[JimF22003]

Hi Lenny,

One thing you might want to touch on is what a great resource forums like this one are. There’s no reason for every commuter to make the same mistakes and have to learn the same lessons for him or herself, when there are decades of experience represented in places like this.

[JimF22003]

I’m completely unbalanced in many ways.

I’m single, and old enough not to be putting in 70 hour weeks anymore at work. Cycling is about my main hobby or recreational activity other than reading. So basically I’m either sitting on my butt at work, or while reading, or out on my bike.

Until two months ago, that is, when I had to have emergency abdominal surgery. I was off the bike for a month, and it was horrible. I was able to ride a bit for two weeks after that, and although I was very weak and had lost tons of fitness, at least I could ride.

Then two weeks ago I had more complications and have been back off the bike. So I haven’t been able to ride for 6 of the last 8 weeks.

I never knew how much cycling meant to me until I had it taken away.

[JimF22003]

Can anyone recommend a bell that has a quick-release that works well? I’d put one on while on the MUP but there’s no way I’m riding out on the road with one

[JimF22003]

The hubs on my road bike are insanely loud when I coast (think swarm of angry bees through a loudspeaker.) I coast past folks I’m passing, and many times I’ve had walkers turn around and look, or give me the “thanks” finger wave as I come up behind them just from them hearing the hub noise.

On a narrowish section of trail I’ll almost always just say “passing” rather than “on your left.” OYL makes too many folks, such as the unfortunate walker in this story, veer right into my path.

OK here’s where I may make a few enemies: on a nice WIDE section of trail with good sight lines, and no oncoming traffic, I will just pass without saying anything (or maybe just rely on the hub noise to announce my presence.) I move completely into the left lane any don’t come anywhere near “buzzing” the walker. In my experience this is safer than unnecessarily confusing the walker (50% of whom are using earphones anyway, and wouldn’t hear an air-raid siren.)

[JimF22003]

I’ve done this ride twice. Very nice. They usually donate a couple of nice bikes to some of the boys and girls they support, and let them lead the group for a bit on the way out of town. Not a very hard route as I recall except for a couple of challenging rollers near the battlefield monument outside of Winchester (I forget the name of the battle.) I’d do it again this year, but I’m still dealing with some post-surgical health issues.

Recommended.

[JimF22003]

By the end of the day Gallows will have on-street bike lanes in both directions all the way from Cottage St up to Tysons Corner, FWIW. They were paving the last little section by Electric Ave at noontime.

[JimF22003]

Don’t trust Google Maps, is the answer

Many of the gravel roads are in fact on Google Street view however if you zoom in close enough. Sometimes you can tell whether the road is paved or not that way.

[JimF22003]

OK, this pic isn’t of anything that happened at a pitstop, but it was on my route home from work this evening.

They’re starting to paint the new bike lanes on Gallows Rd today:

[JimF22003]

They’ve started painting the bike lanes on Gallows Rd today:

[JimF22003]

Hit the Tysons rest stop at the mall in front of LL Bean. This year’s stop was much easier to get to than where they had it last year. Nice folks, good schwag. Saw quite a few commuters this morning but almost all of them were going the other way…

[JimF22003]

I’m always more worried about a dog running under my wheels than I am about getting bit. If I make it past the dog without getting knocked off the bike, the last thing I’m interested in doing is making sure the poor doggie makes it home alright…

[JimF22003]

thanks for the encouragement liz and jorge. I’m sure I’m a bit ahead of the game from being in pretty good shape already. In the hospital they always did a double-take at my low resting heart rate, and strong lung and heart sounds.

Mostly they seemed curious about my odd tan-lines. Everybody wanted to know if I were a golfer

[JimF22003]

Looks like this is on. Where they’re repaving and repainting the road between the W&OD and Idylwood, they’re painting a yellow dividing stripe right down the middle of the road (i.e. putting the road on a “diet” and removing the center passing lane to make room for the new bike lanes on the side of the road. Hopefully in another couple of weeks we’ll have on-road bike lanes running all the way from the Merrifield metro to Tysons at Rt 7.

[JimF22003]

Rootchopper to the rescue with a little bit of schadenfreude

[JimF22003]

I’ve done the CWC three times I think (and ridden the route solo a couple of other times.) The hilliness is mostly in the form of rollers, which can grind you down a bit. The actual “climbs” that I recall from memory are

1) right out of Thurmont for 4 or 5 miles, mostly 5-6% with some steeper sections
2) up to Gathland Park near Burkittsville, fairly short, but 7-8%
3) a long climb out of Smithsburg (Raven Rock and Ritchie Rd)

This is a great ride, but it does sell out, so get your money in soon

[Author]

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