[GuyContinental]

@mfrasketi 31864 wrote:

Thanks all for the replies. I’m a but nervous about my return through RCP. What I have read, Beach is only closed north of Broad Branch. There are still a number of miles to go on branch to get to lower DC. I plan to leave Alexandria around 8AM tomorrow (Sat), so I should be in DC around 10 or 11.

Does this route look safe/doable mid-morning tomorrow. I’m mostly concerned about lower RCP to Georgetown/Watergate area, from there I’m familiar with the route.

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1742948/

Thanks

I’d be concerned with the RCP section between the closed Beech section and where the trail starts at Woodley Park. People absolutely ride RCP traffic or no but I’ve always found it a bit stressful (and so, no longer do it unless I’m with a big pack of riders). If it were me I’d head to 16th and down. More traffic over all but there are bike lanes and anxious drivers can get around you. Others probably will have other alternates…

GBT is fine in the dirt- I rode it through a winter on 23mm road tires and although I got dirty, I never had so much as a flat.

[GuyContinental]

@SerialCarpins 31750 wrote:

Ah, gotcha…yeah, that’s a tough call…I can’t imagine parking anywhere in DC minus a uLock…. good luck, and enjoy the trip to the Zoo….I’m due for a trip there, myself.

The new “America Trail” section is really nice- hard to believe that you are in central DC… (I have little kids, thus I basically live at the zoo on weekends, just have never ridden there)

Bought a U-lock last night; should be good to go once I add some duct-tape camouflage to my frame

[GuyContinental]

@ShawnoftheDread 31687 wrote:

Does it work better than the visors mounted on some helmets, or do you mean this only if your helmet is visorless? Yesterday the sun was shining between my helmet visor and the top of my sunglasses–very hard to get the right head angle to block it while still seeing.

Only one data-point, but I’d say it works way better than the built-in visor on many helmets, it ends up very close to your eyes providing shade without dipping your head forward. It can also be flipped up for riding in the drops or as an ELITE multiplier.*

*Yesterday riding in my matchy-poo CAPPO black & white stripped kit, white Rudy Project sunglasses and black cap I was as ELITE as I ever get (major demerits for the battered, muddy CX with clean road wheels and not so subtle pirate regalia)

[GuyContinental]

@Dirt 31675 wrote:

Great post sir!!!!

Wearing a cycling cap under your helmet can help… one that has a bit of a visor on it. That also helps with on-coming headlights.

Based on an earlier Dirt post regarding cycling caps I just started wearing one and it really does cut down on both issues- however, at least for me and my pinhead, there is a fine line between a hat brim position blocking glare and blocking all vision if you get in your drops… It also makes me feel all sorts of ELITE.

[GuyContinental]

I just found that as well- I can picture the racks at the lion hill, they are surprisingly deep in the zoo and pretty much across the path from the Zoo PD- it would take some real chutzpah to mess with a reasonably well locked up bike there. My issue is that most of my locks are the “deterrent” type rather than high end U-locks… I might buy a U-lock just to have around.

[GuyContinental]

Avast ye lubbers astride your velocipedes, in two shakes I be leaving this dismal port for the fine straits of the double-u annnd oh dee under fair skies and what promises to be a following wind. I be searchin’ for my fair wench, and the tankard of grog that my wee cabin boy shall bring on my safe arrival. May all ye be as fortunate in your travels today… you be good folk, I be glad I let you live.

[GuyContinental]

@consularrider 31503 wrote:

What is this thing, “snowplough”? I ain’t ne’er seen one on that thar section of the W&OD. Be ye offerin’?

That’s the spirit matey- just attach a sharp-jawed wench to yer bow and charge through the drifts o’ white stuff.

[GuyContinental]

@Certifried 31489 wrote:

arrrr, keep yer filthy rudder clear of me poopdeck!

Yeargh, there be barnacles on that rudder! Potholes closed lads, we be keeping the bilges dry tonight…

[GuyContinental]

@Bilsko 31482 wrote:

I’ll just leave this here: http://physics.ucsd.edu/do-the-math/2011/11/mpg-of-a-human/

Yawwwnnn- I eat whether I drive or ride- the whole bikers get a lower (or nearly equivalent) mpg than cars thing holds precisely no weight in my book. But it’s a well written and fun-to-read analysis.

[GuyContinental]

Arrr!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1717[/ATTACH]

[GuyContinental]

@krazygl00 31361 wrote:

You fled the cops? You…HOODLUM!!

Is it my fault if I wasn’t 100% sure they were talking to me? After all I could barely hear the loudspeaker over my death-metal music… and the zillion candlepower spotlights were waaaay better for high speed technical trail navigation than my NR mininewts.

Also lived in Mexico for awhile, there fleeing the cops is a way of life… we are very very lucky to live in a place where you can *generally* trust a LEO to be at least trying to do the right thing

[GuyContinental]

@jabberwocky 31348 wrote:

Obviously I agree that trails like the W&OD should be treated like the transportation corridor they are, which means open 24-7.

I think that the key is that LEOs need the closure regs in place to roust out folks that don’t belong- getting rid of the regs might make the trail less safe(?). It becomes a problem when an overzealous officer starts chasing commuters down.

I used to live in Phoenix and did a ton of night MTB riding in the mountain preserves (when it’s 110 degrees in the day you pretty much have to ride at night)- due to similar “sundown” laws (that frankly, I was blissfully ignorant of) I was once chased by a Maricopa County (Sheriff Joe Arpaio) helicopter and had my trail exit barricaded by cruisers… thankfully, I had a obscure alternate exit but the whole thing put a bad taste in my mouth- even from the air I was clearly on a mountain bike and they wasted a TON of resources trying to chase me down… for what? You’d think that the libertarian Arizonians would respect my ‘rights to ride in public resource whenever I chose. Maybe I needed a horse and a gun to fit the right profile…

Yes, I recognize that the resource wastage was instigated by my ignorance of the law, but selective enforcement should have kicked in here somewhere… maybe they were bored

[GuyContinental]

@jnva 31351 wrote:

And how are you supposed to rollerblade over these things?

Why get up lots of speed and jump of course… right into Cedar ln.

[GuyContinental]

@Tim Kelley 31331 wrote:

Can anyone share details on where these are specifically located? Photos of the installation would be great too.

Both sides of Cedar Ln on the W&OD about 15′ back from the intersection. Despite my cavalier “they aren’t a big deal” a guy next to me almost cratered on them yesterday- wet/icy they might actually be dangerous.

[GuyContinental]

@bluerider 31317 wrote:

Just got a new light yesterday. The Kong Blinder 4V

Awesome name, expect ire from the blinded Kongs

[Author]

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