[brendan]

All clear Shaw->RI Ave->M St.->Key Bridge->Custis->W&OD->Sunrise Valley (Reston).

[brendan]

Also, to keep in mind: if you’re headed west on the W&OD coming up to the Virginia Lane crossing and you see a cyclist coming down the road, it’s probably a good idea to physically signal your intended behavior before you reach the crossing.

Esp. if there’s no car traffic. Regardless of signage, I’m assuming most of us aren’t planning to come to a stop (or at least a full stop) at the crossing. The other cyclist is probably assuming the same thing. If you’re planning on turning right on the hill, signal it and if you’re planning to go straight, point forward (or something obvious).

Or stop, but then you’ll surprise the heck out of the other cyclist and they probably don’t need surprises when they are scanning for multiple vehicles/pedestrians and calculating their own targeting solution… plus, it’s hard for them to make that left onto the trail if there’s another bike stopped there.

Technically, the same applies to signaling to car drivers, but they probably won’t understand

B

[brendan]

@GuyContinental 79865 wrote:

Perhaps skipping the rolling of the stop sign at the end…

OK, that’s bad news (and we’ve all had similar happen along there) but cyclists routinely blow the trail signs, double or triple up on the road climbing (legal but not terribly courteous given that there is a good trail). On the downhill, riders weave in and out of traffic at the stop and then sprint left (or just ride down the oncoming lane). Folks who live on the block all have stories of being buzzed on the trail while trying to get their newspaper and the subject of this post has a 3yo that he won’t take on the trail at all for fear of riders.

IHMO, “trail up” and “road down” matches probable speeds and objective and pedestrian hazards.

Neither the trail nor the road are great options there: the trail is basically the sidewalk for that part of the neighborhood, plus part of the driveways for the houses there. In addition, it tends to gather a lot of debris in the area uphill from and at the curve. The left turn is narrow and sharp and dangerous to take at any kind of speed (esp with the debris). This also makes braking before and during the curve a bit risky as well.

The road tends to be a better surface (and a gentler, better banked curve) for the downhill, but during commute times it is full of a ton of stupid, both cars, bikes (and, occasionally, myself).

I love riding down the road on weekends when there’s almost no car traffic, but on my evening commute back to DC, I’m always very stressed about which way to take heading east. Sometimes the trail, sometimes the road… While crossing I-66, I consider the current weather, how much light is or isn’t left, how close to peak car traffic it is and how wet the pavement/trail is before deciding which way to take down.

Also, at this time of day, I’m guaranteed to have to stop and wait at that bottom of the hill intersection, regardless of which route I take: if I’m in the road, I’m waiting for cars to clear out from in front of me (or for cars turning in) and if I’m on the trail, there’s one or more cars stacked up at the intersection blocking the crossing.

So…transitioning from being a regular weekend rider of the W&OD to a regular weekday commuting rider has changed my behavior there substantially. And increased my stress levels a bit.

Also, my recollection is that I’ve come upon the aftermath of bike/car collisions there twice. Luckily both incidents appeared to be minor based on what the cyclist was self-reporting to everyone who was assisting.

[brendan]

The Buckthorne hill is annoying mostly because it’s the culmination of a slowly increasing incline west of Hunters Mill road, so you’re attacking it when you’ve already been working a bit harder than normal to keep your speed. The worst part comes later in the season, though, when you have to watch out for less seasoned cyclists climbing the hill, some of which are apt to fall over right in front of you because they forgot to shift low enough before being in too high a torque zone to emergency shift. Be prepared to bail!

[brendan]

@lordofthemark 79720 wrote:

Rode to Shirlington, than over the ped bridge to Alexandria, on Gunston to Valley and on Valley to Agudas. The hills on Gunston and that part of Valley were harder than I had expected. … At Synagogue I kept my helmet on – its customary to wear a costume on Purim and I didn’t have anything else for a costume – and it added to the visibility of biking(told a few people how I had gotten there.)

Aww good memories, that’s where I went to preschool (’73/’74).

B

[brendan]

@Arlingtonrider 79502 wrote:

Today’s big decisions: Bar Mitts for warm hands vs. riding in headwinds and crosswinds with more windage? I’ve got a pannier anyway, so would they make much difference? Or should I just wimp out and take the bus/metro? Just musing here. Biking to work is a hard habit to break. And then there’s the ski goggles vs. biking eyewear thing too.

My fingers and toes are super-sensitive. Plus adding wind to cold is a magnitude worse. If I were riding today, it’d definitely be: Bar mitts!

[brendan]

@cyclingfool 79423 wrote:

From the sounds of the forecast, we could probably just let all that grit and salt be scoured away by the gale force winds sans precipitation.

Heck, with the intense winds, maybe the last of the snow and ice will just sublimate overnight?

[brendan]

To the three Arlington County motorcycle police officers who played two-wheel leapfrog with me from the easternmost onramp of the Custis Trail all the way to the west end at Bon Air Park…

…that was…kind of interesting. I do appreciate that y’all kept your speed slow and waited oh so patiently behind me (and my cargo bike) to pass. Each time. Kudos.

Secretly, I was really hoping to make it to the first of the two sisters before your first pass, but, alas, I was pretty slow on an uphill before that and it was finally clear for y’all to take a clean pass.

But by the second time I passed y’all waiting on the side of the trail, only to have you tag along behind me again, I was getting worried that maybe, just maybe I’d done something wrong! Maybe I should be looking for a “rear blinkie light too similar to emergency vehicle light” ticket in the mail?

[brendan]

@guga31bb 79315 wrote:

“John” Snow??? Way to out yourself as a non book reader!

Oh, I tried. They were just so…heavy.

[brendan]

…and comments given.

[brendan]

Whooda thunk it?

[brendan]

Whoa. But that’s like not getting two new bikes…

[brendan]

LOL. Seriously.

[brendan]

Snow? What snow? You know nothing, (John) Snow!

Today’s commute was the stuff of legends*. Besides the fact that my cassette appears to be loose on the splines and has been making a crunchy noise all week long. Gotta take care of that tonight…

Quoting my own facebook update:

Riding to work on the W&OD this morning, I passed what can only be termed a “double-wide-jogging-stroller-group-run-staging-area” in a parking lot off the side of the trail (just inside the beltway).

A half dozen joggers & strollers, pre-run stretching, hydrating, bundling up kids, getting read to GO!

Yay! Spring is coming!

B

* yes, the past 6 weeks or so of trail-crud got to me.

[brendan]

Done.

[Author]

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