[JorgeGortex]

1. Car 30-45min home (just west of Ballston) – work (near King St. metro)
2. Bike 45-48min (I’m sure I can bring that number down)

I have a 4 month old, and I coach in the afternoons. The distances, several changes of clothing, and the desire to support my wife/see my son mean the car is a necessity for me these days. After May when my coaching is done for the year I’ll be back to the bike more.

I used to stay with a gf near Ballston, hop the metro to work and back. That always was a 45-1+ commute. Many times I’d get off in Rosslyn on the way home instead of fighting the crowds, and walk/run back to Ballston. I finally got fed up with the crowds and delays and took to the car full time (before finding my love for cycling again). Frankly, my car does offer a good bit of freedom, I have XM radio with numerous way to kick back while I drive home. I also hope that I offer a sane person on the road for drivers and cyclists vs. the arrogant-I’m-in-a-constant-hurry-because-I-am-more-important-than-you-people. Still, the bike offers the most fun, sun, and health benefit. Bar none.

JG

[JorgeGortex]

It appears the die has been cast already (congrats on your new gear), but I noticed that no one mentioned Time ATAC pedals. I have them on all my bikes (for convenience) and really like them. Double sided with a bit of platform, I’ve never had a problem clipping into them, or found hotspots from them at the contact point. Best of all, when I’ve biffed I’ve popped out of them before I’ve even thought of twisting out. Mind you (knock on wood) I’ve not had any serious accident… just sliding out on an off camber turn, on leaves, on my mountain bike. For what it is worth I’ve paired them with a pair of Sidi Dominator MTB shoes, which I like. Not the greatest for walking, but tough and comfortable (although I need a half size larger, drats!).

Good luck and have fun with your new gear.

JG

[JorgeGortex]

Well, now that we know for sure that the Mayan Calendar Apocalypse was a hoax (smarty pants Mayans), I now have time to get really prepared! Introducing the Bug-out Bike!

http://youtu.be/ckvF5I_BWWc

Please note that a leather cow boy hat is mandatory as well.

[JorgeGortex]

Huh. I’ll have to look at the current plans. The plans might include a drive and parking only so that emergency vehicles and handicapped requirements are met. The students would all arrive by foot or bike, probably through the tunnel from near campus to the CC trail. There is no way a boat trailer could make it down there in that confined space and turn around to come back up the street. As someone who has pulled those trailers (longer than a semi!) it would not work to back it up all the way either. The team would have to walk boats up to the Aqueduct area, near PBC. (and how neat would be if they used cargo-trailer bikes to move gear up the path to the trailer and back?!)

I think it would be sad to remove the Aqueduct Bridge section. Anyway, it might be designated as historical, as part of the Tow Path, and its NPS park.

JG

[JorgeGortex]

I hear you about the signage. Before they renovated Whitehurts there were dead end signs at street level. It helped, but back then the cobbled street with trolley tracks did more to keep random traffic out. The other problem is that many a GPS indicates that is the way to get to Key Bridge. Or at least that is how it is interpreted. As annoying at it is we find it amusing. We don’t even have to look up to know the person is lost and doesn’t know it for 5-4-3-2-1 about now. What we’ve been told is that you really have to get a DC councilman involved to get anything to change. Personally if I was driving down that way, I’d question my GPS directions long before I got there.

Its off topic, but as for the Georgetown boathouse project… shouldn’t affect the trail at all. There will be no vehicular parking down on site, at least that is my understanding. The most you will get are most students on bikes…

[JorgeGortex]

Capitol Crescent Trail, near trail head in Georgetown-

Me: guy in the car trying to maneuver so I could safely fit through the one car width space between parked cars and moving truck.

You: Neon Clad ELITE COMMUTER with attitude problem.

You showed an absolutely lack of positive cycling brotherhood when you stared me down, flicked me off, and then proceed to exchange verbal “pleasantries” with me because I was trying drive where you were riding. Considering I was going a whopping 2 mph for the express reason that I didn’t have my comic book ad X-Ray Glasses and couldn’t see through the giant moving truck and KNEW that cyclists would be coming en mass during rush hour, you should have been grateful. Any other ninny would have plowed through there with no regard for you or anyone else. You, fellow cyclist, have earned the “Brick with Love” award.

ps- next time you spill profanities at someone, at least have the guts to not continue riding away while doing it.

[JorgeGortex]

Fruits. The birds would make too much of a mess.

[JorgeGortex]

This just did not work when I tried it with kiwis…

[JorgeGortex]

Truth.

[JorgeGortex]

As I was driving home from work up Washington Blvd near W-L in Arlington the other night I came upon a ninja cyclist, one tiny blinky, dressed all in black, pedaling along blissfully unaware of how invisible he was at rush hour as he wove in between cars in this congested section of roadway. Annoyed at how bad he made conscientious cyclists look while endangering himself and the drivers around him I day dreamed:

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Please note the heart. That’s for Dirt. How I miss being on my bike instead of in my car…

Gortex

[JorgeGortex]

@baiskeli 36149 wrote:

Tim, if you ever come across a bloody, still, seemingly lifeless horse lying in the bike trail and you go up close to inspect it and it suddenly rises up and bites your face off with its big horse teeth and tramples you and breaks all you leg and arm bones with its huge hooves, don’t say I didn’t warn you about beating horses until you are absolutely sure they are dead.

Oooh, can I bunny-hop it?!

[JorgeGortex]

@bobco85 36177 wrote:

As far as that woman who brought up invasion of privacy, I’m sure if she stopped to think about it a little longer she’d probably realize that it isn’t (unless she considers red-light, speed, police car, and security cameras all to be invasions of privacy). I’ll be generous and chalk that comment up to her being in front of a camera and its effect on her behavior.

I think what the comments by this woman showed were those of clueless entitlement. I don’t think her comment was well thought out, and suspect might not be if she is unable to put herself into the shoes of another. The second woman interviewed showed the sadly combative nature of so many people. Especially drivers. “Oh, yeah?! I’ll get you too!” If I were faced with a discussion where the person’s response was similar to this woman’s… I’d probably say: “Great idea. Go for it. Help us crack down on numbskull cyclists that make the rest of us look bad.”

As I’ve always said, common sense is in short supply amongst the human population in general…

[JorgeGortex]

Well, I blow #’s 29, 32, 34, 50 (currently). I love being a rule breaker. Now, where is my cafe mocha?

[JorgeGortex]

I’ve been involved in the sport of rowing since hs some (erk!) 25 years ago. The thing that rowing did for me is make me impervious to weather… or at least a bad attitude about weather. Is it cold/wet/snowing/sleeting/O’dark-30? Eh, so what? It is life, it is nature, it is a challenge and obstacle to overcome. This mentality has helped me make it through some miserable days in late February when the rest of the world is holed up under blankets with hot chocolate. I feel invigorated having not let the natural world stop me, but instead becoming part of it. Experience over the years has given me the wisdom to know when to back off a bit and play it safe so that I can enjoy these challenges long into my dottering old man years.

Life is to be experienced, get out there (smartly). Cheers to ya Pete.

JG

[JorgeGortex]

@off2ride 33957 wrote:

Arlington’s finest should patrol Custis trail once it gets dark. A lot of these runners using the trail don’t have any kind of blinkie or reflective vest on. To make things worse, they’re wearing dark colored clothing. I’d ticket them if I was the law.

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