[PotomacCyclist]

@txgoonie 3733 wrote:

I saw the EMTs going down there with a stretcher and was sincerely hoping that’s not what it was:( Didn’t wanna be a looky-loo or somehow in the way, so I took the alternate street route. Hope all is okay.

Crystal City Pit Stop. Props to the CC BID for upping the ante and being out there all week.

Any idea when we find out who won those free bike jerseys? The top 50 riders this week get a Crystal Ride bike jersey. I missed one day so I’m a little worried that I dropped out of the top 50. (I don’t even know how often I’ll wear the jersey, but I still wouldn’t mind winning one. Hey, I get competitive about these things.)

A lot more people there today than on the other days this week. I took advantage of the bike mechanics tent and had the derailleur cables on my mountain bike adjusted.

It would be interesting to have something like this once a month during the spring and summer.

[PotomacCyclist]

@Brock 3741 wrote:

I swung by BicycleSPACE on my way to Freedom Plaza, then grabbed breakfast at my local stop, NoMa – I work from home, so on Bike to Work Day I just go make a big circle.

My favorite part: saw a tall bike here in NoMa. I’m not sure where he was going, but I’ll bet that’s not his daily ride.

Do you mean the penny-farthing guy? I saw him riding on the Mt. Vernon Trail last summer. Apparently he rode that bike at the Air Force Cycling Classic-Crystal Ride last year. It’s possible that it really is his daily ride.

[PotomacCyclist]

Ha! I just looked at those rules. Apparently they only apply to bike “races”. Swim/bike/run in training is perfectly fine.

[PotomacCyclist]

You can do all three. That’s what I do (triathlons).

If you decide to go with swimming or cycling, I’d also suggest that you add a modest amount of strength training to the program. It doesn’t need to be anything hardcore, maybe 20 min. a couple times a week of some compound movements. Swimming and cycling are both great for aerobic exercise. But since both are low-impact, they tend not to develop good bone density. Bone density is good just for general fitness and health. Running strengthens the bones in your lower body, but the upper body not so much.

Any of the three will help you lose weight if you do it on a regular basis. Just ease into the sport, no matter which one(s) you choose. Especially with running, it’s important to start off easy. Don’t try to do too much, too soon. Don’t try to run too fast either, at the beginning of your program.

When you burn fat in aerobic exercise, you burn it all over. You don’t spot-reduce fat. However, some people tend to burn fat more easily in particular areas and store fat in other areas. I don’t think the type of exercise that you do has a major effect on this. For weight loss, a combination of exercise and proper nutrition is the best approach.

Muscle development is a different story. Exercising particular muscle groups WILL strengthen those muscles. Cycling will build up your legs, especially your quads and calves. It only has a limited effect on your upper body.

All of these sports can be fun, but some people seem to enjoy some more than others. You could alternate among the three and see which ones you like the most. Or continue to do all three. The variety can help the exercise from becoming stale and mentally fatiguing.

[PotomacCyclist]

@acc 3694 wrote:

[Hitting the Like button]

I don’t care if you are a member of the National Orangutan Party, if you advocate on behalf of the cycling community, you are terrific.

Dr. Zaius approves of this message.

[PotomacCyclist]

I don’t know. It’s not important. It’s hard to see how LaHood could be any more of a supporter of cycling than he already is. He is helping to make current and future streets, bridges and trails safer for cyclists. He is in a position where his efforts can make an enormous difference. Whether he rides or not doesn’t make a difference. I assume he does at least some riding, or did in his past.

He was recently speaking about the importance of safety for urban cyclists. Someone said that he sounded like a “run-of-the-mill hipster.” LaHood replied that he doesn’t even know what the term means. In the end, I’d rather have a Secretary of Transportation who doesn’t know what a hipster is but is a solid bike advocate than the other way around.

Granted, there are a few vocal bike critics in the Republican Party (including the so-called spokesperson of the Arlington Republican Party) but that seems to be just a vocal minority. Former president George W. Bush is also a mountain biking enthusiast, though bike infrastructure was not a main focus during his time in office.

As someone pointed out, cycling does not automatically need to be a partisan issue. Bike enthusiasts and advocates don’t help themselves by making it a Democrat-only issue. Large numbers of both Republicans and Democrats ride bikes, but for some reason, bike infrastructure has come to be seen by a certain segment as threatening the transportation system and the economy. Fans of everyday cycling need as many political supporters as they can get.

[PotomacCyclist]

One of the CaBi/DDOT officials said that they may aim for a 1:2 bike/dock ratio in the future, instead of the current ratio of 2 bikes per 3 docks. That would mean more available docks systemwide. That may not solve all of the bike balancing issues, but it could help.

[PotomacCyclist]

@OneEighth 3634 wrote:

Just widening the intersection of the two trails to make turning easier would be a big improvement.

I agree. They could easily add some asphalt to make it less of a sharp turn. I’m assuming that the construction team will fill in the surrounding area with sod. Right now, there’s a bit of a dropoff if you happen to edge off the side of the trail. That can be a problem, especially for those riding at night.

Once the sod has been planted, I think a lot of people will make the turn while riding on the grass. It would be much better for the trail designers to understand this and add extra pavement now. No point in having a worn-out, muddy section there when just a small addition of asphalt would be needed.

[PotomacCyclist]

I’ve only taken a couple bike trips to the east side of the Wilson Bridge. From my limited experience, I have to agree with your assessment. Not many ideal options for cycling in that area. A big problem is the crushed stone path leading up to National Harbor. I wouldn’t want to ride on that with skinny road bike tires. It’s almost like it was designed to be an anti-bike barrier/shield to protect National Harbor from the invading hordes of crazed cyclists. However, since I was on a mountain bike, I made it over there to look at the Awakening sculpture. (Too bad it’s no longer in Hains Point.)

[PotomacCyclist]

I had never noticed that link before. Pretty neat feature.

[PotomacCyclist]

The weather is supposed to be really nice for the Bike DC event on Sunday. I don’t have any tips on renting bike or bike trailers, but I’ll suggest bringing some extra water bottles and maybe even sunscreen. I hope your family has an enjoyable time at Bike DC.

[PotomacCyclist]

FYI: Don’t trust long-term weather forecasts, “long-term” being defined as more than 4 hours.

Last night, Weather.com said that there was a 100% chance of rain showers for this afternoon, with a 100% chance of T-showers from 2-5 pm, followed by 80-90% chance of rain until midnight. Well, I’m not aware of any rain this afternoon. The updated forecast says there is a 10-35% chance of rain and scattered T-storms until 5:30 pm. Then the heavy stuff rolls in.

The Nationals baseball game was postponed from this afternoon because of those weather forecasts. They could have played the entire game in sunny/partly cloudy weather before any rain appeared (except maybe a sprinkle or two).

This same scenario happened a couple days ago. Forecast: 80-100% chance of morning/afternoon storms. Reality: No rain or just a few sprinkles until late evening.

You do have to be careful about lightning storms, but you can also keep tabs on whether there will actually be any lightning storms in the area. The weather forecasts aren’t so great at predicting the “usual” spring/summer-type storms that result from the warm fronts clashing with cooler air.

If it’s a full-out storm, the best bet is to wait it out in a protected area. For normal rain showers, just enjoy the ride, while expecting to have more than a few mudspots on your backside by the end of the ride. At least the temperatures are warmer these days. Riding in the rain on a 45F day is miserable. Riding in the rain on a 70F day isn’t bad at all. (But wipe down the bike and lubricate your bike chain after you get home.)

[PotomacCyclist]

Ray LaHood is a lifelong Republican, although he’s currently the Secretary of Transportation in a Democratic administration. LaHood is perhaps the single most important individual in the U.S. today in terms of bike policy and bike infrastructure funding. He has been a very visible supporter of cycling. He has been pushing the government to give equal consideration to cyclists and pedestrians when designing and building new transportation infrastructure. As the Secretary of Transportation, he has a mighty big role to play.

Of course, he doesn’t carry out every project design and funding decision himself. But he has proven himself to be a major supporter of cycling in the U.S. and maybe the most important person for bicycling in the U.S. over the past few years.

[PotomacCyclist]

There are a couple stations less than a block from the Mall, including the station at 12th & Independence NW (Smithsonian Metro), but there’s room for more.

I agree that a station near 15th St & Maine Ave SW at the Tidal Basin would be a good spot. It’s close to the Washington Monument, the Jefferson Memorial and East Potomac Park (Hains Point). There are also museums and gov’t office buildings nearby, so there should be steady demand for bikes/docks over there. The station could be installed on the east side of 15th St, so that it wouldn’t be placed on NPS areas.

[PotomacCyclist]

I saw a young guy (early 20s?) on the MVT last summer sitting up, no hands on the handlebars, holding a cellphone to his ear, and riding on the wrong side of the trail. I noticed this because he was heading straight for me (since I was riding on the correct side of the trail). Fortunately I was able to shout at him to wake up and get his attention. He put his hands back on the handlebar and moved over to his right.

For some reason, my first thought was that he was a summer congressional intern who had only been in town for a couple weeks.

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