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@off2ride 17198 wrote:

I’ll be riding to do my usual breakfast stop @ $tarbuck$ @ Lyon Village.

Good call. I need to do this more.

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I know this sounds trite, but the worst day on the Custis is still a million times better than the %^&* traffic I deal with on my car commute from McLean to DC. Sure, plowing over a kid is your outlier worst case scenario but everything else is really just a minor annoyance compared to sitting in traffic on suburban feeder streets, wanting to claw your eyes out.

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@Subby 14275 wrote:

Today was the day I was going to conquer 41st street. I did a nice slow pace over Chain Bridge to conserve my energy, making sure I didn’t beat the light at 123 and Glebe. Gathered myself and waited for the light change. Started slowly chugging up to the lot – man it gets steep quick. Shifted all the way into the highest (or is it lowest? christ I am such a newb) gear, stood up and methodically pedaled up…up…up. Made it past the initial incline, sweating like a 40 year-old fat guy on a hybrid commuter bike climbing a steep-ass hill.

Halfway there! Just staring at the road, focusing, cranking, focusing, cranking. Finally, make it to the end of 41st street – woooohooooo! SUCK IT, HILL.

Now I just have to make up the little connector path to the street above and victory will be mine. Feeling good. Pedaling…slower, slower…gravity…winning…OH GOD….FALLING OVER. ARRRGGGGGH.

FAIL.

Almost made it. Luckily I caught the metal rail with my left hand before I went all the way down. So. Very. Close.

Finally conquered that $%^&er on the way home yesterday, access path and all. Small victories.

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@jabberwocky 14572 wrote:

I was deliberately hit by a jackass in a rental car this morning and spent my first half hour at work talking to fairfax PD. I still say you guys are taking a comic strip too seriously.

Ugh that blows. Hope everything is ok.

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I scooted past the Walter Reed hill on my long run yesterday. Hoe-lee SHEET. I think I had a tiny embolism just looking up that incline.

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@Tim Kelley 13906 wrote:

That’s 41st Street! It’s one of Pete’s Top 3 Five Toughest Hill in Arlington: http://www.flickr.com/photos/pedrogringo/sets/72157625204127690/with/5099618268/

Here’s some reading on it: http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?95-Arlington-s-toughest-hills-list

I’ve taken at least three friends up that hill who have tipped over (one actually sprained his wrist!).

Today was the day I was going to conquer 41st street. I did a nice slow pace over Chain Bridge to conserve my energy, making sure I didn’t beat the light at 123 and Glebe. Gathered myself and waited for the light change. Started slowly chugging up to the lot – man it gets steep quick. Shifted all the way into the highest (or is it lowest? christ I am such a newb) gear, stood up and methodically pedaled up…up…up. Made it past the initial incline, sweating like a 40 year-old fat guy on a hybrid commuter bike climbing a steep-ass hill.

Halfway there! Just staring at the road, focusing, cranking, focusing, cranking. Finally, make it to the end of 41st street – woooohooooo! SUCK IT, HILL.

Now I just have to make up the little connector path to the street above and victory will be mine. Feeling good. Pedaling…slower, slower…gravity…winning…OH GOD….FALLING OVER. ARRRGGGGGH.

FAIL.

Almost made it. Luckily I caught the metal rail with my left hand before I went all the way down. So. Very. Close.

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@Dirt 14207 wrote:

Saturday I rode Seagull Century on a fixie. … I was on the bike again at 4am Sunday morning to do a 140 mile mountain bike ride in Montgomery County…By mid-morning they were feeling good and I finished out the day strong.

Awesome.

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KLizotte – thanks for taking the time to share all of that. Very helpful and I really appreciate it.

I took everyone’s advice and just enjoyed my ride home yesterday. No concern with time, just kind of going at my own pace. The weather was beautiful – and when I hit a few pockets of warm breezes, I got an incredible surge of euphoria. I think I am starting to get this bicycling thing.

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Thanks to everyone. The encouragement is so great…glad I found this place.

My attitude is much improved – I feel like I am getting paid to commute when I can spend gas money on stuff like donuts and beer.

To rcannon – I usually come home via CCT/Towpath/Chain Bridge in the evening. I love biking along that stretch of the Potomac in the afternoon but I’d rather do Custis in the morning.

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There is a hill that I still have not made it up yet. When you cross Chain Bridge into Virginia you ride through a small parking lot and go up the residential back street that crosses underneath the GW Parkway overpass. Maybe I’m crazy, but it feels like a 20 story climb in about a fifth of a mile. Right now either I walk or slow-motion fall over on my side.

One day I’ll conquer it. One day.

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Sorry to any of you that I have passed with my helmet or handlebar lights blinking (chalk it up to inexperience). Will definitely do the hand thing/look away from now on.

Glad I read this forum!

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I was crossing Lynn St. in Rosslyn this morning to get over to the Key Bridge. I had the signal and a car that was turning right towards the bridge stopped to wait for me (I had the signal). They almost got rear-ended and then the offending vehicle laid on the horn in the off-chance he hadn’t won ass-clown of the morning already.

No point to this story really, but its amazing how much more aware I am of my surroundings when I bike or run in.

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@acc 13523 wrote:

Thank you for the advice. I honestly try to minimize my time in the grocery store (and my time in the kitchen) so I should, but didn’t track down the manager to whine that there is no place to park my bike.

Now that I’ve managed to survive a few runs to work on my bike I can share the following observations.
1. Hills suck.
2. Test out the ride at least twice with an unloaded bike.
3. Hills suck.
4. Don’t say to yourself, “Hey, I bet that’s a shortcut…” when you really need to be at work in 30 minutes.
5. It’s all about the weight. If it goes in the panniers I have to haul it. Suddenly I need so much less. Eyelash curler, gone. Lunch, yeah– I’ll buy that. Student papers — uh, we’re going all email submissions.
6. Hills are the instrument of the devil.
7. My U-lock key goes on a chain around my neck along with my ID.
8. Helmets are hell on hair.

Happy trails,
ann

PS – When will this start being fun?

I love reading your posts because I am new to this too – not just commuting to work, but this is the first bicycle I’ve even owned since college. Right now the best part of it for me is riding hands-free on the slight downhills – such a great feeling – sitting back in the saddle, arms across my chest or holding the back of my seat, just cruising.

I have a Honda Pilot which I LOVE, but I still get plenty of time in it toting my four kids around. Not having to take it to work is 20 miles per day of gas and wear and tear saved.

The side benefit is that I’ve lost 15 pounds of middle aged flab since the beginning of the year – excited to think how much faster I can go if I get down to my ideal weight.

Finally – on the hills – they totally suck. But if they were easy, everyone would do this. I take some satisfaction that most of my friends and co-workers think biking to work is insane/herculean.

/rambling

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Nice job!

I guess I need to get some snow tires. I’m new to this and I did my McLean – DC commute on the Bontrager All-Weather tires with which my bike came (Trek 7.3). Only two spots were really hairy – the downhill right after East Falls Church metro and the bridge over Spout Run right after Lyon Village. Lots of braking but still better than sitting in traffic.

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I ran through here this morning from 645 to 730ish and made it through before they dragged the detour signs out. I thought the orange cones on the piles of tree mulch were funny – why not just remove the tree mulch?

Anyway, at least they are done with Rosslyn to Spout Run. As long as they CLEARLY mark the detour route then it should be okay. Even better – why not let us know what to expect in the way of detours the day BEFORE the trail is closed?

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