[JimF22003]

@DismalScientist 3976 wrote:

This area is a dangerous design. The bike path puts you not only on a sidewalk, but a sidewalk in the opposite direction of traffic.

Exactly. I can think of five or six hacky somewhat dangerous things to do there, but none of it seems very safe.

CCrew, yes the “cobbles” are probably just formed concrete dyed red. I guess I don’t have much of an aesthetic sense It still seems like a glorified sidewalk to me, and I really don’t like to ride on sidewalks unless there’s no alternative.

[JimF22003]

Have fun! About a year ago I followed a cue sheet that I got on the Potomac Pedalers site that went through Fredricksburg, The Wilderness, Chancellorsville etc. Pretty amazing to cover the same amount of ground in an afternoon on a bike that we fought over for 5 years in that terrible conflict.

[JimF22003]

I’ve seen some Surly’s at the Spokes in Vienna. I don’t know if they have them in stock, but I know they can order them.

[JimF22003]

I hit the pitstop in Tysons about 7:30 this morning. I actually had to go a little “extra” to get to it, since my office is right where Gallows crosses Rt 7. I haven’t ridden on Int’l Drive before, especially during rush hour, so that was an adventure… Only a couple of other riders were there when i got there, but the folks at the booths were all great. I even won a prize, which was a choice from the box o’ goodies. I picked up another inner tube. Can’t get enough of those

[JimF22003]

I find cycling is good to maintain my weight, but it doesn’t really help me lose weight by itself. I ride a lot (8500 miles last year) but I can easily “out-eat” my riding. Over the course of the summer I might slowly lose 5 to 10 pounds. But to really lose weight I think you need to control your food intake. I doubt any exercise on its own can make up for too many Big Macs and the inevitable fries with that.

Can’t compare biking to swimming. I do know that I can ride a bike for 8 hours a day. I used to be able to run for an hour at the most till my knees gave out. I don’t know how long the average swimmer swims, but it’s probably not 8 hours, or even 1 hour. So for long, sustained effort, which uses up a lot of calories, I think biking may have an edge.

[JimF22003]

@DaveK 3711 wrote:

There’s plenty of carbon in my house, but I’m just saying, if the Devil took one less car to his fiddle duel he’d show up on a carbon bike.

Hmm, he’d probably be playing one of these carbon fiber violins: http://www.luisandclark.com/shop/violin/
[IMG]http://www.luisandclark.com/shop/images/17[/IMG]

[JimF22003]

Hmm, I wasn’t aware that any part of it was illegal for bikes. I don’t recall seeing any signs like you would for a freeway, or a limited access road.

I’ve only ridden on it a couple of times, but I got so much abuse from drivers, that I don’t do it any more. I don’t normally let the honkers and buzzers bother me, but it was really bad, even though I wasn’t inconveniencing them in the least (unless moving over into the left lane is an immense hardship for them…)

[JimF22003]

I don’t think there is any part of Rt 7 this is suitable for bikes, until maybe you get out past Purcellville. I ride on a very short section of it when I’m doing the climb out of Bluemont up to Blue Ridge Mt Rd (601 where Mt. Weather is). Nasty.

[JimF22003]

Very sorry to hear this. I actually had a scare at that same point a week or so ago, only it was while making a right-turn onto the W&OD. I was coming down the hill way too fast, and the light was green. I was riding on the tops instead of the drops, so I didn’t have the best control of the brakes. As I hit the W&OD I was going too fast, and nearly went off onto Four Mile Run.

I could see how somebody could make a similar miscalculation while turning onto the access road.

[JimF22003]

Sweet! There’s a century out of Cumberland in August that I did last year. I took the day off the day before to ride down to the Paw Paw tunnel on the cross bike the day before. If I do it again this year, I’m definitely heading up the GAP.

[JimF22003]

Also I understand the GAP is not “paved” either. It’s supposed be crushed limestone. It’s a better surface than the C&O, but still not paved.

I rode about 50 miles of the C&O from the Cumberland end south last summer on a cross bike with 700/35 tires, and was still pretty beaten up.

[JimF22003]

I did my first commute of the year today. I’m so ashamed…

I tried to look like a “regular” out there today, but I don’t think I was fooling anybody…

[JimF22003]

Here’s me telling the truth. I stop now if the cars have the right of way, but continue on through the “don’t walk” sign if there are no cars.

I will do the same thing with a red light.

[JimF22003]

Woodford to Old Courthouse Rd is not bad at all. There are some tricks with parking lots to get over to Rt 7. Do use the little gravel cutover that runs besides the Navy Fed Credit Union that jabberwocky mentioned. Unless it’s real muddy it’s fine on a road bike. It’s only about half a block or so.

When I ride down Gallows from the W&OD I usually take the side path for most of it. It’s bumpy and there’s too many cuts for the intersections, but I don’t like racing the traffic on Gallows much. Supposedly they will be adding painted bike lanes at some point in the next year like the ones that run from the W&OD down to the Merrifield metro. That will help some.

[JimF22003]

hi justa,

Rolling hills can vary, but basically it suggests something other than a half-mile or more consistent climb. It can vary from short stuff you can power over, to stuff where it pays to gear down and spin. Comparable stuff on the routes you mentioned that I’m familiar with:

Mt Vernon: think of going over the two bridges near the airport over and over, some a little longer, some a little shorter, but about that steep. Similar to the hills right at the end of the Mt Vernon Trail as you get up to George’s house
Custis: like the hills up from the river including the steepies along I66
Off W&OD, like going up Walter Reed. That would probably be about the steepest, although you will hit some that are longer

If you’ve done the complete W&OD there are some easily-accessible routes right off the trail that will give you some idea, like Simpson’s Circle & Meadowlark Drive in Paeonian Springs. Off of Dry Mill Road you can ride up Woodburn. That hill is about the worst you would run into on the Reston Century I think. You can ride the loop up that and then back into Hamilton on Harmony Church. In fact I think the Reston Century uses that route. And of course Snickersville Pike pretty much is the definition of “rollers” around this area.

I’ve done the RC twice, but skipped it last year because I’ve ridden all those roads so many times I got a bit sick of them. But it’s a great ride.

If you can you might want to try a flatter century or two first. The Cap2Cap ride is coming up in two weeks. That’s easy and scenic.

Have fun, and I’m sure you can do it!

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