[notinthe18]

@huskerdont 144558 wrote:

Yeah you’re really going to be annoyed when you ride past me. I’ll never wear a helmet in the summer unless I’m mountain biking or racing. But I do call my passes, yield the right-of-way, look ahead before passing, and hardly ever shoal someone unless we’re really close friends.

Lots of people think you have to ride just like they do, but it’s not a bad idea to separate behavior that endangers others from behavior that is just different.

Yep, agreed. And to clarify, I don’t object to folks not wearing helmets — to each his own. The issue in yesterday’s case was a lot more of the running red lights, dodging in and out of the track, etc. I get so used to the predictable rhythm of cycling on paths and my usual routes that a different cycling “crowd”‘s behavior was eye-opening.

[notinthe18]

@Crickey7 144553 wrote:

That is not an etiquette violation, nor illegal, nor especially dangerous. And I’m a total safety weenie and designated law enforcement scold.

I’m firmly in the camp that riding with two earbuds in, in a city, is very dangerous. A handful of states (including, I believe, Maryland) have laws against having two buds in (Maryland is maybe as long as you’re not on a bike path?). Others can certainly disagree.

Helmets, whatever.

[notinthe18]

I had to pop across town last night and rode the Pennsylvania Ave cycle track around 6 PM. My experiences left me newly appreciative of how good I have it mostly commuting on trails–the horrific etiquette from the cyclists left me embarrassed and suddenly much less annoyed by poorly called passes on trails.

In the span of those few blocks, I saw:
-Lady bopping along on a bikeshare with no helmet and two earbuds in
-Several cyclists popping in and out of the cycle track to run red lights or cut lights with arrows (I’m not averse to a good Idaho stop or slowly squeezing through a deserted intersection, but Pennsylvania at 6:15 PM???? Those are not easy or deserted intersections! And by the way, we all got stuck at the same lights in the end!)
-Repeated shoaling (from a dude also on a bikeshare with no helmet)
-Dude on a tricked out mountain bike who couldn’t be bothered to dismount (didn’t even look like clipless pedals) and thus kept circling everyone at every intersection

Kind of put things in perspective for me. I’ll try to be more patient about getting annoyed with little etiquette breaches on the trails after seeing all of that.

[notinthe18]

Commute home on MVT today, between the airport bridges where it’s a little hilly. Two lycranauts call their passes and make it clean. Cool. Dude with a mullet in a blue shirt (thanks for not wearing a helmet, I enjoyed the mullet), a pannier, and a messenger bag is trying to draft off them (?) and tries to pass. Unfortunately, oncoming traffic down that little hill nearly caused him to run me off the road. When I said (fairly politely and without vulgarity, all things considered) “hey man, don’t pass there!” he stopped dead in the road and tried to cuss me out.

Always gotta be karma for this morning’s delightful ride in full of wonderful etiquette…

[notinthe18]

@vern 143106 wrote:

I work on Crystal Drive and have been bike commuting to work the last 3 years. I didn’t realize that riding my bike through Crystal City was so hazardous! I usually come in via Eads and leave via the connector to the MVT (variety and all that). I’m not saying that what others have encountered and described here isn’t real, but I’ve never really felt that riding in Crystal City was very problematic.

Crystal City’s revitalization is a double-edged sword. A couple of years ago, I rarely saw people doing what has become a common trick: stopping cars with flashers on in the bike lane to run in to get food (at Taylor, Sweetgreen, wherever). There is plenty of underground parking, but very little for temporary/short-term.

And it’s also been worse the past couple of weeks with Safetrack, dramatically so. That should abate soon. (Famous last words.)

[notinthe18]

@Judd 142826 wrote:

Before my time here but I wished for a hedgerow last week as I rode northbound at night and had several instances where I was completely blinded by traffic from the Parkway. Perhaps some vigilante shrub planting is in order.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Second this. Coming southbound on that little rise after Gravelly Point but before DCA at night, especially in the rain, with oncoming headlights, is absolutely terrifying for me, and I’m reasonably experienced and confident.

[notinthe18]

It boggles my mind that people out for an exercise-type ride go anywhere near the MVT on a nice afternoon/evening on a holiday weekend. And then to have the audacity to bark at people out jogging or walking? I did hill repeats on city streets yesterday for precisely that reason.

[notinthe18]

@Mariner 140529 wrote:

I was headed south on the MVT just past the Gravelly Point parking area. As I rounded a slight bend, which is a blind curve, there were three cyclists headed NB in close single file, well to their right. Unknown to me, someone else was behind me on my left attempting to overtake. There were shouts, a crash of bikes, and I turned around to see bikes and bodies flying.

At least one rider from the three NB riders was on the ground. I didn’t see blood but I’m sure there was some from hitting the asphalt. The person who caused the collision was profusely apologetic while I screamed at him.

Dude, it is a blind curve. Next to the Parkway. Next to a roadway with no separating barrier. On a trail with nowhere to go. On a blind curve. Your behavior caused some injuries, I don’t know how bad, but could have sent all five of us to the hospital. And all because you wanted to pass.

Location:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.863862,-77.0421732,20z

and here:
https://www.google.com/maps/@38.864186,-77.0421626,3a,49.4y,204.53h,84.42t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sqcDkuFOHbenZ7s6BzxVWwQ!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I have video but it doesn’t show the crash. It probably did record my screaming though.

That spot is also dangerous going SB at night because the oncoming headlights can blind you. Not surprised to hear about an accident. I hope everyone is ok.

[notinthe18]

@ShawnoftheDread 140397 wrote:

See the first post. It’s a spot for telling about positive interactions during your rides. A counterpoint to the missed connections thread.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

And on that note, since I shared a missed one recently, let me give a shoutout to the group of cyclists with whom I crossed Memorial Bridge this morning. All polite and all working in sync on passes, etc. Delightful ride on a gorgeous morning.

[notinthe18]

Dude who insisted on passing two of us IN THE SANDY INTERSECTION without calling a pass, on the narrow path northbound alongside Washington Boulevard approaching the GWMP, into oncoming runners and bikers — you’re the real MVP today. But your response of “where else to you want me to pass?” to my “come on, bro” makes me think you were sent by a higher power to test me, so I’ll go on about my day.

[notinthe18]

Agreed, definitely report to closecalldatabase.com

The problem you’ll run into in DC — or at least the one I had a couple of weeks ago where a driver was bizarrely aggressive to me — is that if you don’t report on the scene, you’ll be told you have to go to a police station in person. (If you call later to report, they will tell you that they can’t take a police report over the phone and you can be transferred to 911 to send an officer, or you can go to the police station.) Or at least that was my experience.

Arlington, unlike DC, allows online post facto reporting, which, in my view, makes more sense.

[notinthe18]

Not so much a missed connection, just pretty funny. Tail end of my ride yesterday, MVT near the power plant:

Lady walking with her dog, who has a lot of the leash and is blocking the whole trail: (wearing headphones)
Me: On your left.
Lady: (nothing)
Me: On your left!
Lady: (nothing)
Me: HEY! Can I squeeze by?
Lady: (nothing)
Me: HEY! MA’AM!!!
Lady: (nothing)
Dog: (turns to look at me, and I swear he smiled)
Me: HEY!! ON YOUR LEFT!! PASSING!!! 9-11 WAS AN INSIDE JOB!! GLOBAL WARMING!!!
Lady: (nothing)

It went on like this for a minute until she finally noticed that the dog was looking at me. She was so oblivious that it was funny, plus I was in a great mood and she seemed mortified.

[notinthe18]

@ian74 135232 wrote:

There is a tunnel! I rode through it this morning. When I went through I met a goat legged fellow named Mr. Tamland, and he took me to his his cave, gave me tea. I watched a lion get resurrected, helped defeat the Ice Queen, ruled the land peacefully for 100 years until I was old a grey, then I went back through and it was the same time I entered and realized “Sh*t! I’m going to be late for Friday Coffee club”

[ATTACH=CONFIG]11007[/ATTACH]

Seriously though, one one side it’s a fenced in parking lot with no exit and on the other side is the train tracks. So if you wanted to ride on the CSX tracks, or flatten a penny, this would be the place to do it.

What’d Mr. Tumnus ever do to you?!

[notinthe18]

Glad to see I didn’t need to come back and edit my post with pictures of Humpback yesterday 😮 :rolleyes:

I came home via Memorial to 110 last night — the 110 route is VASTLY improved EXCEPT there are a few humps of snow left. But if you’re riding it in the dark, please be careful — the snow humps are covered in gravel and are difficult to see, even with decent headlights. I just happened to be behind a jogger who was bobbing and weaving, otherwise I might have eaten it.

[notinthe18]

Marina cut through was middies this morning. The wooden bridge was ok, mostly had a clear path. Some slushy icy stuff on the path in the grove, then the marina parking lot was fine. Trail connecting to the MVT required some walking. The real embarrassment was the Humpback bridge, which still has huge piles of snow. I’ll try to edit with a picture later. Then 14th Street Bridge was fine.

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