[KS1G]

I should be there 7am or slightly thereafter. Can’t stay until 8, however.

[KS1G]

Besides viewing segments by rider age and weight, you can filter by gender, by membership in groups, by “friends” (folks you follow or who follow you) and just your own results (commuters can see if we’re getting “better” on a particular overpass or hill). If you have a power meter, Strava generates watts vs. time plots that are a bit easier to read without a PhD in sports physiology vs. Training Peaks. If you just have a GPS-equipped smart phone, you can still log your rides (and runs) and see how you’re doing. The upload interface is simple and “just works” – far better designed IMO than the user interface mess on the MapMY sites.

[KS1G]

I’ve stopped there several times, an FMCC there would be great! (a little earlier would be preferable but I’ll try to work with it.)

[KS1G]

What about bike to a bus route, take bus in part-way, bike remainder? Or bus 1-way & bike home? (or the reverse). A friend who works downtown does this from the South Reston P&R.

[KS1G]

Is a cycling GPS the right tool for this use? I would be concerned with the adequacy of the bread crumb map in the Edge 5×0 (I have an Edge 500 so not familiar with what the 510 has). 810 (or 800) would better for the map display. Are battery life and weather-resistance (IPX7 typical for the Garmin bike units) sufficient for a day hike plus reserve time to get un-lost? GPS for hiking generally have better topo map displays, battery life, and may be more rugged vs. a cycling unit. Bring a compass (even if you lack a map, you’ll have some idea of which direction to go to reach civilization) in case the GPS with the fully charged battery isn’t (fully charged)!

[KS1G]

If you are not drinking until you get to your destination, use a real thermos instead of a travel mug – I think it will keep the coffee hot longer. I use a 24oz Nissan Thermos to carry coffee from home. It will keep at least a partial-full thermos at a drinkable temp much of the day. It is a bit large for a bottle cage but does fit – I have a smaller frame bike, so limited to downtube cage or mount behind-seat (tri-geek style). Very rugged (I’ve had it pop loose from behind-seat holders when I was experimeting with different cages) and does not leak. Interior cap and outer cap screw on so no chance of something popping off mid-ride. The Kleen Kanteen with cafe cap looks like their version of the same idea.

I had poor results using cheaper (local big-box store) brands – leaked, failed to keep coffee hot, self-ejected (followed by leakage), or combo of 2 or 3 failures!

[KS1G]

Oh the possibilities for this are endless!

– What about bad weather? Rain, SNOW?
– How to I keep my car from being STOLEN while I’m at work?
– How do I drive at NIGHT safely?
– Do I need special clothing?
– Will my neighbors & complete strangers yell, “Hey ” at me?
– Do I HAVE TO WEAR A SEAT BELT?

AAA can sponsor the “confident driving” classes with proper take-the-lane ettiquite, signaling, right & left hook technique, exiting parking lots, garages, and gas stations without really looking, parking on sidewalks and in bus and those silly skinny lanes on the side of some roads, …

[KS1G]

I’d investigate multi-mode (bike-bus-bike) options. Check the Fairfax Connector & MetroBus routes and look for routes that get you a bit closer to DC. Unless you get a folder (Bikes@Vienna), I do not think taking a bike on Metrorail is a viable option. I did a quick check on Google Maps – several bus routes (2B, 1C, I think) you could pick up from Fair Oaks Mall and take to Vienna Metro, Dunn Loring, or Ballston depending on the bus and how far you want to bike in. Check if any go past East Falls Church Metro (W&OD adjacent). May be other routes serving the Fairfax government center area and Monument Drive area. An all-bus option gives you alternatives if circumstances dictate not riding back that day and you want your bike with you. If you wanted to drive to the W&OD, there are P&R lots in Reston that might work for you. A friend takes a bus from the South Reston P&R to L’Enfant Plaza and bikes home, or bikes in and takes the bus home. The Reston routes will likely change next year once the Silver Line opens.

A bike route Google-maps suggests is Rugby-FFx Pkwy-Oxon Rd-West Ox-Lawyers Rd-Hunter Station. Lawyers has a bike path most of the way east (~last 1/2 mile is 2-lane/no shoulder), Hunter Station will test your brakes going east and your climbing gears and legs coming home. I’d cut over to Glade (lighter traffic) and take Twin Branch-S Lakes-Sunrise Valley to get to the W&OD if you prefer to avoid that last section of Lawyers & Hunter Station. I would not take Lawyers east into Vienna. Approx 26 miles 1-way. Figure 2 hours, maybe longer in the afternoon depending on how fast you ride & how well you climb the hills from Rosslyn and coming into Reston. I don’t know the Fair Oaks area well enough to suggest more direct routes towards the W&OD in Vienna.

[KS1G]

I’ve had AAA membership for eons – parents did, so I did. Haven’t used a trip-tik in eons, sometimes use the hotel discount (my wife’s Priceline-fu is so awesome, so not often), and have used roadside assistance a few times. I think I’ve kept the service more for the roadside help (and the muzak while you wait in the phone queue), and for my wife & two college-age kids. And I write angry letters to them reminding I pay for FOUR drivers and they are going to lose my business if they continue to do stuff like the OP posted, which get ignored. Getting tired of that – need to check BWC between now & when AAA membership renews. And see what insurance carrier offers.

[KS1G]

Yes. Bikes, Coffee, convenient to a major cycling route. What’s not to like? HPC Coaching (Susan Hefler) with a new & larger CompuTrainer studio is also moving here from her current address (across Station St – the pink building next to Great Harvest Bread).

[KS1G]

@creadinger 44773 wrote:

So what do you do with your fancy barometer based altimeter when the weather is really dynamic?

Brag about how much the atmosphere changed (temperature drop & barometric altitude increase) in 10 minutes (2012 Civil War Century, the big squall line that came through Gettysburg leaving soaked & wind-battered cyclists in its wake).

[KS1G]

A friend forwarded me last night an email alert from Reston Runners. Had slightly different location (Fairfax County Pkwy overpass) and some description of the attacker (short, Hispanic, wearing glasses). Per the email, the victim had realized someting was suspicious and she had tried to avoid/get away prior to the attack. I hope she heals quickly of her physical injuries and gets all the help & support she needs for the mental wounds. Discussion thread at Herndon Patch mentions other attacks/attempts that may be by the same person. I hope media run an update with as much accurate information as available so this guy is found and off the streets before there’s another victim.

[KS1G]

Trickiest bits for me are keeping head, hands, and feet comfortable. Rain jacket takes care of core, and windproof tights work well enough for legs. I have a sealskinz skull cap (helmet light precludes using a helmet cover). Waterproof overgloves, although rain may get in under the cuffs. Gloves never dry out during day so I keep a spare at work. Mixed results with shoe covers and regular (MTB) shoes, or winter shoes (Lake), and waterproof socks (something probikekit was selling and there’s a picture of someone standing in a acquarium tank wearing them). The socks work, but if water trickles down my legs, they stay in the socks! Spare set at work as they don’t dry quickly, either. Rain covers for bag/pannier and anything that cannot get wet is in it’s own plastic bag. Concur on lights – be visible to drivers, and enough to illuminate puddles, other debris & hazards, and ninja walkers!

You’ll feel awesome when coworkers ask “did you REALL ride in TODAY?”.

[KS1G]

Use the W&OD side path to get some experience riding dirt & gravel. The bikewashington.org site has a huge section on the C&O, with many trip reports; also checkout the coTowpath and GAP groups on Yahoo. The tougher challenges are just becoming used to riding ata steady pace day after day – commuting is helpful for that and also for getting used to riding with a load (your gear). Based on several trips with scout groups, anything that can shake losse will! (this may include fillings). Bring bug repellant, earplugs if any overnight stops will be where the railroad passes near the C&O campsites. Something to flavor drinking water if any of the C&O sites taste funny and you need it. Butt’r or your equiavelent recommended! Wash cycling shorts daily and let air/sun dry the next day. Strongly suggest a detour into Shaprsburg MD to Nutter’s Ice Cream shop – well worth the climb and the extra miles. Have a great time!

[KS1G]

@Rod Smith 39648 wrote:

The cool program that shows all your rides at once is available here, http://www.jonathanokeeffe.com/strava/map.php

Thanks for the link. I thought it a nice touch that the cumulative map blocks the last 1/2 mile or so around home and other locations you’ve set as private.

I recently discovered a site called veloviewer; it imports Strava records (5-50 at a time) and provides interesting charts & summaries of your activity, KOM status, and a handy “create a picture of your Strava data for your .sig block” Let’s see if I can include it…..rummage…..rummage….rummage….Ah! You can configure the different fields and counts – these are pretty much defaults. I’m not as awesome as the KOM’s imply – both are from my commute (1 much slower “competitor”) and I don’t think most of the other top 50s are from popular segments.

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