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Thanks all, there are some great suggestions — I’ll enjoy starting my recon this weekend!

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Tree down on the Ffx Cross County Trail near Fairfax Circle. Lots of poison ivy on it so be careful if you need to get over it.

Kudos to Fairfax City Parks and Rec! I called this morning to report it and left a message. It turns out that it’s in Fairfax County’s jurisdiction but Greg from the city called me back to let me know that he contacted the county to get it taken care of.

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@Tania 118060 wrote:

Thank you for chiming in on this, I’ve been wondering about riding home after dark in the winter. (On a side note, want to really piss me off? Make me have to think about stuff like this solely because I’m female and thus considered an easy target.)

I commute in the dark both ways in the winter, usually the 6am hour and the 5pm hour when, in the stretch I ride on the WOD, it’s rare to ride for a minute without seeing another pedestrian/cyclist. The biggest safety concern during those times is those pesky ninja pedestrians.

And I agree with Tania, it really does piss me off that women have to even consider this. I’m perhaps a little more risk-adverse than some since I’ve had a good bit of martial arts training. 😎

I think the WOD is generally safe at any time East of Reston with abundant nearby residences and road crossings. But I’d think twice riding in the middle of night west of Reston since it is less densely populated.

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I’ve only ridden the WOD home late (between 11pm and midnight) a few times in the past few years, each time without issue. I was commuting from Arlington to Fairfax and looked like it with lights, panniers, etc. Didn’t see a soul on the trail and it’s truly a glorious ride on a summer evening! I’m a middle-aged female and wasn’t worried about safety, though I was more alert to my surroundings than usual and used both headlights at full power in certain stretches.

On a side note, you may not want to use your headlights attached to your helmet. Your lights will attract lots of flying critters and it’s better to run into them with your torso and not your face.

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Wow, thanks for all the advice and laughter! I used to ride a unicycle a few decades ago and still remember the lack of freewheel thing going downhill, but I hadn’t considered the potential impact of pedal strike on turns. I’m still leaning towards that road bike and may wait for the Fall clearance sales. Even though it’s initially for the challenge of learning something new, my interest in the fixie has only increased after reading some of your comments. I’ll look to be opportunistic and see if I can find a beat up one to fix up or something I can build for the learning experience.

And when I get one, I can guarantee that she won’t be called Lenny or Squiggy. But Pinky has a nice ring to it.

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@jnva 101297 wrote:

Did anybody else see the car in the ditch @shreve & WOD?
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It looked like it had just happened when I went by. There were 2 ladies standing next to the trail and I stopped to make sure they were ok, didn’t need a phone, etc. They seemed shaken but unhurt and said the police were on their way. I was relieved to not find an injured cyclist which is what I expected when I first saw the accident.

Apologies to my fellow cyclists, but I always use my blinkies at this intersection. And yes, I turn the blinkies off as soon as I get across.

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@Overtone 93222 wrote:

Yesterday my wife and I decided to head out to Fairfax city center from our home in Alexandria. We followed the google bicycling directions: W&OD to Vienna then down along Nutley over I-66 then picked up the CC trail to Lee Highway. Over all it was fine but the section of Nutley over I-66 was deeply unpleasant and felt unsafe. Heavy gravel and big level changes (almost stair steps) on the sidewalk, high speed traffic on the road. This was marked as a bike path but it sure didn’t feel like it. We were on the west side of Nutley (heading south, going with traffic). I’m wondering, is it better on the east side? Or should we have gone into the metro station and walked our (tandem) across the pedestrian overpass?

(For the ride home, we did a quick search on the forums and found a recommendation to cross I-66 on Cedar Lane. That worked much better since there’s no freeway interchange there.)

Thanks,
John

I commute through that area daily and here’s an alternate route for you. http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/view/514193442

The route isn’t perfect, but it’s a heck of a lot better than the Nutley/I66 mess. Minimal sidewalk riding with just a small stretch on Pickett Road. And all of this is tandem-friendly except for mile 3.5 where you have a big dip to navigate when you turn left out of the parking lot to get to Pickett. If you’re taking a tandem, you may want to explore the GCCCT on the east side of the building to go around it.

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@americancyclo 87548 wrote:

Any chance you know of shortcuts on this route? Don’t really have time to scout it out but I’ll definitely post a trip report when I get back

Here’s a possible route. Minimal riding on sidewalks with just a little on Pickett and Roberts. The Roberts sidewalk isn’t bad – it’s wide and not heavily used.
http://www.mapmyrun.com/routes/fullscreen/435369046/

And, apologies in advance if the link doesn’t work… it’s my first time posting here.

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