[eminva]

@Dirt 46584 wrote:

It was clear and cleaned up when I rode through at lunch, but they’re not done yet. The stone work still has spacers and unsealed joints on it. I honestly don’t think the project is completed yet. There may be some event going through that requires that the path be open. The detour signs are still in place. My guess is that they’ve still got a few weeks of work left.

I saw that too, but my fear was that they think they are done and somehow the final inspection missed this (or didn’t happen). I saw some landscapers working below the wall on the opposite side, which also made me think, “last stage of project completion.”

Liz

[eminva]

@Greenbelt 46643 wrote:

Training day
[ATTACH=CONFIG]2547[/ATTACH]

Photo Credit: Sir Rod Smith

Okay, now I’m curious to know what you are training for – ? Does this have something to do with the kinetic sculpture race?

Liz

[eminva]

Don’t know where in Takoma Park you are, but starting from the Carroll/Laurel/Eastern triangle:

South on Laurel, cross over into DC
Turn right on Aspen
Turn left on Piney Branch (bike lanes)
Piney Branch turns into 13th
Turn right on Colorado
Turn left on 14th (bike lanes)
At U Street, you could hop over to 15th Street if you want to ride in the cycle track and avoid Thomas Circle.
Turn left on G Street to destination

This takes you into downtown a little west of your destination, but it takes advantage of bicycle lanes and optionally, cycletrack.

I used to commute this way and it was safe and direct. Good luck!

Liz

[eminva]

I am Liz. Usually seen on a white Cannondale Synapse, either commuting on the late shift both ways or out riding with the boy scouts on the weekend. Sometimes when we are very lucky and our schedules allow, I follow acc around the local hills.

Here is a picture with both me and Dirt in it.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2526[/ATTACH]

I know there is a picture somewhere on the internet of me in a strategic spot in Alexandria. Can’t seem to locate it at the moment.

And I’ll see your Fruita and raise you a Saguaro National Park.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2527[/ATTACH]

Liz

[eminva]

My brother got the Alfine you mention recently and he likes it, although he finds it requires almost as much maintenance as his old derailler-based drivetrain — but he lives in a seaside town with constant ocean spray that gets salt into everything, so YMMV.

Liz

[eminva]

@Rod Smith 46068 wrote:

OK, I started a new team. It’s called Bike Arlington All Stars. I’d like to limit it to ten riders, until I figure out the advantages/disadvantages of small vs. large teams. If you are among the top nine in BAFS or your name is Pete Beers, you are welcome to join.

I thinks it’s a great idea to create a BA woman’s team.

Unless I’m very much mistaken, I believe one of your BAFS top nine is a woman.

Liz

[eminva]

My colleagues and I formed a workplace team last year. One of my colleagues is hoping to continue the tradition and wanted to get a little rivalry going with other financial services regulatory teams. If you work in financial services regulation, and think employees at your agency/organization might be fielding a team, let me know and I can put your team’s organizers in touch with him.

Liz

[eminva]

@KelOnWheels 45961 wrote:

I just want to apologize to my team for falling apart in February and not recovering I had such a good January too!

— Sniffly Kel the Metro Plague victim

Kel, you have noting to apologize for! Thanks to you, our team is in first place for Sleaze Rides!

Liz

[eminva]

@ShawnoftheDread 45870 wrote:

So if I commit to a summer competition, I can relieve some pressure for the rest of the winter competition? Hmm….

Can’t speak for the others, but you have like a 260 mile advantage on me. There is no scenario where I can make that up in eight days. So back off all you want!

In all seriousness, if you enjoyed this, or found it inspiring, by all means, join up with the NBC. I’m sure there will be enough interested BA folks to field several teams again.

As for me, I have a lot of riding planned, but I think I will enjoy it more without being part of a larger effort.

Liz

[eminva]

@DismalScientist 45866 wrote:

This will only cause me to throw the last week of Freezing Saddles. The insanity must stop.:rolleyes:

That won’t work because I believe I am your competition for #11 and I would do exactly the same.

Liz

[eminva]

[ATTACH=CONFIG]2488[/ATTACH]

We snagged a lightly used 2010 Cannondale Quick CX on Craigslist. This is a similar model to the bike my husband used for his C&O Canal Trip in 2011, so we knew it would be good for the job, as well as a decent bike overall.

We took a ride today and he is happy with it. We might need to switch the saddle, but otherwise it seemed good.

Thanks so much for all your help and advice, very much appreciated. And thanks to dcv for the Craigslist tip.

Liz

[eminva]

@jrenaut 45588 wrote:

You can not get from Vienna to Tysons in five minutes without a helicopter or sirens.

Well, I might have exaggerated slightly, but depending on where you live and when you leave, you can get there close to that. As a swim mom, I know you can get there from the middle of Vienna at 5 a.m. on Sunday in that time. Evening rush from center of Vienna to Tysons — I agree, forget about it.

I was also trying to be discreet and not mention another large, local employer that might hold down average commute times — we have a ecret-say facility in the middle of ienna-Vay and some ooks-spay might be able to walk out their back doors and be there in ive-fay minutes.

Liz

[eminva]

Rapha’s Festa Della Donna starts now and runs through the weekend — their women’s collection is available at up to 50% off.

https://www.rapha.cc/shop/sale

Liz

[eminva]

@ShawnoftheDread 45575 wrote:

Most of my neighbors must not work downtown, because there’s no way I’d make it to DC in 30 minutes except on a holiday. My experience has been about an hour for driving or Metro, and an hour and 15 minutes by bike.

Same here, but in my case I think a lot of Vienna folks work in Tysons, so the one hour commutes and five minute commutes average out to 29 minutes. I noticed that we were not much higher than the 26 minute commutes for the couple of zip codes I checked in cachet-superior Arlington.

Liz

[eminva]

UPDATE:

The W&OD west of Dunn Loring (at least) to Vienna (at least) is impassable, IMO, without studded tires. There are two tracks worn in the snow/ice, one for each direction, but they are covered in black ice. I got off and walked the bike to Cedar and came home on surface streets. During my walk of shame, I had my first ever fall while I was not even on the bike.

I ran into another Freezing Saddles participant coming the other way and she said it was bad all the way from Falls Church.

Okay, now off to assess whether I need medical attention, and face up to my fears about this valuable company asset that was in my pannier on the side of the bike that went down . . .

Liz

[Author]

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