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My morning route on the MVT was beautiful. I was remarking at the beauty around me — flowers in bloom, new shoots of life springing forth from the earth, birds chirping their mellifluous songs.

Then I got into the city.

I had a black Lexus SUV dangerously dart around and in front of me only to realize that people were turning right in my lane, so he darted back out. Then there was a beat-up looking white sedan that decided that the cyclist who was going the same speed as the car in front of him needed to be passed. So he made a right turn from the center lane at 7th and Constitution onto Constitution, forcing me to panic stop as he went immediately in front of me. I was inches from a crash and I have a feeling I left half a tire’s worth of rubber on the pavement.

I don’t get it. How wonderful are these people’s jobs? They are more than happy to endanger the life of another human so they can get there maybe 5 seconds faster? And in fact, neither of them did. The Lexus kept driving dangerously all the way up 7th, but I kept passing him, and by the time I made my turn off of 7th, I was several blocks ahead of him. As for the white sedan? Well he had to panic stop too since there were pedestrians crossing the crosswalk, which he almost hit. Is it really so hard to slow down and be safe?

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Looking forward to seeing everyone, barring the unforeseen I should be there.

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Pictures from this morning’s commute
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I have a Tubus Cargo, it is a great rack. It has taken punishment for thousands of miles of heavy use and heavy loading.

I used to ride a cheap aluminum rack from Performance Bike (TransIt), and that was a mistake. It failed quite dramatically. I use my rack a lot harder than you will, I commute with a pannier and rack trunk everyday and enjoy fully loaded touring with significant weight on both my front and rear racks. That said, I like steel because it does not fail the way that aluminum does.

There are seat post mounted versions like this one that are easy to take on and off of the bike, so you’d only have it on when you want to use it. The video on their page shows them installing the thing in just a few seconds. I haven’t used this one, but I do use the company’s panniers, and they are built like tanks. If you’re not loading the thing down like crazy, that might be a good option.

In terms of what to put on the rack, I use Arkel’s Bug Backpack, albeit a much older version, everyday for my commute. It hooks onto the pannier effortlessly, holds a ton, and is comfortable on my back when I’m off the bike. I also use their TailRider Trunk Bag daily for my breakdown kit, a rain jacket, keys, wallet, glasses, and other random stuff. It is surprisingly big – I can even fit a U-Lock in there when I’m not using the bug (which holds one, too). Either one would hold lunch, clothes, and a bunch of other stuff.

As for a handlebar bag, know that if you have significant weight in there, it will make the handling of your bike a lot different. I have used bags and also front panniers, and unless I’m touring and need the space, I much prefer having the cargo on the back of the bike.

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@Powerful Pete 112551 wrote:

May I ask where this happened?

New York Avenue NW, between 14th and the H Street Crossover. The interaction happened at the red light at NY and H. The buses were presumably stacked to let people off for the White House. They were blocking the previous block, and making wide turns onto 14th which caused everything to get backed-up as they could not clear the intersection.

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I had a police officer (who appeared to be federal) in an unmarked minivan (!) give a siren blip and chastise me for not being in a bike lane (that was blocked about half a block prior by a thicket of about 7 tour buses). He said that I should have waited behind the busses (which were unloading with hazards on). I told him “as I’m sure you know, the lanes are there for my use, but I’m not required by law to use them” and went on to say I wasn’t in them because I had to get around all the busses behind us, not to mention that I was riding to a (long) red light. I said “I’m not trying to be a bad guy here.” after which he backed down, and I wished him a good day. I am very glad it didn’t escalate.

This is one of my biggest fears with the proliferation of bike lanes (protected or otherwise), today I was on the right side of the law. How long until a law is passed making bike lane use mandatory? Don’t get me wrong, I like and use the lanes often, but sometimes they’re just not the best option. Sometimes I wonder if we’re building and painting ourselves into second class citizenship.

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As for routing to the MVT, if you want to avoid Telegraph and Kings Highway, I would take Kingstowne Village to a left on Hayfield to a right on Old Telegraph, Right on Telegraph (bike lane) and then Left on Jeff Todd/Mulligan (bike path). Then hang a left on Pole Road, Left on Frye, Right on Lawrence, Right on Ashton, Left on Buckman, take that to Route 1, Left for an 1/4 mile sprint, then Right on Sherwood Hall (bike lanes), take that across Ft. Hunt to Morningside, Left on Park Terrace, stay right to the right at Tulane, cross over and you are at the MVT. Nothing bad on that route besides the hllls, really. If you’re not comfortable in traffic, you can sidewalk it on Route 1, but it is really short, and with the light timing, it isn’t bad. The climb back will definitely let you know you’re alive, but if you do it regularly it’ll get a lot easier.

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That was a lot of fun. It was great meeting everyone and I had fun looping around the point 13 times. Thanks to SarahB for the food and drink, having a snack and a gathering place to chat with people in-between laps was great.

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In for 3 (2 adults, 1 kid)

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@consularrider 111351 wrote:

I would be happy to meet up for a pre-Hains Point Party Ride dinner. Suggestions, and timing?

I am pretty flexible. I’m down in Chinatown, so Pi Pizza, Gordon Biersch, and Cap City come to mind, but I could honestly go anywhere (and since we’ll be on bikes, we can). Timing wise, I can probably do it anytime after 5 or so.

If the NWS forecast holds true it looks like BAFS could go out with a snowy bang … 50% chance of rain and snow with a low of 35°F. All the more motivation to ride faster around the point.

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@Amalitza 111243 wrote:

If anyone else is heading there from my area (Terp, worktheweb?) company on the way there might be extra incentive for bike>> bed.

I am planning on being there, but since I work in DC, I might not take the trip back home only to turn around (and I do get the irony in that statement … since I am going to a place to ride in circles…). I would definitely enjoy the company on the late night ride back, though.

Anyone with time to kill in DC want to grab a bite to eat together before heading down to Hains Point?

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Pleased to report that the MVT is ice free from Tulane Drive to the 14th Street Bridge. The only parts that were holdouts were in the shade by Jones Point and on the North side of the power plant bridge/tunnel. Both are now totally clear.

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+1 on the bigger wrench, leverage is your friend. I had pedals that were impossible to get off until I went to a shop that had a large pedal wrench. The right tool for the job. I’ve subsequently invested in one since I seem to wear out my Speedplay Frogs at least annually, it has saved me a ton of knuckle busting and loud swearing.

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After a very long time with no flats I got hit twice today. This morning I got a flat on the way into work which made me a few minutes late for a meeting. It appears that the studs in my studded tires wore through the inside of the tire just enough to make a hole in the tube. When I patched it I used the dollar bill trick and got into work and within 3 miles of my destination on the way home. Then I had another flat. My wife was kind enough to pick me up so that I would not have to patch the tire and then just remove the tire when I got home. Tonight I make the switch back to slicks.

The Schwalbe Snow Studs only had around 1,000 or so miles on them — has anyone else had studs go through the rubber of their tires? Anyone have better luck with other models? Maybe I can find some good deals now that were approaching the “off season” …

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On the Memorial Bridge this morning:
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