[wheelswings]

Yeeow! Is that what acupuncture feels like? Those ice shards were intense on the face and in the eyes! On the bright side, this 90 minute “facial” treatment has left me with rosy red cheeks, no makeup needed. Yay. What a bargain. :+)

[wheelswings]

Hope you had a great time in New York. Don’t worry about missing a day. In fact, you might try going for a week next time. The good ol’ Bollard Busters are doing just fine. And rumor has it the team 6 Bears are busy riding their stationary bikes, which count for a big z-e-r-o. So you’ve nothin’ to worry about … just chill and be happy and enjoy those trips to the Big Apple.

[wheelswings]

Grateful for any trail reports as the temperatures drop this evening …. MVT? WOD? Thanks in advance!!

[wheelswings]

Awesome that you’ve not had it this winter, even with your 40 mi RT! The weather hasn’t exactly been tropical. Sounds like a good insight on the meds. Good luck figuring that out. Hopefully your high-mileage lifestyle will help you get off the meds altogether.

[wheelswings]

Tin foil on the thumbs…

The foil seems to reflect your body heat back into your fingers. Many sports products include reflective liners, e.g. the Columbia brand of “omni heat silver dot reflective” products.

One morning last winter I got early-stage frostbite in my fingers on the way to work. The thawing process was reminiscent of my drug-free childbirths… i.e., it really hurt. So for my return trip, I searched the office for something to protect my fingers. There was tin foil in the kitchen, and it worked well.

I now wrap my thumbs in foil for all my coldest commutes.

[wheelswings]

Just seeing this thread now…lots of good ideas. I would add:
-Keep your seat on the low side and be ready to jump off at any time.
-Use a low gear. You’ll have more control.
-Be super-careful going downhill on ice (this is how I generally crash in wintertime…)
-Clean your chain. Otherwise it’ll make crunching sounds like mine (from all the salt and gravel).
-Take care of your thumbs. I use surgical gloves, then wrap my thumbs in aluminum foil, then put on under-gloves or liners, and finally cover everything with my snow mittens.

[wheelswings]

Just checked… rads joined the Forum in December. She or he has zero posts.

[wheelswings]

who is rads?
Apparently “rads” is someone on our team….
Rads, whoever you are, we are looking forward to meeting you… and we hope that you’re a clandestine ringer! :+)

[wheelswings]

I ride a heavy 20-year-old mountain bike with platform pedals. It’s all I’ve got. I wear my street clothes plus sneakers or snow boots. Sometimes in winter that means wearing three pairs of pants. The bike gets me where I need to go, and it keeps me happy. Who cares what anyone thinks.

[wheelswings]

Many thanks for the WOD and MVT reports. My afternoon meetings will put me on both trails. I’m also wondering about the Glencarlyn Park connector trails (the hilly ones through the woods) to get over to Bailey’s Crossroads — I’m planning to take those tonight to pick up some documents — did anyone ride Glencarlyn today? Alternatively there’s always Columbia Pike, but the pike’s not my favorite ride in any weather. :+) Thanks!!

[wheelswings]

Consularrider’s WOD report was spot-on. The key take-away was that there are substantial stretches still covered with ice and packed snow. I’m glad that SteveO felt “confident” in riding these parts, but I’ll just say that, with so much ice and snow on the trail, the exact timing of the ride makes a huge difference.

I rode the WOD twice yesterday. My early ride was slippery and somewhat unnerving. On my return, some hours later, the slight amount of thawing had made a dramatic difference. So my return was relatively easy, even though I was not “confident” given that my knee was hurting (from smashing on the WOD-ice Friday night) and even though I had a heavy load of groceries on my back.

This morning I expect the WOD is way too dangerous to ride with the freezing rain on top of all the remaining ice and snow. I’m planning to stay off of it until tomorrow.

[wheelswings]

Awesome. Thanks Ian for getting us started.

Do we have a chat room on our Strava page or is this the best place?

I’ve not yet had enough caffeine to think about our team name, but I’d be fine sticking with Black Diamond as a fallback. Keep it PG? You’re the last one who needs to worry — your kid can’t read yet. Please wish your wife a very healthy 10 or more weeks.

Great to see Ian74, worktheweb, and vern last night. I’m hoping to meet the rest of you soon!

[wheelswings]

I just wanted to say a big thank-you to all who have posted these trail and road reports. I may not be clicking “Like,” as I don’t like the fact that NPS and NVRPA have left us lumpy ice sheets in place of plowed trails. But I am grateful for all your conscientious and thoughtful reports, updates, and suggestions. I read them in planning my routes and in proceeding extra-carefully at treacherous junctions. You are saving your fellow riders from visits to the ER. Thank you.

[wheelswings]

Quick addendum to my earlier notation: There are now some icy patches on the Rosslyn side of Key Bridge, downstream-side ped/bike pathway. It’s pretty slippery so proceed with caution and be ready to throw your feet down as needed. .

[wheelswings]

Ouch! Sorry to hear, Fast Friendly Guy. It sxxxs to be injured. Wishing you a quick fix and a speedy recovery!

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