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Other fun moment- there is a gentleman who runs the Challenge Ride on an old 70-80’s Peugeot race bike. He in turn is wearing the authentic *WOOL* Peugeot race kit of the period. Saw him again yesterday. If you are in this place, sir… BRAVO!!!

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A grand moment from the Challenge Ride: While on course, I hear a “YEAH! OLD SCHOOL!!!” I look over- none other than Pinkey Gonzalez. Life with the olde Trek is fun… 😎

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If I may offer a cautionary tale of where *not* to ride? Yesterday, at the Armed Forces Classic Challenge Ride- Finished my duties as a Ride Ambassador. All went well- we kept slower riders out of the way of the FAST race traffic, no one crashed that I knew of, and the worst that happened befell a father-son duo. The child’s Speedplay pedal broke. (!) What are the odds?

#boomer was there, also in BikeArlington kit. Cheered him on as he suffered through his final lap.

After a wonderful day at the races, I started home on 23rd St, with the intent of crossing Rt. 1 there. Race course fencing was still up, so I had to go up Clark St to find an opening at a bus stop. The stop has “modern” features, such as electronic signage and the pebbled surface at the curb, but was still *tight*, even for pedestrians. I tried to roll around the back of various posts, but…the segments of concrete have large gaps. My front wheel found one and down I went. In slow motion- I had time to ponder my ill fortune. Wound up on my back in the gutter against race course fencing.

Ah, *timing*. As I was cleaning off my road rash (memo- it is supremely wise to carry something like Purell Hand Sanitizing Wipes, *just* for moments like these), a road crew arrived to pick up the fencing. One of the crew saw my predicament, commiserated, and said, “See you at Clarendon Sunday!”

I’m going to have to disappoint him.

Ribs still hurting from this “adventure”. I got home, but it was a painful ride.

No, the bike wasn’t hurt.

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If I may offer a cautionary tale of where *not* to ride? Yesterday, at the Armed Forces Classic Challenge Ride- Finished my duties as a Ride Ambassador. All went well- we kept slower riders out of the way of the FAST race traffic, no one crashed that I knew of, and the worst that happened befell a father-son duo. The child’s Speedplay pedal broke. (!) What are the odds?

#boomer was there, also in BikeArlington kit. Cheered him on as he suffered through his final lap.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]29058[/ATTACH]

After a wonderful day at the races, I started home on 23rd St, with the intent of crossing Rt. 1 there. Race course fencing was still up, so I had to go up Clark St to find an opening at a bus stop. The stop has “modern” features, such as electronic signage and the pebbled surface at the curb, but was still *tight*, even for pedestrians. I tried to roll around the back of various posts, but…the segments of concrete have large gaps. My front wheel found one and down I went. In slow motion- I had time to ponder my ill fortune. Wound up on my back in the gutter against race course fencing.

Ah, *timing*. As I was cleaning off my road rash (memo- it is supremely wise to carry something like Purell Hand Sanitizing Wipes, *just* for moments like these), a road crew arrived to pick up the fencing. One of the crew saw my predicament, commiserated, and said, “See you at Clarendon Sunday!”

I’m going to have to disappoint him.

Ribs still hurting from this “adventure”. I got home, but it was a painful ride.

No, the bike wasn’t hurt.

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Much-needed repairs to the Theodore Roosevelt bridge, including the wider sidewalk deck we have been lobbying for, are moving forward: https://www.arlnow.com/2022/06/01/roosevelt-bridge-rehab-expected-to-bring-new-paint-job-and-wider-sidewalks/?fbclid=IwAR32arzIxs98IEXVs0YnlCDq1gHvmNsYcEQepjG3brpxsqLqt2dBYuCHnc8

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I just noticed something in that 1st picture…from the distance of Four Mile Run Dr, I noticed two bikes down and someone who looked like they were walking off a fall. Only when I downloaded these pictures did I notice the stopped Nissan Sentra at the crosswalk. [ATTACH=CONFIG]29047[/ATTACH] Could we have had a mishap there?

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Wednesday May 11. I journeyed to document the detour around the W. Glebe Rd. bridge replacement. Firstly, the sidewalk and median of the Shirlington Rd. bridge over Four Mile Run is refurbished. No, we didn’t get a whole lane of the bridge, but it *is* comfortably wider. Thank you. [ATTACH=CONFIG]29042[/ATTACH]

*For the moment*, the trail under the W. Glebe bridge is open. Won’t be for much longer. But as you see, the detour is not a bad one. This will not be a problem for us. [ATTACH=CONFIG]29043[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]29044[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]29045[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]29046[/ATTACH]

Also of note, there was a landscaping crew cleaning up vegetation and some of the bamboo overhang at the Shirlington end of the trail. I made a point of thanking them.

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Henry: Let the crew at Bikenetic know as well. They will want to be in on this.

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Thank you. My phone wouldn’t let me correct it…

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Sorry about the tilt… :p

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[ATTACH=CONFIG]29036[/ATTACH]

And here it is, complete with a shelter. This, I now think, is the best way forward to commemorate Pete. It is within walking distance of Bikenetic, so they and we can tend to it, and ya know, part of what Pete was truly about was “Shelter from the storm”. (Other than that “Follow me to certain death” stuff… )

True confession- I thought about “surreptitious application of Hello Kitty stickers” on the bridge. I really did. But I realized I would have given local taggers permission to think the bridge was “fair game”. The bridge already has a graffiti problem. I should not make it worse.

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#Overtone: Just east of the I-395 underpass, there is trail access at level to an *un-busy* section of Four Mile Run Drive. The West Glebe intersection will be straight through, all we have to do is dodge “construction furniture”, then rejoin the existing trail. We’ll be OK.

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Good morning! You folks beat me to it! What I wrote elsewhere:

“Good morning all! For my Arlington/Alexandria friends on two wheels: The time has come- the bridge on West Glebe Road over Four Mile Run must be replaced *now*, before it falls down. Attached is Arlington County’s bridge reconstruction project page. Of note to us, Four Mile Run Trail should not be closed off. We should be able to use the section under I-395, use an existing access to Four Mile Run Drive, go through the closed off bridge intersection, and rejoin the Trail. A detour that is acceptable.
The new bridge deck will be wider and safer for *all* modes. Starting this May”:

https://www.arlingtonva.us/Government/Projects/Project-Types/Transportation-Projects/West-Glebe-Road-Bridge-Reconstruction-Project

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Our man SteveO didn’t have the exact shade of sky blue to match my Trek 412, but there are just enough hints of blue here. Merci, sir! [ATTACH=CONFIG]29024[/ATTACH]

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From yesterday (Wed. Feb. 2): The Rock Creek Trail was closed in front of the river side of the Kennedy Center. To me it looked like repaving work that not been completed yet. No idea when it will reopen. They offered a detour. *Except*… detour led across the Parkway to a crosswalk ramp under construction- freshly poured concrete. Damn. So backtracked to Virginia Ave. NW and rode a splendid Protected Bikeway to the Kennedy Center. My detour afforded me a bonus I had not known about, below.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]27371[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]27372[/ATTACH]

Back across via the TR Bridge. Believe it or not, my first time. Not thrilled that it is one bike width wide with low barriers. Also not thrilled with the root-heaved pavement down to Trollheim. That an issue for NPS?

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