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I’m so glad I found the alternate route that lets me avoid the MVT (Thanks again DismalScientist, iirc). Like Vern it makes me feel so much better getting in on a bike. Another thing I noticed as I was getting changed downstairs after my ride in … my cold tolerance has gone way up. I’ve always been a reasonably hardy fellow, but in the past 13°F would be daunting and unpleasant, but this morning I thought nothing of it and laughed at the ice in my beard. Even the 0°F last week I saw on a ride wasn’t that bad. I haven’t really changed the way I dress recently, but I seem to be getting somewhat immune to the cold, at least on the bike. I suppose how you feel is largely in your mind. Anyone else finding that things aren’t as cold as they seemed to be in the past?

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@Terpfan 109245 wrote:

I’m liking the Boundary Channel to Washington Blvd to Memorial idea.

I did this today, from pretty much where you’re starting, and it went well. I started out at the path from Rt 1 that connects to Washington Street by Hunting Towers — it is plowed and quite clear. From there I hung a left on the sidewalk (also cleared) and went left on Church Street then Right on Columbus. I took that all the way to the end, making a left on Powhattan then a left on Slaters and a right on the path on the Monroe Ave bridge (cleared). From there I stayed on the path going alongside Potomac Avenue, which is plowed all the way to E. Glebe. From there onto the road taking Potomac Ave to Crystal Drive (making a right) and taking that until it ends at 12th St South. Take that then the right at Long Bridge Drive until that ends at Boundary Channel. Take that under 395 (a bit past that there is a plowed sidewalk for most of the way) until the sidewalk on the access ramp to 27 (S Washington Blvd) — get on that sidewalk, if you go under a bridge, you went too far. From there you take the trail and after the first bridge, it gets icy, it might be best to walk, even with my studs I dismounted this morning, but it is only about 1/4 mile. You have a few at grade crossings to get to Memorial Bridge (which is cleared). From there you’re in DC. With the exception of that 1/4 mile section in ice, it is all plowed, and all on road. Not as pleasant as the MVT in normal conditions, but much nicer today.

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My wife has pretty much accepted that I’m going to ride if it is at all possible. I’ve been doing it long enough that the novelty of it all has worn off and she has seen that I’m not going to freeze to death. I think she does worry about my safety on ice and that the cold might get me sicker than other forms of transit. When she mentions my riding to her co-workers, evidently I am universally seen as either insane or a rule 5 sort of fellow. My toddler daughter seems to think it is really cool, and will frequently ask me if I am biking today. On nights where I’ve put in some miles for BAFS, if I go before she goes to sleep she wants to go too, but nighttime trailer rides for a two year old at 10°F might be a bit much for now … Co-workers used to be blown away by it, but now they just find it to be “normal” and will frequently ask if I biked in on a particularly cold day, although since the answer is almost always “Yes”, they don’t ask as much anymore.

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I know that the NPS argument is that they don’t have the money, yet they clear the traffic lanes of the adjacent GW Parkway at what must be considerable cost at the first sight of snow. It is the same National Park, clearly they have the money, they just choose not to do it. Snow removal on the adjacent MVT would be a rounding error in comparison to having trucks plow, sand, and salt 4 lanes of highway for 25 miles (a full 100 lane miles). All that is being asked is to have a ATV with a plow be employed to remove the snow.

This one is $999, I don’t know how much paying to have someone sit on it for a few hours would cost, but I can’t imagine it being more than $500. Maybe another $500 for insurance costs and other administrivia … so $1k for the equipment once, and $1k per incident … a rounding error.

The real answer is that they are discriminating against a method of transportation because they don’t deem it valid. Why is it that the road needs to be cleared and not the path? Why are one type of park users given the benefit of safe transit through the park while the other type is ignored and left to personal injury? We’re all taxpayers here, it would be nice if they could serve everyone equally instead of discriminating against people who want to visit the park without a motor.

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I grew some serious icicles on the beard this morning. When I got to the Friday Coffee Club at Swing’s I was dripping water as it melted. It was a cold ride, but I was dressed for it. It was definitely good getting hot coffee and seeing friends at Swing’s. The cyclocomputer said the ride started at 10°F and ended at 15°F, definitely lets you know you’re alive

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It looks like BicycleSpace is doing a count at 15th and Mass and giving out bagels and coffee tomorrow. Will be interesting to see how many people they end up counting. That said, I would think they’d get more commuters by counting at the 14th Street Bridge.

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I had a pleasant ride in this morning, but saw something strange in the Potomac on my way over the 14th Street Bridge. There were two things swimming quickly in the water looking broad with a white line of wake going behind them. At first I thought maybe it was a couple dolphins, but I didn’t see a dorsal fin and doubt they’d be up this far. I stopped to chat with another rider who was looking at the same things and we both had no idea what we were looking at. She thought they might be rays of some kind. Whatever they were, it was an exciting break from the routine. Anyone else see them?

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I have family interred at Cedar Hill, I would be dismayed if this were the case there. I should not have to behind a wheel to pay my respects. I don’t believe either cemetery is affiliated with a particular church, so, for what it’s worth, the minister probably has absolutely no authority there.

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@Powerful Pete 106786 wrote:

Pleasant commute, nice to ride with some sun!

Is it just me or is today particularly chilly and windy?

It isn’t just you. I got icicles on the beard from my breath alone this morning (usually it takes precipitation of some kind to get icicles to form). It was a nice ride though. I saw the sun rise over the Potomac at Cameron Run which was quite a beautiful sight. I would have taken a picture, but I didn’t want to have to take off the gloves to do it. I saw a surprising number of cyclists this morning, my informal count before 14th Street Bridge was 12. Glad to see more adherents to the Rule 5 and Rule 9 way of life out there.

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Had the triple bonus today with rain, sleet, and snow. Had the right gear so was pretty comfortable. It is amazing how days like this make “normal” people complain about being freezing and wet, and I am thinking to myself, “what a warm morning, this is nice, what pretty snow”, the joys of BAFS … It will be interesting to see if the threats of snow-laced Armageddon ring true tonight, or if it is just wet. I have a meeting tomorrow morning bright and early, so what happens tonight will decide just how much extra time I have to give myself in the morning. I’m hoping that the warm temperatures during the day will make the snow look beautiful and fluffy on the grass but be non-existent on the MVT.

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Thanks for all the ideas, I really appreciate it.

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I was thinking about going into DC for a coffee and pastry run with the little one. The model I have has QR wheels that come right out when you press the center axle button. Admittedly, it would be hard to take it anywhere without collapsing it and lifting it, but if someone had a pickup truck, it would be quick work. Maybe a cable through the handlebar on the back would do the trick. It is too bad they didn’t create some sort of frame attached loop that could be used as part of the design.

That said, I may just be over-thinking it and a tad too paranoid.

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Had a great ride in this morning, just wish I had gotten out of bed early enough to make it to the DC FCC. According to the bike thermometer I started at 23°F and ended up at 36°F — I was “just right” when I started and quite warm when I got into work. With the threat of snow next week I’ve kept the studs on, and while I am still feeling slow, I’m actually starting to raise my average speed a bit. I’ve even made some 2015 PRs on Strava, which blew my mind a bit since I started the year on my “fast” tires. Maybe I’m getting stronger? Maybe it was the mild tailwind … That said, my average speed has been creeping up over the last week. Just did not thing I’d see things rise so quickly. Not a bad “problem” to have, I suppose

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I have the Schwalbe Snow Studs and they definitely do the trick. I’ve been running them since the day of the first big snow this year and they do very well on ice. On ruts and thick snow you still need to be careful, but you can get around. They do feel noticeably slower than my regular tires, but the extra traction makes it worth it for bad weather. I think the snow studs might be discontinued in favor of the Marathon Winter tires, which have more studs, and studs down the center of the tire, not just the edges. I am happy with my snow studs … no need for me to upgrade, but you might want to look at the differences if you’re in the market.

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