[eminva]

I assume you already ruled out 15th->Florida->14th as too steep?

One alternative that would add miles, but smooth out the hills would be to ride across town, pick up the Metropolitan Branch Trail near Union Station and head north on that. Other than that, I can’t think of any way to minimize the hills.

Good luck — that’s a long haul with a heavy trailer!

Liz

[eminva]

@maverick 63432 wrote:

Thanks! I try using panniers rather than a backpack on my bike because it causes less fatigue and keeps me cooler, but I will try that!

I understand the problem, but I put the lightweight and delicate stuff in the backpack (or usually messenger bag, in my case), so it is not too heavy and fatigue causing. Delicate produce, eggs and any bread products go in the messenger bag. But really, I’ve never had a problem (except when I forgot to zip my son’s backpack and a pedestrian had to tell us that toilet paper rolls were falling out).

It also encourages me to shop near home so I’m not lugging it any further than necessary.

Liz

[eminva]

I am also reluctant to join in, but in Vienna, I do think the police maintain a visible presence around schools (and the eponymous school is across the street from the Pox HQ) and at key intersections near schools. I have seen enforcement of both speeding and stop sign running (the latter is enforced as to cyclists as well as automobiles).

Liz

[eminva]

Happy Wednesday!

Pete is out of town, but the show must go on. We will be having the Freshbikes Mosaic Wednesday Night Ride tonight. Gather at the shop 6-6:15 p.m. and we will pull out promptly at 6:30 p.m. We will follow our regular route through Vienna with a pace group available for anyone. This is a no drop ride.

The pre-ride will NOT be held this afternoon. Thank you for your patience.

The weather could not be any more perfect. Hope to see you there!

Liz

[eminva]

@DismalScientist 62840 wrote:

I hate to be a pedant, but there is an implied crosswalk at every intersection. The addition of painted white lines does not matter.

True, but there is a gap of 140 feet between where the trail ends at the street and the intersection. There is not a sidewalk there (there is kind of a shoulder part of the way). You can see it in the street view of his map above. I think that is what he was referring to.

Liz

[eminva]

Now I see what you mean. We had the scouts get off their bikes and walk to the intersection, now that I think of it. It is awkward. But there is a lot about the CCT that is less than perfect, I suppose.

Liz

[eminva]

When I was doing recon for the scout rides through that section, there was a snake out sunning himself in the middle of the trail there. That added some incentive to get by in a hurry.

Liz

[eminva]

There is a street crossing there (Painted Daisy Drive, per Google maps) — I usually cross Hunter Village at that intersection and take the lane to where the trail picks up again. And we had all 14 Boy Scouts do it, too, as part of their road test.

Liz

[eminva]

I think you are talking about the trail as it winds up next to the townhouses? (I think they are townhouses?)

Looking at my GPS track, the steepest part is upwards of 20%. The whole section from where the hill starts to Hunter Village Drive is 9.5%.

Liz

[eminva]

I’ve spent a lot of time on the CCT this year, and while it is a great resource, it could use some better signage for sure. If I’m entering from Wakefield, I go behind the Audrey Moore Rec Center, wind between the ball fields, take a little unpaved and unmarked path that pops you out on the trail (which is pretty wide and in relatively good condition at that spot). From there, you can go either direction.

We used it a lot for training the scouts for the C&O trip because it offers long stretches with few road crossings and much less foot and bike traffic than the W&OD. For that reason, I often recommend it to novice cyclists. If only it weren’t so darn hard to navigate!

Liz

[eminva]

Interesting that he considers the clothes we wear on the bike, the type of bike we ride and the speed we travel as inimical to “transportation” cycling. My brother lives in the Netherlands and observed that most people who bike to work have very short commutes. When he tells people his sister in the US rides 14 miles/22 km to work, they are astonished and ask why I don’t drive or take public transportation. That sort of distance is associated with leisure cycling in the Netherlands, for which, I presume, you might choose to wear lycra, ride a road bike and move a little faster. Because our distances are greater here, I would expect cyclists to make a practical choice in terms of equipment, even for transportation cycling. I’m not gonna ride 14 miles on a bakfiets in a straw hat and sun dress. I might do that to go to the farmer’s market, though.

It was pretty sobering to hear his commentary on the vehicular cycling style left turn. I do it and teach others to do it, but when you look at it through someone else’s eyes . . . well, it would be nice if we had other options, that’s for sure.

Liz

[eminva]

@lordofthemark 62571 wrote:

will folks from outside the ballot area be able to speak (such as folks from the hummer road section of annandale?) Is there a FABB position to support the speed bumps (I personally prefer a multiuse path on a road like that – but I bike kinda slowly)

Sorry for chiming in late. I believe Bruce Wright of FABB means to weigh in on the issue in favor of speed humps. The thinking is that they will at least slow down traffic and any more extensive cyclist friendly infrastructure is a non-starter at this point.

There are FABB members who live in that area and may have attended the meeting.

Sorry my recollection is kind of hazy — I am not familiar with that part of the county so this is all I can recall of the discussion.

Liz

[eminva]

@Bilsko 62507 wrote:

Glad to hear you’re doing alright!

I didn’t get off quite as easy. Fractured Acetabular means at least a month of recovery for me.

On the bright side, this will make waiting to make my next bike purchase until 2014 models come out and 2013 prices drop a bit easier! Test rides will have to wait.

Whew, had to look that one up and ouch, that doesn’t sound good. Rest, relax and hope you feel better soon.

Liz

[eminva]

Moco Epic? Various cyclocross events? Or are you limiting this to road bike stuff?

Liz

[eminva]

My question would be: how public is the garage? Do only employees of your company park there? Or are “strangers” routinely coming and going through there?

1801 K has a secure bike parking facility — you need a specially coded key card to enter it. I don’t know how non-tenants go about getting access, but you could ask property management (they are located on the L Street side, the next door down from the Nordstrom Rack entrance). The only problem is that the facility is packed during good weather.

I’ll send you a pm about where I park my bike — I feel it is fairly secure.

Liz

[Author]

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