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@PotomacCyclist 15709 wrote:

I also ran in the middle of another large group along the Reflecting Pool on the Mall last year. I felt like I was in some horror movie. “Day of the Birds”? “The Great Swarm”? “The Gruesome Gaggle”?

You need to see a really terrible movie called “Birdemic”. It’s an end of the world scenario where global warming causes birds to attack people. They explode like bird missiles when they swoop down on you, and poop acid on victims too, all done in incredibly BAD movie fashion. Like really bad! It has become a cult classic.

While on the theme of animals attacking – a movie about killer raccoons called “Coons!” is pretty good too. Compared to the animals in these flicks it’s a good thing we only have Geese to worry about.

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@Tim Kelley 15677 wrote:

MAC AND CHEESE!

That is why I love touring. When it’s your JOB to ride a bike for a couple of weeks, eating pretty much everything in sight, and you can STILL come up with zero net calories each day you’re having a good day! Oh, it helps to take a couple of pictures of the nice scenery too.

I like where this thread went! I’m down for any kind of riding + donut eating race as long as it does not involve Krispy Kreme. A multi-stage, multi-food event would allow for a lot of variety too. I think I’d be decent at downing a lot of sushi and riding.

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I’m sure you all had an awesome commute yesterday but I had the day off and went for a 65 mile fun ride instead. This was my first time stopping at Carolina Brothers and I was pleasantly surprised. For the trip back home, I had a full stomach and the wind at my back. I stopped at the Italian Store just off the Custis trail to pick up some pizza slices for dinner, but I don’t think they would have fit in my handlebar bag very well.

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I rode 4 mile run yesterday morning and there wasn’t anything worth mentioning. The creeks and streams all the way out to Carolina Brothers were noticeably high though. We drove down Route 1 last night where it had been closed and it was fine. I bet it wasn’t anything more than a couple of blocked sewer drains or something. It wasn’t the usual Alexandria coastal flooding.

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Ok, I need a hand.

I took off the bar tape, and pulled off the cyclocross brake levers. Easy enough. For the STi shifters I rolled up the rubber sleeves and loosened the little screws but the shifters are as tight as ever. They’re not even budging. Is there something else I need to do? Since it’s been 7 years is it possible they’re sorta glued to the bar? If so, how should I unstick them? Some gentle hammering? Punching? Yelling? Do a couple of forgot-to-unclip falls to each side?

Thanks for the help!

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@SpokeGrenadeSR 15399 wrote:

pretty great interaction, and rare for boston if i may say so.

Much better interaction than we had last night when our Logan Express bus from Woo-bun got pulled over by a crazy cop on I-93. The guy had his lights on and suddenly stopped in the 3rd lane from the right to yell at our driver to pull over. He didn’t like how he was going 72 in a 55 (even though the rest of the traffic was going 75) and that he was driving in the left lane, which I think was so he could use the carpool lane, which was ahead. The cop was acting like an absolute crazy person during all of this. Fortunately he seemed to cool his temper a bit while talking to the driver. Seriously though, 55? Who goes 55 on those highways? The DC beltway is technically 55, but in reality the speed limit is whatever the traffic will let you go.

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As a meteorologist, I can safely say that yesterday was a busted forecast. The elements were there, but the timing was way off. Most notably the wind. Which, was absent yesterday, but has caused my flight to Boston this evening to be delayed 2 hours. There were some crazy squally snow showers this morning that were fun to drive through on my way to yoga.

PS – on my way to yoga I drive up VA 110 past the Pentagon. As I got near Rosslyn I saw a cyclist riding up the shoulder. Is that road legal for cyclists to ride? It seems a bit too much like a highway for bikes, and in addition the shoulder is in terrible shape.

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@jrenaut 15235 wrote:

…forcing me to take the car…

Sissy…… TOTALLY kidding!! I drove today of course.

Also, you all should probably be aware that the wind may be the least of your worries in the next couple of hours. A tornado watch has creeped up the coast throughout the day and has now been issued for counties south of immediate area and includes basically all of the Carolinas and Virginia. DC would likely be next to get the watch if the conditions permit. That kinda depends on how close the warm front gets to us and how fast the cold front moves through.

Either way, it would be a good idea to check the radar 30-60 mins before you are supposed to leave for the day. Leaving a little early, or late could make a world of difference in this weather.

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I always ring my bell when I’m coming up behind someone to pass just to let them know I’m there. I know others do that as well. It may just be that he was letting you know he was back there.

I guess anything is possible, but this wasn’t the normal ding-ding-“I’m back here”. It was more like rapid-fire ding-ding-ding-“you are in my way!”-ding-ding. I think it may have been more of a warning to oncoming riders that he was going to pass me and to watch out. I was following another rider in a DC Velo kit and were going about 17mph, and it seemed really out of place to want to pass people who already going at a decent clip for a busy trail.

@rcannon100 15177 wrote:

Laugh. Giggle. Point fingers. And then welcome you back!!!!!!!!

Thanks!

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Now that is a totally reasonable request. I did my first full round trip commute of the year yesterday (yeah I’m a fair weather commuter. what are you gonna do about it?) and I saw exactly what you explained below between the 395 bridge and the Crystal City spur.

I can’t say that I saw any near collisions or really dangerous stuff, but seriously when I’m already to the right and someone comes up behind me dinging their bell like they’re a freakin bike ambulance or something. I am not moving over any more D-bag! Maybe I’m just being sensitive, but 4+ dings right behind someone is just being a dick. He didn’t have any bags or gear and was fully kitted out, so I got the impression he was out training.

It looked to me like most of the joggers were a bit skiddish and freaked out by the sudden increase in the number of bikes all the sudden. Most of them were either running in the dirt or looked like they were bracing themselves for imminent collisions.

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Near the end of a 60 mile fun ride yesterday I had to contend with 41st Street. The hills of northern Arlington, and Montgomery County were a good warmup (tired me the hell out), but I knew what was coming so I starting chugging away once I got the cross-walk sign. I had to switch to my easiest gear (30×28 I think) earlier than I had hoped but I made it up the kicker and then up to the top of the road ok. I took a quick breather and then decided to try the trail just to see how bad I actually was. I made it about 5 pedal revolutions up to the beginning of the railing before having to bail out or fall over. It seems I have a bit more work to do, but for a brief second or two it seemed entirely possible. I made it farther than I initially imagined so that’s good I guess.

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@DismalScientist 15092 wrote:

From crime: probably yes. From bad design (narrow lanes and tight turns), missing asphalt, kamikaze joggers, locked gates at the zoo: probably not.

Unfortunately the depressing scientist is correct. The trail in DC is safe enough, but it’s poorly maintained and in some spots the engineering clearly shows that the trail was an afterthought. I think that on a daily basis this would be maddeningly frustrating. I used to ride it every now and then for fun, but as the fun factor diminished I took other routes.

Once you get out of the District though, you can probably jump on the road (Beach Drive, Jones Mill Road) as it widens out a bit. In DC Beach drive is really narrow and it’s somewhat of a commuting artery for people looking to avoid 16th street and I don’t know if dealing with angry drivers trying to pass you on a narrow road would be something you’d want to deal with daily either.

Like others have already mentioned, I think your best bet is to jog a bit to the east to get on the bike lanes of 14th St, or go a little west and take the Capitol Crescent Trail. Which ever suits you best.

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Not wanting to look like an internet stalker or anything, but after having checked out Merced in google maps, it looks like you’re going to have to get used to at least 2 new things in DC – 1) Roads with turns, and 2) Hills. The hills here aren’t mountains like you have in the Sierras, or even the Appalachians, but they can be really steep and extremely numerous (e.g. this thread – http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?95-Arlington-s-toughest-hills-list).

Most of the folks here have steered you toward Arlington, which is probably the best advice, but I think Takoma Park and Silver Spring are worth a look as well. Montgomery County, MD has good schools I think and there are some decent bike routes into DC as well.

Anyway, welcome to the area, and good luck with your search!

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Ok, I am all set now to swap my handlebars and stem. So far the hardest part has been finding a place to buy frickin’ electrical tape. Sheesh! I finally got some last night after work, on a little ride to the hardware store in Old Town. I would have thought a place like Target or Best Buy might sell it but no.

Anyway, now I’m all ready to do the work but it looks like the weather Thursday will be too good to pass up biking to work. So I’ll wait until after Thursday.

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Have a great ride! I did that last year on my own and had a blast! It’s really cool that your ride will help all of us get some much needed space on the roads.

“I did that last year” – Similar route from Boston to DC, not the fundraising.

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