[txgoonie]

@TwoWheelsDC 22147 wrote:

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.

Right on. I’m probably awful to ride behind going down the Rosslyn hill, but I figure I might actually save some hot dog from getting run over

I went to the Marriott a few weeks ago for the first time…in a car. And honestly, I can understand driver behavior there. The stop is not well marked, and, at the light a bit further up, your view up and down the trail is blind until you’re pretty much sitting in it. That intersection is No Turn on Red, but trail traffic doesn’t always yield as they are supposed to when the light turns green.

[txgoonie]

@vvill 21904 wrote:

Mine seemed pretty accurate. Where did you have your timing chip?

On my shoe, where it was supposed to be. I’ve done a dozen running races with D-tags and never had any issue with them. My 5th and 6th laps were recorded accurately, but 1/2 and 3/4 were combined. Odd. ?? Oh well. It’s not like prize money was on the line. I just wanna feel like I really earned my medal!

@vvill 21904 wrote:

I’m always amazed at how much faster I can ride with other riders around (to motivate/draft off)…

This. I hopped on some pretty fast-moving pacelines, which I pretty much never get to do. It rocked.

[txgoonie]

29mph? I suppose it’s possible, but highly unlikely. Just b/c of conditions, route, other riders, etc.

Anybody else’s results wrong? My first and second laps were nowhere near 58 and 57 minutes

[txgoonie]

@rcannon100 21868 wrote:

Note that the article describes the incident as on 4MR, not W&OD, and on a hill.

The section that goes under Columbia Pike? I see people on bikes dismount there b/c they’re freaked out by the steepness (and narrowness and the wall at the bottom). Unfortunately, this is a situation where it’s not a place to pass going really fast OR to move in any direction suddenly. I’m really careful there with people walking toward me b/c they’re usually looking at their feet, not up the hill.

[txgoonie]

Aw, man. That’s awful to hear

I’m a pedestrian, too. I want everybody to stay safe and for the cyclist/pedestrian machine to run smoothly. And I do agree that education and culture change should always be improved. However, one thing that has always been and will continue to be true is that human beings make bad decisions. Some people may intellectually know the rules and may kinda understand the consequences of their actions but still won’t think when they cross the street. Some may make an active decision to do something but their logic is flawed. On the other hand, some people know they’re making you slow down. And you know what? They don’t care. There really are idiots and *ssholes out there. I’ve seen them. We can’t rid the world of them, but can accept their existence and be prepared for a run-in with one.

[txgoonie]

I answered the question for myself by asking, “what if my kid were out there?” I don’t have kids, btw, but I imagine I might be rather displeased with a cyclist, non-threatening looking or not, who couldn’t wait a hot second for the bus and kids to do their thing. I sympathize with losing one’s momentum on Military, me of the can’t-start-on-an-incline tribe. That sucks. And this might be a personal thing, but I wouldn’t lump this situation in with the other “gray area” violations that can be justified with “because it’s safe.” We rail on drivers for the things they do due to impatience, for dangerous moves that save 30 seconds. We ought to remember the real impact/inconvenience of actually following the rules, too.

[txgoonie]

TwoWheelsDC – Wow those are amazing shots!

I saw Tim Kelley trying to shoot hanging out the back window of the lead car. Dude, how did you not vomit getting thrown around in there!?

[txgoonie]

One of my beefs is groupthink. I was in Ballston on the way back from a ride stopped on Quincy at the light at Fairfax Dr. as a bunch of teens – probably 50 of them – started to cross Quincy in front of us as the pedestrian light started to flash. Naturally when the light turned green they were all still spread clear across the street, ambling slowly, blocking all of the cross traffic. Not one of them looked as if he or she was trying to speed up. No one said anything. I was on my bike not posing much of a threat but I inched forward and suggested calmly something like, “get the h*ll out of the street!” Maybe not the nicest way to say something, but a couple of them did start to trot when they heard the “Mom” voice. It was probably Pavlovian;-)

Along the same lines, there may be a crowd of people at a light crossing, waiting for the light to turn. If one person makes the dumb decision to start across before the light changes, other people will follow no matter how dangerous the move is! I refuse to do that. I’ll make 15 people walk around me before I contribute to a dangerous or discourteous situation.

[txgoonie]

I passed Mr. Penny-Farthing on the rise on southbound Rte. 1 before you hit the exit ramp for 15th St. and shouted some words of encouragement – that contraption is not built for climbing and he was working really hard.

After some sketchiness in the first two laps (especially at points where the route would suddenly get super narrow – eek!), the field spread out and we all could cruise along pretty well. The section at the Air Force Memorial is a great pit stop. After the climb, you can catch your breath, take a drink and then fly back down Columbia Pike, yeah! I’m kinda kicking myself for not going out for one more lap — I mean, how often do you have those roads car-free!?

Afterward, I watched all the races at the Crystal Cup. There’s just no sensation like hearing and feeling a pack of bikes humming by at 35mph. Amazing stuff. All in all, a great day!

[txgoonie]

I’m rocking the Speedplay Zeros and while I like the interface and how easy it is to clip in, I have never liked the cleats themselves. They’re so darn high profile and with the coffee shop caps, like the ones Dirt linked to above, they’re like reverse stilettos. And my main problem is that I slip around on them, which is no fun when you’re walking through your office lobby which is polished granite or when you’re pushing off from a dead stop. Stop light on an incline? Major fun times. Push off just a little bit, and my foot rockets back behind me and I can barely get going. So does anyone have a home remedy for the slippiness? Do other road pedal/cleat systems not have that issue?

[txgoonie]

I’m not normally a fan of workout junk you buy from TV, but I’m borrowing P90X from a friend right now. The leg/back workout is killer. You don’t need a lot of weights (in fact, I don’t use any but I have strength bands if I change my mind), which I really like. It’s totally customizable – you just do what you can. Sometimes I have knee twinges, so I either do fewer reps or cut out an exercise altogether. The yoga workout is also pretty challenging. Between those two workouts, I feel like my strength and flexibility have really improved.

Honestly, whatever workout you choose to do, the key is consistency. You won’t see marked improvement from one week to the next, but you will over time. If you slack off for a week or two (which can easily turn into three or four), it will set you back. So just stick with it as best you can.

[txgoonie]

I’m actually a big fan of the two-piece tri suit option b/c of the utility of the pieces separately. Tri shorts are good to throw on as a base layer when you wanna ride in street clothes. And the tri-top is one of my favorite things to wear when running long distance or racing b/c I can carry more stuff without having to resort to some kind of belt. I really don’t get why running apparel manufacturers haven’t figure this out yet. It’s a running shimmel with cycling jersey pockets in the back – duh. Anyway, I have tri-tops that are either supposed to be worn alone or with a bra/suit top underneath, and I prefer the all-in-one. It’s one less layer, and the pockets tend not to sag as much. Zoot is my favorite all around, but Sugoi shorts are super nice – the material is smooth and holds up well. I tried DeSoto and I find their stuff to be a little too short, too thin, and does not hide anything.

Overheating (or at least feeling hot) when you start on the run is always tough. Just make sure to dump some water over your head and use head and/or eye protection. I throw on a visor and sunglasses b/c squinting seriously takes up too much energy.

Bib shorts are the bomb. That’s all I can really say about that

[txgoonie]

@americancyclo 20607 wrote:

That’s the same position the California DMV takes on hills, and as a previous resident of San Francisco, I wholeheartedly agree. Whoever is putting in the most effort gets the right of way.

That’s SOP in mountain biking, as well. (Aside: it’s rather infuriating how few people actually follow it in practice, especially when it’s a guy barreling downhill versus a girl going up. I feel a lot of the time dudes would just bash right into me if I didn’t get out of the way.:mad:)

[txgoonie]

@Mark Blacknell 20509 wrote:

When you descend Glebe, *take the lane*. It’s not a particularly pleasant place to get passed closely, and drivers will do that there if you give them the opening.

If you end up deciding you’d like a look at 41st from the bottom, slow and signal well in advance – drivers don’t expect anyone to turn left there.

This is a good idea, but you do have to watch your speed riding Glebe no matter what. If you plan to take the sidewalk to go over Chain Bridge, you have to get left at the light and you’ll totally overcook it if you’re not prepared. Jabber warned me about that the first time I did it, and I was SO glad he did.

[txgoonie]

After two years of commuting by bike, I finally broke down and bought rain pants. This should mean that it’ll never rain again. You’re welcome

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