[Starduster]

So yesterday…I decided to go for a classically Stupid Bike Ride, to honor the legend of Pete Beers. Three years ago, I made a pilgrimage to this site by taking a road bike on Lake Accotink’s mountain bike trail. Today, I took Das Kettler. I will let you decide which bike was more out-of-place. The bikes & I lived to tell the tale. (“Well that’s no fun!”)

The impromptu shrine remains, and now has an addition that celebrates the big goofball of a cycling angel that Pete was…

#wsgfabr #bemorepete #youareloved
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A weather-worn Hello Kitty sticker remains, years on.

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All bases covered.

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On Das Kettler…
Pluses: Full suspension. Its Sachs hub had the gearing in 1st to haul its “gossamer” weight up the sharp climbs.
Neutral: The plump Schwalbe Marathon HS420’s didn’t have the best tread pattern for this surface but didn’t slip much. (Fyi, 30 PSI rear, 28 PSI front, as low as I dared go.)
Minuses: “Gossamer” weight = 42 lbs. And a slightly worn coaster brake was no fun on gravel downhills. It was tough to modulate and balance with the front brake. So I didn’t go charging back the other way as I originally intended.

[Starduster]

@dbb 226102 wrote:

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Shitshow alert. South bike lane on Eads just south of 15th.

Not sure who thought this was a good idea.

Report a problem ticket logged 1500 hrs 28 Aug

Would *we* have been ticketed for moving those barrels off to the side?

[Starduster]

@Starduster 226026 wrote:

I was reminded recently that there is another way to honor our man Pete Beers. I normally would rather honor a person’s birthday, or how they lived, instead of how they died. But there is a location on the Lake Accotink trail, and an anniversary approaches…

At the far western end of the trail, where it becomes Danbury Forest Drive for a bit:
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My image from Sept 4, 2020:
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I rode the MTB portion of that trail on the Trek. A Stupid Bike Ride indeed!

Sept 7, 2020, with Sue Fuchs:
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And from Aug 29, 2021:
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I have not been back there in the 2 years since, and I am told our memorials to Pete have vanished. Could’ve weathered away (it’s been 2 years, y’all) or preserved by the family as mementos. Sounds like an excuse to go for a bike ride!

I’m gonna bump this. Today is August 30. A sad day when #dirt became a legend. A ghost bike was never the solution here-Pete was not taken out by a reckless motorist. Whattaya do-raise your fist to the skies and rail against God for such an improbable demise? But we *can* adorn the site with reminders of what a big goofball of a cycling angel Pete was, and pay that spirit forward.

[Starduster]

A sign says so.

[Starduster]

Quick update to the ANC-Columbia Pike detour: They are currently routing bike traffic along the cemetery wall on Southgate. Minor improvement, for now.

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[Starduster]

I was reminded recently that there is another way to honor our man Pete Beers. I normally would rather honor a person’s birthday, or how they lived, instead of how they died. But there is a location on the Lake Accotink trail, and an anniversary approaches…

At the far western end of the trail, where it becomes Danbury Forest Drive for a bit:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]30829[/ATTACH]

My image from Sept 4, 2020:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]30830[/ATTACH]
I rode the MTB portion of that trail on the Trek. A Stupid Bike Ride indeed!

Sept 7, 2020, with Sue Fuchs:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]30831[/ATTACH]

And from Aug 29, 2021:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]30832[/ATTACH]

I have not been back there in the 2 years since, and I am told our memorials to Pete have vanished. Could’ve weathered away (it’s been 2 years, y’all) or preserved by the family as mementos. Sounds like an excuse to go for a bike ride!

[Starduster]

I just rode the combo of Dora Kelly Nature Trail and Holmes Run Trail for the first time this year. The update is that bridges are still being repaired from the foundation up and the trail is still broken up. Going south from the end of Dawes St. down to the water, that pavement is getting more & more broken up and narrow. Caution highly advised.

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The section from Beauregard that takes the “tube” under I-395 is still closed. The Sanger detour remains.

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South of Duke St., this washed out bridge is still under construction.

[Starduster]

In the meantime…if you see expressions of love for #dirt left by other Tricksters, enjoy *discreetly* and remember You Are Loved.[ATTACH=CONFIG]30808[/ATTACH]

[Starduster]

Hey. This bridge is so close to completion that I can live with additional temporary detours to the street. The end result is so much better than before.

[Starduster]

I am still going to call it the Pete Beers Bridge. ’nuff said.

[Starduster]

@CaseyKane50 225923 wrote:

The abutments for Holmes Run Trail Bridge at 4700 Duke have been completed. The contractor has been cleaning up the site. According to contractor staff, the replacement bridge is expected to be installed on October 5, 2023.

Finally. Thank you Alexandria.

Any updates on the washed out bridges further upstream?

[Starduster]

@huskerdont 225870 wrote:

Yes, the trail underpass is open, yet every day I see people still queued up at the light. It’s like the cage door is open now and people don’t notice it.

As of 2pm yesterday, detour signage was still up at both ends. I first came upon this going eastbound on the trail, and was well below street level before I realized, “hey!”

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Its newly opened state is less obvious westbound. But I’m happy. It reopened sooner than I expected.

[Starduster]

Good morning. A screenshot from Arlington on the current state of the bridge project and the timeline for the remaining work. We will get the trail underpass back soon enough.

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[Starduster]

The spirit of Saint Pete Beers rode with the peloton. Even blessed Rebecca with a dose of her favorite riding surface!

https://www.facebook.com/100044614111410/videos/pcb.816827909814339/572866961499821

[Starduster]

@consularrider 225824 wrote:

Facebook now having issues with some of your links, but the first one worked.

Eventbrite for registration

That’s the one that matters.

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