[TwoWheelsDC]

Crossing Memorial Bridge will mean that you have to cross the GW Pkwy, which is uh, suboptimal…not sure where in DC you’re going, but maybe 14th St. would be a less stressful, though slightly more out of the way, option.

[TwoWheelsDC]

creadinger;22422 wrote:

as per the usual with stories even remotely related to bikes, the comments section is mostly just a lot of sarcastic hate directed toward cyclists. Well let’s hope all these people who have crappy commutes to a job they hate and feel the need to vent their anger at mostly happy cyclists get it all out now.

qotd

[TwoWheelsDC]

You: lovely blonde walking eastbound on the sidepath of busy suburban road.

Me: Riding my bike slowly westbound, staying as far to the right of the sidepath as possible.

I realize you must have thought I looked quite dashing in my cycling attire and my animal magnetism must’ve had a literal effect on you as our eyes met and you stared at me….and stared….and proceeded to walk directly into my path, nearly forcing me to ride into the weeds.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@KLizotte 22365 wrote:

Can you imagine the outcry if drivers engaged in such a competition?!

They do, it’s called One Lap of America.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Pretty badass and it’s unfortunate that they will get very little, if any, airtime during the already limited US coverage. I know that the women’s side of many sports gets dismissed as “boring” or whatever, but I fail to see why women’s cycling would be any less compelling than men’s cycling. Maybe the speeds are a little lower, but it’s not like you get a good sense of that on TV anyway. Is there another reason why there isn’t (to my knowledge) a women’s equivalent of the TdF or the other pro tour events? Looked like maybe there was a women’s race for Tour of California, but again, coverage was pretty non-existent.

[TwoWheelsDC]

My fiance will be devastated. She doesn’t really even like cycling, but she gets into the races when I watch and she took a liking to young Andy when he killed it on the last couple of big climbs in last year’s TdF.

[TwoWheelsDC]

There have been times that I’ve thought about getting off my bike and walking because it’s so slick, but then I remember that my tires probably have way more traction than my cycling shoes.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Even more bollards going in at the Wilson Bridge, and they’re putting an anti-ram barrier up as well (just out of frame on the left). Anyone know if this will be the finalized trail routing? Seems idiotic to me…

[TwoWheelsDC]

Hope she’s okay…I hate that intersection. While it is important for cyclists to pay very close attention there, I’ve found that many drivers don’t look to the right at all because Lee Hwy is one way. So many cyclists see the car stopped and go ahead and go (the trail users should have the right of way and the “stop” sign there is dubious), but the drivers don’t have a clue that someone is riding in front of their car. If I’m coming down that hill and there’s a car pulling up to exit, I usually stop and wait until I can make eye contact with the driver, then I proceed cautiously. Probably annoys the people behind me, but whatevs, I don’t want to get hit.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Ouch, hope you heal up quickly! It’s not just fatigue that’ll get ya, yesterday I about ran into a car whilst paying a little too much attention to some members of the opposite sex that were out walking…it was fine though, it probably didn’t look like anything out of the ordinary to anyone looking at me, but I about locked up my brakes in an “oh sh*t” moment.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Certifried 22062 wrote:

ooooh, I see how it is, welcome the reporter on down, but keep it on the down-low for the other commuter-noobs like me? :p

haha seriously though, is it from 7 to 9? or something in that range? I’d like to meet a few folks (haven’t seen anyone on the trails yet). I imagine it’s not hard to spot everyone

Of course, I’m hoping for an interview so I can boost my Twitter following

But yes, 7 (but closer to 730)-9am, with most showing up around 8. I only go every few weeks because I still have to ride an hour to work from Swings, so that means working later on Fridays, which I hate. If you’re on Twitter, just look for the #fridaycoffeeclub tag and you’ll see lots of chatter, particularly on Thursday evening and Friday morning. And you can’t miss the group at Swings…all the grungy looking bike commuters amongst the business suits.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@bernsteinl 22043 wrote:

Thanks for the warm welcome. I’ll follow up in another column toward the end of the summer and let you all know how it went.

Yesterday I tried the round trip for the first time (17 miles each way). Three words: Not. Ready. Yet.

Tomorrow I’m going to drive somewhere, probably the CCT, and round trip a shorter commute.

I’m sure this all old hat to you folks who have put in thousands of miles, but I’m having a good time.

Lenny

On most the days that I bike commute, I ride the towpath north-to-south in the mornings, so I’ll keep a look out for you. Wave if you see a very tired looking guy (I’m not a morning person and that’s the main barrier between me and a 5 day-a-week bike commute) on a cream-colored Bianchi with a bright yellow pannier. Also, I feel like I should plug #fridaycoffeeclub even though I’m a not-so-regular attendee. A bunch of us bike commuters meet at Swings (17th/G) for coffee and friendly bike conversation every Friday morning from 7ish to 9ish. All are welcome!

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Mark Blacknell 21994 wrote:

Sure there is. Find the bell.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]1189[/ATTACH]

Nice triple triangle back there…I have one of those sitting in my mom’s shed from when I was a teenager. I wonder how much it would be to ship it here and fix it up…

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Tim Kelley 21979 wrote:

Here’s the follow up to the story:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/dont-mess-with-dc-bike-commuters/2012/06/11/gJQAwvmIXV_story.html

Wow. You’d think I had stuck a bike pump in the guy’s spokes, like that Italian cyclist did to poor Dave Stoller in “Breaking Away.”

Psh, what a n00b, the correct term for this is a “Cinzano”.

Okay, just kidding…I agree that many of the comments were overly harsh, probably because he was journalizing (totally not a word). If a friend of any of us had relayed the same experience, I’m sure we’d all have been much more helpful…but I think we cyclists, and particularly those of us who also think of ourselves as a sort of community of advocates, get really paranoid whenever the press starts talking about bike commuting (See: Dr. Gridlock, comments section on WTOP, etc…).

[TwoWheelsDC]

@JimF22003 21972 wrote:

Can anyone recommend a bell that has a quick-release that works well? I’d put one on while on the MUP but there’s no way I’m riding out on the road with one

The adjustable Incredibell takes about 30 seconds to attach/detach, although the mount seems a bit cheap (plastic screw used to tighten a plastic band) and may not hold up if you are attaching/detaching it a lot.

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