[Dirt]

I’ve been known to look down to make sure the wheels are still in contact with the road. Most of the time the answer is yes.

[Dirt]

We both need to show up for that ride some time soon.

[Dirt]

Thank you sir.

I forgot one…

I was pretty impressed with the engineering that went into the signs. They were dang well installed.

PS: Don’t pay any attention to my “Super Gurl” socks. They’re not really a social statement.

[Dirt]

Ha! You think those are bad. Wait till you see the ones thy put in the middle of the cross walks. Bwahahahaha

[Dirt]

I don’t know the timing of the maps, but the routes in DC have certainly changed in the last year. New bike lanes on 15th St and Penn Ave, plus didn’t the Northwest Branch open up in the last month?

Thanks for the info on the new maps. I’ll check them out when I can.

[Dirt]

Lots of good work. Thanks for all the planning and effort that went into the bike plan to get those lanes added.

Two things I noticed on my few days of commuting since returning from vacation.
1) The steel plate fix on the Custis trail between yellow marker 12 and 13 is great. The sink hole that was starting to form before I left was starting to look scary.
2) I’m one of the weirdos that prefers to ride with traffic up Lee Highway from Rosslyn instead of on the other side of the wall on the Custis trail. If I recall correctly, that paving was done by VDOT and not Arlington. Maybe it is just me, but I think the white line got a little closer to the wall. No biggie. I dance with cars and buses pretty well.

Thanks to all who had a part in the advocacy and planning! You folks are awesome awesome awesome.

Love,

Pete

[Dirt]

While those will effectively protect you from the sun, they appear to be baggy, and will end up trapping sweat and making you hot. A better choice would be a product made by De Soto called arm/leg coolers. These are similar to the arm and leg warmers that are often used in early spring or late fall rides to add some warmth to short sleeve jerseys and shorts.

They work extremely well in many conditions. The UV protection is fantastic. The cooling effect is very good for most people. I’m a person that sweats a lot. When it is very hot and humid, I sweat more than the coolers can effectively wick away. They didn’t hold moisture, but on days when the temps are in the upper 90’s and the humidity is high, I found that I was cooler without them than I was with.

Company Link: http://www.desotosport.com/products/product.asp?Category=sc&ProdID=AC

Review: http://www.active.com/gear/Articles/De_Soto_Arm_Coolers_br__i_Cooling_effect_and_sun_protection_in_one__i_.htm

I hope that helps.

I will also put in a little word about sun screens. I try to take my sun protection pretty seriously. I spend a 25-30 hours per week riding in the sun and would like to have some skin left when I am older. How you apply sunscreen is as important as what you apply. I apply twice before I head out for a ride. I apply rather generously about an hour before I leave the house. I go back and apply a little lighter layer about 20 minutes before leaving the house. I always try to apply sunscreen when I’m NOT sweating as it is difficult for the sunscreen to do its job (absorb into your skin) while sweat is pouring out of it. I’ve had the best luck with Coppertone Sport over the years. There are some that protect more for me, but none that combine good protection with good longevity.

I’m bad in that I rarely take the time to re-apply sunscreen after 5 hours as many suggest. That is usually so into the ride at that point that I just ride on. The Coppertone Sport has allowed me to do that and still provide me with pretty good protection.

I’ve tried a few sprays, but find it difficult to get a good, even application with a spray. I inevitably miss a spot or two and get scorched. I know others have had great success with Hincapie Skin Defense. I know more than one friend who swear by it.

I know that’s a lot more than you asked for. I look forward to other people’s thoughts and ideas on the topic.

Welcome to Bike Arlington. See you on the road.

Pete

[Dirt]

My guess is that it was Steve Womble-head. He lives in that neighborhood and has been riding his cargo bike exclusively for over a year. Great guy. Was a big help when I started building mine.

[Dirt]

I ride through that area once per week on my way places. Honestly I’ve done a lot to avoid Columbia Pike through Arlington. There are other back streets that get me the places that I want to go. Google maps was great in helping me find how to get from point A to point B.

I can look at a few routes, but I’d go through neighborhoods to get you to the W&OD, then pick up Mount Vernon and head to 14th Street. That might be too far south for you.

[Dirt]

Actually I didn’t hit the deck. He hit me and bounced off. I was track standing at the time. I just put my foot down. That’s the joy of being a 200lb guy riding an 80 pound bike. It takes more than a guy on a fixie to knock me over.

[Dirt]

Here it is about 90 seconds after getting rear-ended by Jim.

[Dirt]

I try and treat them with the same respect. I hardly ever run over cars anymore.

Honestly, since I put the sign on the back of my bucket pannier, I’ve had very, very few people get aggressive with me. That doesn’t help with the stupid ones that pull out in front of me or don’t see me. To be honest and fair, there are an equal percentage of bicyclists and runners that behave in the same manner. The cost of “getting it wrong” with them is a bit lower than when mixing it up with cars.

Hopefully the good interactions continue.

Take it easy. Enjoy the rain, if we get any.

[Dirt]

Calculus and poetry alone are scary enough… the combination will likely lay waste to any country club.

[Dirt]

Thanks mark. I volunteer to be in the crew sent out by Arlington to trim the top 20′ off the top of their club house. I’ve got a saws-all and I’m willing to help.

I’m totally joking about that comment above. I just love that projects like this get special concessions if they include multi-use trails into their project plan, then find excuses to cut the trails out of their plans late in the project.

[Dirt]

I just happened to be one of the first people along. I’m sure many others reported this too.

On a silly note… I also left him a bottle of water in case he was thirsty when he woke up. I’m such a sap.

[Author]

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