[vvill]

I’m planning on something similar this year too. I usually do a mix of gatorade/similar with mostly water plus some food of course but generally the pre-packaged foods and/or sports drink make my stomach hurt when I’m riding. I sweat easily too and it’s fairly salty as well. I’ve heard good things about Nuun tablets. I’m going to experiment this year. I might try a recipe for homemade nutrition bars and just drink water.

130 miles? I think I usually hit the wall around 60-80mi and limp home the rest of the way.

[vvill]

I always thought the French hexagon was pretty clear. Brittany, the northernmost point, Alsace-Lorraine, Monaco (or thereabouts), the southmost point, and at the bottom of the Bay of Biscay. Maybe not a perfectly symmetrical hexagon though.

[vvill]

It is pretty ridiculous from a common sense point of view. Surely there are more important things to be policing, and there should be some leeway when it comes to a full stop with cars there and a rolling stop when there’s clearly no traffic coming. This is coming from someone who is often overtaken by CaBi riders around Georgetown/Foggy Bottom because I stop for red lights.

When I take the Custis to W&OD home I’m off at Little Falls Rd. Some days I’m tempted to go on for a bit of extra riding but I don’t think I’ll be doing that anytime soon. Though I only carry my work IDs and SmarTrip with me when I commute in (I leave my drivers license and most of my other cards and wallet at home). I wonder what they would do then for ID.

[vvill]

I use Crank Brothers which are use very similar cleats to SPD. They’re two bolt so they work fine on MTB shoes. I haven’t felt the need to get proper road shoes really.

[vvill]

I love Quarry House and I don’t even live close to Silver Spring.
/end interjection

[vvill]

Happens to me all the time going down Lee Highway in the morning. So far I’ve been lucky and drivers have been courteous enough to let me come back into traffic flow with no issues.

Edit: ^ probably not a very helpful post. Sorry.

[vvill]

@dasgeh 15969 wrote:

So I’ll throw another question to the group — what do you think the best way to get from the CCT/K Street “Downunder” to the Key Bridge. My commute is going to change this summer, and I’ll likely end up needing to make that trip…

Good question! I don’t know that I have a good answer, but these are the two ways I’ve gone when I go that way. They will probably horrify some readers here.

– up Potomac St, go up the kerb, take a left, then shoulder your bike and go up the stairs to cross the bridge at 33rd St NW. Go up 33rd St NW a little bit, take a left at Big Wheel bikes, go through Cady’s Alley (slowly) and take a right to go up 34th St NW, on the sidewalk… cross 34th St NW at the pedestrian light and you’re on the east side of Key Bridge. This way requires one bike dismount and zero unpaved sections but you do have to go slow and weave around/through cobblestones on Cady’s Alley (which I find sorta fun). If you’re brave you can ride up 34th St NW which has BIG cobblestones, but I don’t dare hence the sidewalk usage.

– Take 33rd St NW, and cross at the next bridge which goes directly to 34th St NW. This is unpaved and there’s a rut on the ramp up. If you’re good at maneuvring your bike you could ride up it. After you cross the bridge there are two steps before you can ride onto Key Bridge. So this way is either one or two dismounts (unless you have a fatbike or have good enough bike handling skills to hop down those steps), and includes an unpaved section.

I used to go home that way a lot, but now I’ve taken to the Roosevelt bridge. Although this afternoon I may go Key Bridge if there’s high winds.

If you want to invest in more shouldering and more unpaved sections you can go further west under the bridge and take the longer stairs and paths to get to the coveted west side of the Key Bridge so you can actually ride on the bridge instead of dodging people.

[vvill]

I like the Arlington Triangle but then I don’t really know. I’ve never ridden it before. 😮

[vvill]

How far is the Tim & Co group going? All the way to Baltimore?

@jrenaut 15911 wrote:

Have you ridden up 16th? If so I won’t try to dissuade you, but that would be almost my last choice in that area. 15th, 14th, and 11th I think are all preferable to 16th. I don’t even drive on 16th if I can help it.

Anyway, how about 9th and T between 1130 and 1145, unless someone else wants to tweak that a bit?

I have but only because it was the first easy left turn off L St going east, and it didn’t seem that bad so every time I ride that way I just stick to the way I know. I guess the tunnel could be a bit sketchy (I go under the Washington Circle tunnel on the way home sometimes as well).

Anyway, yeah let’s say 11:30am 9th and T.

@eminva 15912 wrote:

vvill, we are practically on the same block — I’m at 18th & L. I used to commute up through Columbia Heights so I can get us to 9th and T.

I am also flexible on time — I’m planning to take the day off as well. Shall we meet at 19th & L between 11:15 and 11:30?

Liz

Cool, then let’s say 19 & L at 11:15. You lead

-Will

[vvill]

@jrenaut 15862 wrote:

Ok.

So, heading to Proteus. Directions from DC are here. I plan to leave from Columbia Heights Metro in NW DC and head over to the R St entrance to the MBT, then follow the directions. I’m taking the day off work, so my timing is pretty flexible, except that I have an irrational aversion to being late.

I can meet you before you get to the MBT – somewhere you’re passing through – maybe around 11th + U or 9th + U? I’ll be coming from 19th + K NW. I’ll probably just take K going east then go north up 16th, and then a right on T or U St.

What time works for you? I’ve never ridden to College Park, so maybe 11:30am or 11:45? Gives us 90 / 75 mins to get to Proteus.

Liz / eminva, do you want to meet us in DC somewhere?

[vvill]

I’d be in. I think I like eating more than cycling.

[vvill]

@americancyclo 15681 wrote:

that bothers me too. I just changed it to ‘ascent’ does it show up for you? not sure if anyone can edit anyone’s segment names, but I seem to have been able to edit ones I didn’t create. Like this one.

hooray, it’s fixed!

[vvill]

west there is no better. i don’t remember riding this fast?

http://app.strava.com/segments/1030765

the spelling “assent” really annoys me :confused:

[vvill]

Yeah I noticed that and created one for the Custis climb out of Rosslyn the other day. http://ridewithgps.com/segments/Rosslyn-climb

All my ridewithgps rides are “private” though so it’s pointless for me unless I go back and edit every single one, and until Tuesday they were all done with a car GPS so they’re inaccurate anyway. I do like ridewithgps though. I haven’t tried endomondo.

[vvill]

The closest I’ve seen is a driver going onto the eastbound W&OD at Lee & Washington. They realized soon enough and awkwardly began backing out.

[Author]

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