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@Tim Kelley 130565 wrote:

You’re not wrong. It’s in the 3.15ish range, give or take .05 miles: https://www.strava.com/segments/9471341

Thanks. I still think 3.2 is closer — maybe 3.19, but certainly not 3.

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@Steve O 130567 wrote:

You don’t have to hang with the peloton. I’m planning to go down for a while, and if I bump into some friends and we JRA some laps while chatting, well, seems like a great way to start the year. I doubt I’ll attempt to hammer any more than 1-2 laps. I don’t have the bike for it anyway.

If you’re in Freezing Saddles you can put in a few first-day miles, slow or fast. And, if you spot me, you can acquire one or two of the highly-sought-after reflective FS bands.

I may indeed go since I live in SW Washington, and besides for left over drunks Maine Avenue to get there should be a saner ride than it usually is.

I am not in FS — I am retired now and don’t bike to work.

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I have no intention of participating since I would have no chance of keeping up, but I read the article anyway. It says the loop is 3 miles long. I have measured the loop many time using several odometers, and it appears to be quite close to 3.2 miles unless one cuts off the southern tip by going through the parking lot where buses park. Has anyone else measured it? I can’t believe that I gain 0.2 miles by weaving left and right.

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@Steve O 130173 wrote:

There was a short previous thread here
Another
And from way back when the forum was still riding in a Burley: “Moose Mitt Season is Upon Us“
And the more generic “What Clothing Works for Cold Weather” that includes some discussion

There’s a search box at the top right on the forum. It’s not the greatest, but it works okay. There are loads of previous threads about winter clothing with all sorts of opinions and suggestions.

Thanks. This looks like the kind of “different people like different things” situation that will make me procrastinate and thereby do nothing. Additional covering on my hands and toes in addition to lobster claw gloves and bike booties would be useful. The rest of me is usually not a problem. The problem with getting Bar Mitts is that I would need two pairs since I use bikes both with “barcons and brakes” and combo shifter-brakes in the winter.

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I have never heard of Bar Mitts before. Do they work well? Does anyone sell them locally?

I did find the company website.

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I assume that they were heading west, down hill toward the intersection with South Glen. I can certainly understand why there can be accidents there.

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@cvcalhoun 128709 wrote:

Alas, the ride just got canceled due to rain.

Good thing that I decided not to go.

If anyone hears that it has been rescheduled, could you post details.

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@jrenaut 128672 wrote:

Since nearly every time I’ve seen MPD’s bike squad, they’ve been completely ignoring all traffic laws, and not in the “I know this isn’t the law but this is safer” way but in the “there might be a law but F it I’m doing this instead” way, I would have to say that the only difference between this ride and doing a ride on your own where you actively antagonize weekend drivers is that with this one, there’s a better chance the person who hits you will get a ticket with an insignificant fine instead of just going about their day as if nothing happened.

I assume that bike police like those in squad cars are allowed to ignore laws which others must obey.

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@KLizotte 128659 wrote:

I’m going to try to make it. It is unfortunate they chose this weekend for the ride given how many people will be traveling for the holiday wknd.

Perhaps they chose this weekend precisely because many people will not be in town and city streets on Sunday morning will be even less crowded than usual at the time.

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Can one just show up, or does one have to tell them in advance?

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@S. Arlington Observer 128275 wrote:

I agree. I have no idea why and can only hope that people re-learn by observing the example of the few who do it.

Some people seem to wait until the very last minute before doing something, and I am already blinded.

I swivel my headlight instead of covering it because I don’t feel that I am in complete control of my bike, especially with someone heading toward me, with one hand covering my light. I often wonder if the colored light which normally goes toward the side and is facing forward when I swivel the light still causes trouble to an oncoming rider.

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@consularrider 127618 wrote:

In the dip just past Carolina Brothers

Carolina Brothers is at the 27.5 mile mark not at 26 which IIRC is a bit west of Smith Switch Station.

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Has anyone been through Clarks Gap since the new route has been opened? Any reports?

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@bentbike33 126914 wrote:

ME: Riding west on the “Anacostia River Trail”, a.k.a, the sidewalk on the south side of Maine Ave. SW, around 5:00, slowing as I approached the exit ramp from northbound 14th Street to eastbound Maine Ave between the railroad and 14th street bridges as the east-facing Walk signal counted down the seconds: “69, 68, 67…”

YOU: Coming down the ramp in your red SUV focused like a laser beam on the eastbound Maine Ave. traffic to your left looking to roll through the red light.

ME: Screaming “HEY!” at the top of my lungs to get your attention.

YOU: Slamming the brakes and looking scared to death to see a sidewalk user coming from the other direction. Did not the very bright white Walk signal with the very long red-number countdown shining on your face clue you in that someone just might possibly be approaching from your right, and you should check?

Sometimes I wonder whether “right turn on red” might have been The Beginning of the End of Western Civilization.

Right turn on red is not allowed at that intersection. There are signs both there and earlier on the ramp. (You probably know that.)

Personally, I think that in PM rush hour the waits between green lights for cars coming down that ramp are so long that drivers are prone to do stupid things. It makes sense having it that long based solely on the volume of traffic from the two directions but it still is too long.

Edit: The light is apparently just as long in the AM rush hour.

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Just curious. Where exactly is the Gravelly Point CX course relative to other GP landmarks (e.g. the Port-a-Johns, the boat ramp, etc.)? When riding on the MVT in that area, I am probably paying more attention to other hazards.

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