[RideTheWomble]

I witnessed that behavior just this afternoon.

[RideTheWomble]

Don’t worry about the Metro folks. The station managers could care less what goes on over at the bike rack.

I wish I was joking.

[RideTheWomble]

@mstone 7749 wrote:

What ambiguity? Is there some legal standing that I’m not aware of for a word painted on the sidewalk that conflicts with a traffic control device? Just assume it’s graffiti and move on.

You’re right, of course. The word painted on the sidewalk (which make have been removed, see above) enables the old, “HE RAN A STOP SIGN SO HE DESERVED THE TICKET/TO GET KILLED/WHAT HE GOT,” argument, though.

[RideTheWomble]

Sorry. Did I say signage? Perhaps I dignified a faded word, painted on the sidewalk as an afterthought, too much with that verbiage.

[RideTheWomble]

Exactly. The intersection is regulated by conflicting signage and signals. It’s dangerous enough, without all the ambiguity.

Mark Blacknell is having an on-site visit there this month. If I remember correctly, he has invited County officials. Anyone else know the details?

[RideTheWomble]

dirt;292 wrote:

one of my favorite rides is the 50+ mile loop called kill bill from the potomac pedophiles cue sheet list. I modified it to include the path coming up from chain bridge. The only thing it really misses is walter reed coming up from 4-mile run.

kill bill!

[RideTheWomble]

Hit BikeSnobNYC for a detailed examination of this creature, the Bike Salmon.

“More irritating though are the factors they almost certainly didn’t account for when they designed these lanes, such as bike salmon. I have noticed a significant uptick in the number of bike salmon in these lanes, and it’s clearly because they feel much more comfortable salmoning without the presence of cars.”

“Hey Salmon: Go Film Yourself!”

He can ridicule these dum-dums so much more skillfully than I can.

[RideTheWomble]

Does the EPA shuttle bus still block the bike lane at Potomac and Crystal Drive every day? That’s right across US 1. I always thought that to be incredibly hypocritical, too.

[RideTheWomble]

Tough as nails, you can put almost any tire on it, it has eyelets for all the racks and fenders you need, etc. It’s a great bike. It’s a good value, too.

[RideTheWomble]

You lost me at, “every one of these guys (they were all guys) really deserves to be dead or badly mangled at this point.” Really? Deserves to be dead or mangled?

I don’t doubt that a group of cyclists blew through a yield sign and cut it close, but your account is full of severely judgmental language and gross generalizations. It’s frustrating, because I make a special effort to follow the rules. Are you going to give me a close pass on Old Dominion to get back at those guys? You mention it was a good thing you were going 30. That’s the speed limit. Are you going to go 40 on Yorktown, and run me down, because you’re mad at those other guys?

I understand that you’re pissed off, but the facts of your account are some cyclists went through a yield sign, and, in your opinion, cut it too close. You were travelling the speed limit, but were able to change lanes, and nothing bad happened. Are you letting yourself get overly wound up about a situation that may be open to interpretation?

I’ll put on my hair shirt for you when I stop seeing cars run that very light every morning, drive 45-50 on Old Dominion, drag race each other at Glebe and Old Dominion, and blow stop signs all around the neighborhood. A group ride may have acted in an entitled way in front of you, but it’s a massive jump from that to “cyclists never follow the rules, and it’s a miracle they’re not all dead and mangled.”

[RideTheWomble]

There are some fun rides in Loudon County near Leesburg. Here’s a link to a discussion about a dirt road ride on the M.O.R.E. forums. None of the rides are a century, but you could easily put one together out there.

There are also some good rides near Middlesburg. The PPTC cue sheet library is a good resource.

[RideTheWomble]

The Dummy is the ultimate wind fairing. I bet being behind it is like motor-pacing. When I’m on a MUT on mine, the wheelsuckers gather like remoras.

Like you, I also stop at stop signs. In addition, I only “clear my back blast area” for expectorations if I know someone is behind me. WHEELSUCKERS BEWARE!

[RideTheWomble]

Unsolicited drafting is unwelcome and dangerous – especially on a MUT, where you often have to react to the unpredictable actions of other trail users. There’s not a lot you can do about wheel-suckers, though. Like Pete, my approach is to slow, and ask them to go around. It’s better to just let them get away from you; the ones who are doing it on purpose, not out of ignorance, will get all bent out of shape if you complain, and it’s just not worth the grief.

I had one particular incident where a guy riding in the drops on triathlon-style aero bars snuck on to my rear wheel. He followed me up the S-curve behind the Italian Store. Not knowing anyone was back there, I merely sat up at the top of the climb, without applying any brakes. I heard, “WHOA!” as this guy missed sweeping my year wheel by mere millimeters. This, and other less severe incidents, have made my feelings about the subject unambiguous and strong. Wheel sucking is dangerous and rude. You shouldn’t do it.

If I find myself in a position where I’m riding about the same speed as another rider, and I don’t feel like I can pass them and “stay away,” I’ll let them know I’m back there, that my intent is not to sneak up and draft, and that I’m going to hang safely back. In other words, I tell them I’m back there, and try to work it out, so we’re both comfortable.

Of course, if it’s someone like Pete, I’ll draft. That’s because I’ve spent hours on group rides trying to keep his wheel. He knows what I’m going to do, and I know what he’s going to do. In that case, it’s drafting by prearranged, mutual consent. Besides, since Dirt puts in the miles, and does the work, drafting is one of the only techniques available that insures I will be there at the end of the ride, rather than struggling to catch back up to the pack.

[RideTheWomble]

Dirt will be out there that early. This is info HE can use.

He’ll be happy to have an excuse to take the insanely long way on a Friday morning, anyway.

[RideTheWomble]

@Dirt 1118 wrote:

@Senor Womblehead: I’m almost done with the snow-plow for my dummy. It should work well on mulch and leaf piles. I’ll loan it to you if this problem persists.

Funny you should say that. I have been sorely tempted to ride with a pitchfork or show shovel (depending on the season) in the cargo pockets, just in case I came upon a pile of snow or mulch I felt needed to be, uh, modified. I rode to the site of a recently-departed bottle of Hurricane fortified malt liquor just this weekend, with a push broom, shovel, and bucket in the pockets. My philanthropic cleaning of the bike lane was not completely altruistic, however, as the offending glass was in a spot likely to harm my beloved Schwalbe Big Apples.

If you want to load the fat bikes up with tools and salt this winter, and hit the shady spots on the local trails, I’m in. That is, of course, if we can do it without stepping on someone’s jurisdictional toes.

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