver must yield, but with the caveat “No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb, safety platform, safety zone, loading platform or other designated place of safety and walk or turn into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impossible for the driver to yield.”” (2303.2)

Coincidentally, I almost got hit in crosswalks twice on the ride home last night. In the first case crossing the Rte 110 exit ramps onto Memorial Ave. (no stop sign for sidewalk traffic). I was following a pedestrian, but the car that was waiting for the ped pulled out once the ped was clear without looking to their right to see if anyone else was coming — luckily I was anticipating that. 15 seconds later in the crosswalk from the south side to the north side of Memorial, I very nearly got clipped by someone in the right westbound travel lane who barreled through after the driver in the left westbound lane had stopped for me in the crosswalk. Luckily, I also know that trick and was expecting it too.

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