[eminva]

Today was my first flex day of my life so I rode out to Herndon for FCC III for a change of pace. Saw hozn, KS1G, FFX_Hinterlands, culimerc and a couple of others who I don’t think are on the forum.

The only trouble was that due to the wide variation in peoples’ schedules, some people had to go before others arrived.

The people at Green Lizard Cycling are very nice.

If you can make it out this way, stop by some Friday!

Liz

[eminva]

@LooseFur 55205 wrote:

But barring that, once Beach Drive ends at Garrett Part are you on bike path much of the way to the ICC and then is there a path below the ICC? I know there are some gorgeous roads north of Olney. Have you ridden these?

I can confirm that there is a paved path from Garrett Park to Lake Needwood and from there, easy roads to the ICC trail. The trail is kind of twisty-turny and not in great condition, so your speed will be limited. If you want, you can bail out to neighborhood streets for some of that; take a look at a map if you are interested.

The ICC path is nice, one of the nicest bike paths in the region IMO. Too bad it doesn’t really go anywhere.

North of the ICC is terra incognita to me. Sorry.

Liz

[eminva]

@Terpfan 55113 wrote:

The climb up Sherill and Aspen is not fun.

This is very true. But it is doable, and my son and I did it often when he was riding stoker on the trailer cycle at about age 5-6. That was before the days of Kidical rides so it was just us.

(The latter sentence in an entree for dasgeh to make another pitch for the Kidical ride THIS SUNDAY).

The going down part is fun though: Those crazy kids

Liz

[eminva]

@jrenaut 55101 wrote:

After taking Metro, if we don’t get hail, I’m going to be ticked.

@KayakCyndi 55102 wrote:

Oh, and now I’m miffed that I didn’t ride today.

Same here. I just got my bike back from the shop last night, all spiffy with shiny new components, and I didn’t want to get it all messed up on the first day. Rule 9 failure. Or perfect day failure. Whichever.

Liz

[eminva]

They spontaneously gave me a free month, but I cancelled at the end. If you have a heart rate monitor and cadence sensor I think it gives you some cool tools, but I do not so all that was lost on me.

You can also slice and dice your segment results by age and I believe weight (so ELITE!).

Liz

[eminva]

Saw Rod Smith locking up on K Street while I was running lunchtime errands. Nice to see you, Rod, and glad you got a nice day to work!

Liz

[eminva]

Isn’t this what alley cats are for?

Liz

[eminva]

Hello All —

Almost eight months have passed since this thread and I wanted to give you an update. Thanks for the great advice, all of which I found useful. Here is where we are now:

We have 15 scouts, ages 11 through 16, who have been training since January, along with adults, some of whom are riding and some driving support vehicles. Since January, these scouts have done all of the following: learned basic bike maintenance, learned basic bike handling skills and how to ride in traffic and participated in 15 training rides, the longest of which was 34 miles. Most of our training rides were on the Accotink Creek Trail although some were on the W&OD. My husband is handling the considerable logistical arrangements — van support, camping, meals and other necessities.

The scouts are super enthusiastic and excited about the trip in July. They are real troupers. The scouts did not make a single peep of whining on our ride from Purcellville to Vienna yesterday — just smiles all around.

I have one more question: I have Look Keo pedals on my bike, but would recessed cleats be a better choice for the towpath? I can switch to the SPD pedals/mountain bike shoes, but I don’t know what it best, given the potential for mud and what not. Please advise.

Thanks very much.

Liz

[eminva]

@Dirt 54620 wrote:

Liz stopped by work today to get a little work done on her bike.

Nice to see you!!!

Nice to see you, too! Forgot one of the questions I had for the pros at Freshbikes; I will start (or resurrect) another thread to get the collective wisdom of the Forum folks.

Liz

[eminva]

@jrenaut 54443 wrote:

Since this bike is a little bigger than my old one and didn’t fit on the ceiling, I had to find somewhere else to put it.

I hope you never have to move to the ‘burbs. I can’t wait to see how you work the whole family fleet in there, especially when the kids are on adult bikes.

Liz

[eminva]

@hozn 54295 wrote:

I’m pretty sure I also passed eminva between Vienna & Gallows on my abnormally late ride westward ?

Yes, probably so. There are actually quite a few westbound commuters, and sometimes I see someone and wonder, “Is that someone I know? Or is he one of the “Bobs” who looks familiar because I see him going the other way every day?” So I sort of thought it was you but then figured I was wrong because IIRC you usually commute earlier.

As a Fairfax County resident, it is great to see so many of you headed the other way, doing the unexpected commute.

Liz

[eminva]

@Dickie 54274 wrote:

Said “HI” to Eminva this morning as she passed the Fairfax exit on Custis…. at least I hope it was her… if not, I said “HI” to a complete stranger who responded very nicely.

Yep, that was me, nice to see you!

Liz

[eminva]

I think I saw consularrider on the Brandymore Castle hill this afternoon — coming east while I was going west. I didn’t realize it was him until I heard his voice when he called his pass to a walker ahead of him. That was just as I went by.

Liz

[eminva]

@dcv 54107 wrote:

eminva!

Nice to ride in with you, dcv. And nice pic! You have implemented the Dirt method of photography well.

And Mr. Yellow Jersey, sorry I didn’t get your name, nice riding part of the way with you, too.

Liz

[eminva]

I think bollards are considered unworkable on the W&OD because there are legitimate reasons motor vehicles need access (park authority trucks picking up trash or doing maintenance, utility trucks servicing the transmission lines and emergency vehicles).

There have been flexible posts at a few intersections, including Maple Avenue and Sandburg Street in Dunn Loring, but those have not always stood the test of time. I assume they would deter the average confused but not dramatically impaired motorist.

Liz

[Author]

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