Cruisin' on a Saturday and Sunday afternoon

Saturday was fairly pleasant in the mid-Atlantic region and I took advantage of the mild weather and sunshine to run my errands via bicycle. Everyone -- pedestrians, fellow cyclists, and motorists -- seemed to be in good spirits and I noticed lots of smiles and waves. A couple of ladies outside the grocery store even complimented Beatrix and my fairly casual outfit. To be honest, I felt casually elegant on Bea with her spiffy new handlebar and grips. I love the way they look and feel. Oh, and it may not be a Christmas tree, but I did manage to haul the twenty-pound container of cat litter home via the rear rack. Boo-yah. Granted it did make climbing that last hill home a little bit more difficult.

Sunday, on the other hand, was chilly and overcast in the mid-Atlantic region and I took advantage of the poor conditions to put in a few miles on the W&OD trail. The trail wasn't empty by any stretch of the imagination, but it wasn't clogged with families and dog-walkers like it was on Saturday. I made it out to Battlefield Parkway in Leesburg and attempted the hill that climbs up to a park off that road. My coworker who occasionally bike commutes has mentioned that climb a few times and won't do it. I made it about a quarter of the way and had to push Lily the rest of the way up. Even walking up the hill was tough.

Oof. I've gotten so out of shape.

The ride back down that trail was pretty terrifying and I squeeze the brakes with nearly every bit of strength in my hands. Good times.

The Weather Channel said that the air temperature was 49F, but I beg to differ. I was FREEZING by the time I got home and could see my breath during the last half of the ride. It was a great ride, but it took a while to warm up.

I'm baaa-aaaack

It's been almost a month since I was last on my bike. Shameful. Shameful, I tell you! But that doesn't mean I haven't been tweaking my bikes. Oh no...

So, remember when I used to fret about being taken "seriously" because I'd personalized my bike? Allow me to condescendingly pat my past self on the head and mutter, "There, there..."

It's pretty and silly.

Check out that pattern matching.

The stars are this year's holiday cheer.

I love that the (inch wide) tape is translucent enough that the manufacturer's stickers still show through. This project took the better part of six hours; although, I'd taped the seat stay and chain stay before the Backroads Century in September. During that ride, Max, one of my favorite Spokes-people, passed me and complimented my "unusual" bike before we recognized each other. He laughed and said that he thought it looked like an Ariel, but he'd never seen one with that paint job. Heh. I told him the red polka dots were to help me learn to love hills. Maybe now that the whole bike is polka dotted, I'll actually get there.

Fear the bicycle

I'm afraid of my Specialized Dolce. She's a beautiful bike and satisfies my need for speed, but she's so light and twitchy that I never feel fully comfortable on her. It's not because of the few falls I've had from her: I've suffered more, and bloodier, crashes on the Ariel. Nor is it the function of being clipped in: my clipped falls on Circe were at a near stop while my clipped falls on Lily were at speed (see "bloodier" above). I don't feel like Circe is under my complete control and it makes me hesitant to ride her.

Rawr.

A local friend has a Dolce, which is two years older than mine, and she feels the same way about her bike. She's not the collector like I am and this is her only bike. At least I have a choice when I want to hit the road for a bit of two-wheeled freedom.

Anybody else? Do you have a bike that gets neglected because it gives you the heebie jeebies?

An out-of-the ordinary commute

I hit the trail thirty minutes later than usual because 1) I stayed up too late reading and wasn't ready to bounce out of bed the third time my alarm went off [I am way too fond of the snooze button] and 2) it took a while for me dig out my cold weather gear and suit up for the commute. I'm good with a light cardigan, scarf, and gloves in the 40s, but once the mercury dips into the 30s, I want my helmuffs, arm warmers, and at least a windbreaker. After bundling up and ensuring that I had all the needed bits and bobs, I took off for work.

As I pulled my bike over the curb separating the neighborhood street and small hill to the W&OD trail, two lightly bundled cyclists on heavily laden bicycles cruised by in my planned direction. I overtook them after half a mile and realized they were on a bike tour. The fully loaded panniers and bedroll each had attached to their rear racks gave it away. I called out for them to enjoy their trip and the woman of the couple assured me, "Oh, we are!"

More joggers were out than I normally see in the morning and fewer commuters/trainers. I'm sure that was due to the lateness of my ride. I was surprised that traffic on Waxpool was lighter at 8:50 than 8:20. It certainly feels heavier when I'm in the car. Crossing two traffic lanes to get into the left turn lane for the campus was a breeze. It was also nice not having to fight for a parking space what with several parking lots and access to one of the garages being closed off for repaving and repair. One of the many perks of riding on two wheels.

Flying in the dark

I needed to ride last night. It wasn't a want; it was an actual need. A need of movement. A need of freedom. A need of solitude.

I grabbed Lily and hit the trail just as the last of the sunset lit the sky. By the time I was a mile from home, I needed my headlight to see instead of just to be seen. I passed many cyclists without lights who I saw only because of the reflectors on their pedals and several joggers in dark clothes who were merely shadows at the periphery of my light, but I was alone in my lane neither overtaking nor being overtaken by other people.

I startled too many rabbits to count who were cropping the grass close to the trail. I, apparently, sneaked up on a ginger cat who didn't turn to see me until I passed it. I heard peepers singing the entire length of my ride.

At the base of the Town Center overpass in Reston, I turned around because I didn't feel like battling that long, shallow climb. Shortly afterwards, my light warned me that its power was low. Turning around was the right idea.

Source.

My imagination took over on the return trip. I still had enough light to barely illuminate the canopy of trees between Herndon and Sterling and I felt as though I were deep in the woods on some mission or quest. I kept my eyes wide for deer, but even the rabbits had moved elsewhere. I was completely alone, flying in the dark.

When I'd completed my nine miler, I was sweaty and clear-headed. My dark journey was exactly what I'd needed and I realized how much I had missed the experience. With the closing of the year, I look forward to more dark rides.

Brrr

My general feeling about October. Source.

I needed a scarf in addition to my thin wool gloves for this morning's commute. Egad, I love this time of year!

However, because I love to borrow trouble, I'm looking ahead to the dark, damp months and wonder how well Beatrix the C8 will handle slick roads. Her tires aren't nearly as narrow as the Dolce's, but are significantly thinner than the Ariel's. I feel more confident in the hybrid's handling of rough weather -- as if I ride that often in such conditions, but you never know -- than the upright's.

But the practice of that particular theory is at least two months away (unless we get another freak Hallowsleet this year). In the meantime, I look forward to fall's riot of color and chilly mornings. Yum!

So beautiful

Autumn weather has descended upon the mid-Atlantic region, and the hubs and I took full advantage of it this morning with an impromptu ride to Leesburg and back. I'm proud of Scott for making the 24 mile round trip considering he hasn't been on his bike in probably a month. With a few rides over the next two weeks, we should be ready for the 30ish mile route of the Backroads Century on September 23.

Still looks like a vintage Doctor Who location.

The ride itself was fairly easy. There were a lot of folks out on the trail, but it wasn't nearly as crowded as I would have expected. I'd planned to take it easy on Scott so I suggested that we turn around at the Luck Stone Quarry.

Once we'd arrived at the quarry, he still felt energetic and wanted to continue on to Raflo Park in Leesburg.

Lookin' good and feelin' great.

The only spot of trouble happened as I rounded the base of the Route 15 underpass and spooked when another cyclist popped out from the other side. Luckily, I'm used to getting startled there and was already at nearly a crawl. I yelped, hit the brakes, and slid off the seat to stop moving just before clipping the wall. I've got to stop being so high strung.

The gazebo at Raflo Park is approximately twelve miles from our house and the first rest stop of the Backroads is at twelve miles. Now, we'd stopped a couple of times en route for readjustments and little breaks, but we didn't want a significant break until that point. We wound up visiting for a while with another cyclist who'd ridden from the eastern side of Herndon and compared stories of experiences with the various trails in the area and interactions with other cyclists and pedestrians. Oh, and he also hated the approach and climb to the Rte 28 bridge. Heh.

The ride back to Ashburn is mostly downhill and we needed no breathers along the way. We did, however, stop at Ashburn Road and snack a bit outside of Carolina Bros. BBQ. That stop was approximately eighteen miles into our ride and the second rest stop of the Backroads is at mile twenty. But back to the BBQ. As a native of the Memphis area, I am practically powerless against BBQ'd pig. While His Nibs kept cool in the shade, I trotted over to the restaurant for a take-away sandwich platter and slice of pecan pie which fit fairly well in my basket.

Lookin' good but feelin' the burn.

Not as busy as I'd suspect on such a gorgeous day.

The ride from Ashburn to Sterling is mostly uphill and I rode at an easy pace. Scott pulled ahead and sailed up and over 20-hate at which point his quad seized up and he massaged his leg until I caught up. Poor dear. The last mile and half was trouble-free, though, and we both felt pretty good when we pulled our bikes into the house. We just need to get a few more rides in over the next couple of weeks and we'll be good to go. Also? It's going to be 55F tomorrow morning. I can't wait to ride to work!

Group ride, interrupted

The Bike Me DC group met up at the Herndon Depot yesterday for a casual ride to the Vienna Depot and back, and I rode the three miles from home to Herndon to meet the group for the ride. We had lovely weather despite one member wearing his cursed jersey again. It rains every time he wears that jersey (the Reston Century riders can thank him), except for last night. Hooray!

We took off shortly after 6pm and the speed demons left six of us in the dust. Eventually, another woman -- Rebecca -- and I pulled ahead of the last four folks. Rebecca and I had wound up pushing our bikes up the final hill during last year's Great Pumpkin Ride and discovered that our cruising speeds are compatible. We rode side by side and chattered happily about upcoming group rides, vacation plans, and bicycle maintenance. We even continued chatting as we rode up the hills that both of us find troubling. It felt great to have a riding companion with similar strength.

A couple of miles outside of Vienna, I hit a pothole. It jarred me and Lily, but she seemed okay. I heard an odd sound and thought that I might have damaged one of my tires, but they weren't losing air. Rebecca pulled ahead of me and eventually left me in the dust. I couldn't get any speed and momentum was nil. My body was starting to hurt, too: hands, back, sides, tush, and feet. I was only ten miles in, with fourteen to go, and I was miserable. As I approached the Depot, two ladies from the far behind group passed me. When I joined the group, I examined my back tire and realized that the brake clamped down on the rim at certain points. I told the ride leader that I was going to take my bike up to the Vienna branch of Spokes, Etc, and have them take a look. The guys, of course, flocked to my bike and tried to fix the problem. I stepped back and let them tweak to their hearts' content. Despite the team's best efforts, my brake still wouldn't let go of the tire. One of the guys did notice that the tire was slightly out of true and that was most likely causing the problem.

The group didn't like leaving me behind but I told them I'd be fine and would have my husband come rescue me if the bike couldn't be fixed this evening. With that, I walked my bike the half mile or so to the bike shop. The diagnosis was that I'd broken a spoke and, happily, the fix was quick and cheap. I phoned Scott, who was halfway to the shop, and told him I was good to ride back home. Since he was in my car, I didn't feel too guilty about his burning gas and toll road money for the wasted trip. He was concerned about the fading light, but I assured him I was okay with my blinky headlight and do-not-look-into-laser-with-remaining-eye tail light.

And I was okay. At least until I got out of Vienna proper when I realized that I'd left my water bottle at the service counter of the shop. Guh. Reston wasn't that far away and I could snag a bottle of water at the McD's next to the trail on Wiehle. I chased the fading light and was in full-on darkness as I approached Herndon. The ninja joggers and cyclists were out in force and I gave my bell a workout warning folks of my passing. I'm VERY happy not to have found any deer on the trail since my spotlight-the-next-county headlight was on the kitchen counter at home. I'm also VERY happy not to have hit the skunk which trundled out of the underbrush just before I got to Sterling Blvd. I don't think I've ever seen a live one in the wild and I'm glad that we passed each another without physical or aerosolized contact.

I thought that I'd be exhausted when I got home, but coasting for a mile or so revitalized me. I was tired and hurting because it's been a while since I've ridden over twenty miles, but I did manage a total of 24 miles in just over two hours, plus the twenty minutes or so of bike repair. And one of these days I'll get to complete a Bike Me DC ride with the whole group.

So dirty

Lily and I got in two very soggy rides this week: Monday evening's commute and Wednesday evening's group ride from Herndon to Ashburn. Monday wasn't planned; I left work slightly later than planned and the rain started just after I unlocked the bike. A couple of coworkers kindly offered to drive me home because I'd mentioned in the past that I was nervous about slipping on wet streets. I figured, though, that since we'd had a fair amount of rain on Sunday, oil and whatnot on the roads would have washed away. Plus, I had my lights and I was fairly sure I wouldn't melt. It turns out that I wound up being only slightly more damp from the evening's commute (rain) that I'd gotten from the morning's commute (sweat). Funny, that.

Grimy grimy.

The whole of Wednesday was pretty nice, but as soon as I hit the trail to meet the bike club at the Herndon Depot, the drizzle started. Skies were clear in Herndon, but our plan was to ride west to Ashburn and into the wet. Our little group got to Church Road and took sanctuary under the bridge to wait out the rain. A couple of folks turned around while an intrepid few continued west into the chilly and stinging rain. We crossed 28, arrived at Pacific and decided that even we had had enough. Of course, as soon as we got back to Sterling proper, the skies cleared. The other three continued east and I turned toward home to dry off and warm up. Fun, but chilly.

The back rack saves me from a skunk stripe but doesn't protect the seat tube or stays.

The result of all these rainy rides is that Lily is FILTHY. I know that she needs a good cleaning, but I'd rather ride than clean. I guess that since Sunday is supposed to be a wash-out, I'll use the cooped-up time to give my beloved steed a much deserved wipe down and lube. And maybe Circe will be my bike of choice for tomorrow's 20+ miler to Leesburg and back.

Vacation recap

The most interesting thing I noticed while riding on the Memphis and Germantown trails was how friendly everyone was. The second most interesting thing I noticed was all the "learning stops" on the Wolf River Greenway.

Map of the Wolf River Greenway.

Electric Overlook.

Aquifer Island.

River History Plaza.

Beaver Boondocks.

This is what most of the trail looked like.

The third thing I noticed was how ~new~ the Wolf River Greenway was. There are parts that are still under construction. In fact, there was a bit of a traffic jam with some backhoes, but I couldn't begrudge them building additions to the trail such as this new rest area:

The Shelby Farms Greenway was more out in the open.

 The Memphis Greenline was a mix of openness and a tunnel of trees.

That's either I-40/240 or Sam Cooper Boulevard.

Closer to mid-town.

Unfortunately, there was no more cycling after Monday's trip which meant that I didn't get to try out any of the brand new bike lanes heading downtown. And it was too stinking hot in NW Alabama to even think about getting on a bike, plus we would have had to drive a couple of miles to reach a paved road. Yes, directions to my folks' under-construction lake house includes the phrase "turn off the paved road". We did, however, spend many hours in the lake and being swung about wildly on tubes behind the boat. I have what looks like road rash on both elbows from the tubing adventures. And I put my strong bicycle legs to use by figuring out that I could hold onto the tube, in a matter of speaking, by clamping my thigh down while being swung out on the super wide turns. Scott tells me that I did some pretty spectacular roll/dismount/crashes before I figured out the thigh trick.

We finally left the new family homestead on Saturday and took our time getting back to Virginia. We stopped just outside of Chattanooga so we could See Rock City! It's actually fairly beautiful for a kitschy tourist trap. The Fairyland Cavern was rather creepy, but the rock formations, gardens, and vistas were breath-taking. Literally. I clung to the rail as we crossed the bridge over the falls.

Gaaaah.

We saw several cyclists climbing the steep, twisty, two lane road to the top of Lookout Mountain. That was seriously hardcore. The ride back down must be terrifying! We also noticed lots of bike lanes, sharrows, and wayfinding signs from the bottom of Lookout Mountain and through an industrial area to Chattanooga. Who knew?

The only other bikey part of the trip home was our smuggling the bikes into our hotel room when we stopped for the night. Typically, we'd have pushed on home but, once we crossed the Virginia border, we'd already spent eleven hours on the road -- including our two hour tour of Rock City -- and the thought of another five and a half hours in the truck made me want to cry.

We got home safely Sunday afternoon and pulled the bikes off the rack well before the storm hit. Although, considering all the bird poop I had to clean off my bike, it might not have been to bad to let nature give Lily a bath...

Seriously?

I rode 55+ miles on Sunday, attached to my fast bike, and came out of that experience unscathed. To alleviate the stiffness in my legs yesterday, I headed out for a short, slow ride to the grocery store, unclipped I might add, on the hybrid yesterday. I got a mile away from home and Lily's front tire skidded on the edge of the sidewalk and I crashed HARD.

I was too hurt and stunned to even be embarrassed about wiping out next to traffic -- I landed on the grass side of the sidewalk, thank goodness -- and sat there for a moment assessing what just happened. Bloody knees, mangled front basket, and a left foot that couldn't bear my weight. Good times. I cried for a little bit, rinsed and mopped up the blood, and slowly coasted back home, sniffling with tears dribbling down my cheeks.

My knees are okay, but my left foot is swollen pretty badly and I've got a bruise from the ball of my foot up along the side of my big toe. I still can't put my full weight on my foot, but I can wiggle my toes without too much discomfort. I'm working from home -- thank goodness I had to the foresight to bring home my laptop -- and keeping the foot elevated and iced off and on. Several friends and my boss have offered me the use of training wheels and my mom says I should trade in the bikes for a tricycle. Scott thinks I'd just find new and more interesting ways to hurt myself with the extra wheels.

Is there anybody else who crashes and burns in such stupid fashion? I can't be the only one gifted with such incredible grace.

Close but not quite...

While documenting my hunt for the perfect loop frame bicycle of my dreams, I read a review of the Civia Twin City Step-Through by the delightful Dottie of Let's Go Ride a Bike. This is it, thought I. This would be the bike that meets my requirements of graceful/classic lines, power for hills, and a comfortable/smooth ride both on-road and slightly off. With words of encouragement from other bloggers, I searched for a local-ish dealer and was both excited and anxious about having found one in Richmond. I was excited because the dealer was within an easy and explicable driving distance and anxious because I wouldn't be able to make the five hour (with traffic) round trip for at least a week. I chewed my nails, threw common sense to the wind, extended my vacation by one day, and drove to Carytown Bicycle Company in Richmond on Tuesday.

Source: Civia Cycles

The Twin City is quite lovely in person with its rich burgundy color and gracefully curved top tube and handlebars. I liked the integrated rack, but was concerned about how the bottom hook of my shopping pannier would connect without slipping. Wrangling the far-reaching cables around a front basket might be difficult. The top tube was higher than I expected, though. Dottie and I are both 5'7" and she steps over the top tube fairly easily in her video review. I found it easier to throw my leg over the seat when mounting the bike (which kind of defeats the purpose of a step-through...), but pulling my leg through when dismounting was quite comfortable.

The test ride itself was enjoyable despite my turning the shifter in the wrong direction, but the bicycle forgave my slip-ups. The chain sound and felt like it slipped occasionally, but that could be due to improper assembly and I'm sure could be adjusted. The grips felt comfortable in my hands and the brake handles were in a good position. The back brake was sluggish and the front brake squealed like a banshee. The riding posture was extremely comfortable -- upright, but not stiffly so -- and I could easily bend into a lower and more aggressive position. The stock seat was EXTREMELY uncomfortable during my ten minute ride around the neighborhood and would need to be swapped out pronto. I have no idea of determining how fast I rode, but I wasn't afraid to tangle with traffic and take-off from a stoplight was easy. The ride quality wasn't as smooth as I'd expected. I'd equate it with the Linus Dutchi, not terrible like the Globe Daily but not as sweet as the Public Bikes M8. I don't know if this is correct, but I chalked that up to the narrow tires.

I had carried my Specialized Ariel to Richmond as trade and when I rode her up to the shop (parking was a couple of blocks away) after having ridden the Civia, I couldn't help but compare how much smoother Lily's ride felt to the Civia's. At that point I realized that the Civia wasn't the bike for me and I wouldn't compromise the form of a not-quite-right loop frame against the function of my current hybrid.

Some might see this as a wasted trip -- I kind of did as I sat in standstill traffic on I-95 for twenty minutes thanks to road construction -- but it was actually another object lesson in specs on paper (or the web) not meeting the gut (and butt) feeling. And with that, one more obsession has bitten the dust and I was completely happy with my utilitarian Lily. At least I was until the adorable G.E. of Endless Velo Love pointed out that Public Bikes must have heard my whine about the Mixte frame and the 3-speed loop frame having an internal geared hub and it wasn't fair that the 7-speed loop frame had a rear derailleur instead. They have since released an eight-speed, internally geared loop-frame bicycle. The Public Bikes M8 has been my favorite test ride thus far; this C8 may just be The One.

Source: Public Bikes

Adventures in urban cycling

Saturday promised to be a gorgeous day and I was determined to make the most of it. Scott had plans to practice sword work with a friend in Herndon and I was left without adult supervision. I decided to head into DC and test ride some bikes I've been stalking on the internet. To keep me honest on this being a recon mission only, I took Lily with me to use as my mode of transportation in the city.

The most difficult part of the trip was finding a metro station that either had available parking or wasn't closed for track work. My preferred station is East Falls Church as it is the next exit off I-66 after the Dulles Toll Road spur. Unfortunately, the parking lot was PACKED and I was forced to find another station. I headed back to West Falls Church and learned that the station was closed for track work. Shuttles ran back up to East Falls, but I chickened out of trying to get my bike on the front of a bus and hunted for another station. I eventually found the Ballston station and a mostly empty garage attached to the mall a couple of blocks away. After locating the elevator, re-upping my SmartTrip card, and wrangling the Ariel onto the train, we were headed to the city for our urban adventure.

I am incapable of taking a good photo of the White House.

I hopped off at the Foggy Bottom station because it was closest to the first bike shop I wanted to visit. I got my first taste of honest to goodness urban cycling while weaving through traffic jams on K and Pennsylvania. I played chicken with a taxi (and won, I guess, since I'm not only still breathing but also have full use of all limbs and organs) and dodged GW University grads and families.

After the test ride, I took L to Massachusetts to Mount Vernon Square where I hopped onto the sidewalk to get out of another traffic snarl. At this point, I was completely sold on a bicycle being the best mode of transportation in the city. I swear, if we lived in an urban area, we'd be selling one of the vehicles without hesitation.

After a second test ride, I headed over to Adams Morgan and got to play in bike lanes and the 15th Street cycletrack. OMG, so much fun. Now, I've been kind of meh about bike lanes particularly since they put cyclists in the door zone and I also feel like they might cause vehicle drivers to think those lanes are the only places that cyclists are allowed to ride. However, I realized that bike lanes can allow one to more safely (-ish) filter past stopped cars. The bike lane on V certainly made my ride from 15th to Florida a better experience. Not sitting in four blocks of stopped cars for the win!

Other urban cycling experiences: pedaling through salmons and getting shoaled by super bikers. Whoo hoo! I can see how dealing with both on a daily basis could wear down a commuter. I also noticed that the inbound 15th Street cycletrack was a little more harrowing than outbound since there weren't any stoplights pointed in the inbound direction. Luckily, I didn't sail through any red lights and I eventually realized that I should watch the crosswalk signals to know whether or not to stop. There were too many light-running cyclists to count of them being good signals. A few passing cyclists smiled or compliment my flowery basket, but most wore super serious faces. Come on and lighten up: you're on a bike! Occupiers are in McPherson Square. I thought they were only in Freedom Plaza.

I didn't realize they were still occupying.

I pedaled in front of the White House and took even more bad photos. A couple of protestors railed about the US being a modern day Sodom and Gomorrah and blew a large plastic horn in a walls-of-Jericho reenactment, minus walls. A huge (and I mean HYOOGE) wedding party emerged from Lafayette Square taking guerrilla wedding photos in front of the White House. Based on the bride's pale skin and strawberry blonde hair, I assume she was of Irish descent. The throng of darker skinned women in saris caused me to assume the groom was of Indian descent. All of the gorgeous saris were like a glittering rainbow traveling down Pennsylvania Avenue. As I passed the White House, I saw a large man with a very big gun and an enormous dog round the northwest corner of the White House. I did not spy any snipers.

I chose poorly and got stuck in traffic on 17th Street. Unlike the filtering girl, I waited to find a curb cut and hopped on the sidewalk again. I'm not entirely sure what constitutes the Central Business District and I don't know if riding on the sidewalk there is prohibited on the weekends, but no one official pulled me over. Continuing on to Independence, I found signs pointing toward the FDR Memorial, but between heavy traffic and getting turned around, I missed the exit for both FDR and MLK. Of course, now that I am looking at Google Maps I can see there was an easier access point which I passed after I gave up on visiting those memorials. Instead, I chose to explore the mythic Hains Point which I've read about in other blogs. I obeyed traffic LAWS and clutched invisible pearls at the cars which did not. My mind was blown when I rode past a miniature golf course. I don't know why it seems strange and out of place for DC to have a miniature golf course, but it does. I mean, DC is about stately marble monuments and humorless politicians, lobbyists, and businesspeople. Miniature golf is completely incongruous with DC. Except, apparently, it isn't. As I pedaled along the DC-facing side of the island, I heard a bagpipe from across the water. From the National War College, I guess...? I like bagpipes from a distance. A cyclist I'd passed earlier passed me and complimented both my flowery basket and my cycling speed. I smiled and thanked him.

Virginia-facing side of Hains Point.

I wound my way back to Independence and decided that it was time to head home. I'd been riding around DC for almost five hours -- well, four-ish if you deduct my stop for an omelet and milkshake at the Diner in Adams Morgan -- and had put nearly fifteen miles on the bike. En route to the Smithsonian station, a Lexus with DC plates buzzed me. I was miffed until I saw him cut off an SUV up ahead and realized the guy behind the wheel was an equal opportunity jackhole.

Aside from getting on the New Carrollton platform and wrestling Lily up the escalator so I could get to the other platform (not recommended, by the way) and then missing the first west bound orange line train, the trip home was easy peasy. I'm looking forward to my next urban adventure where I can visit the above-mentioned memorials, the Titanic memorial, the waterfront, the Eastern Market, and all sorts of other places I've never seen in DC. I am super excited about the prospect of being able to leave the truck at home and cycling over to the Wiehle station and riding Metro into the city from Reston when phase one of the Dulles rail extension opens next year.

Bike DC 2012

Starting line crush.

Aside from some unpleasantness before and during the Bike DC event, Scott and I enjoyed ourselves immensely. I'll start with the bad:

 - Waking at an ungodly hour so that we could get to Gravelly Point by 6am to meet our bike club and get registration materials. Seriously, I don't know how you early morning commuters do it. I'm unhappy if I have to get up before 7:30am.

- The choke points at 50/Meade, all of Marshall, and Washington Blvd/Columbia Pike. The mixture of speedsters and children as the full ride and family ride converged made all of those especially fun.

- And speaking of little kids: eleven miles up and down strenuous hills is really too much for a "family fun ride". If I were supreme ruler, I would have kept the little ones on a downtown course around the Mall or something. More fun, and safer, for everybody.

These guys planned to ride the entire 24-mile route.

- Food, or rather lack of choices in the food. There were apples, bananas, water, granola bars, and candy at the two rest stops. I didn't see any food at the beginning -- I would have maimed someone for a bagel with cream cheese -- and the food at the end was bananas, bags of chips, and Jolly Ranchers. I expected maybe something like a cookout atmosphere with burgers and hot dogs at the finish line. My expectations of supported tours has been completely ruined by the fantastic spread that the Backroads Century provides at rest stops and the end, but come on! I can't eat apples, Twizzlers, or Jolly Ranchers because of my braces. I've now eaten enough bananas that I'm sure I'll make a Geiger counter click.

That being said, we did have a good time on the full route. I got to go places and see things I haven't experienced before. I'd never personally seen the front of the White House before. I'd never been on a cycle track. I'd never ridden behind unicyclists.

Not as impressive as the back, but still pretty.

I've driven on Rock Creek Parkway less than a handful of times and traveling it via bike was one of the more amazing things I've done. What can I say, I lead a boring life.

 We rode on the GW Parkway of DEATH. I've now seen the Iwo Jima Memorial in person and the Air Force Memorial from the base. I'm still buzzing about riding through the K Street tunnel and up and down car-free DC streets. I do wish, though, that more of the ride had been in the actual DC boundaries. I mean, it was fun riding in Virginia, but DC, man. And now that I think about it, all of the congestion was in the Virginia half of the ride. Coincidence? I think not.

We got to ride our bikes on an INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, y'all. Mind, blown.

It's just another 25 miles west to home.

After crossing the finish line and not finding any suitable food, we snagged our T-shirts, purchased a couple of "vintage" ride shirts, and cruised across town back to Virginia on non-car-free streets. I wasn't entirely sure how to get where we needed to go, but I did know that once we hit Constitution, my bearings would return. We rode through the Mall and wound our way past the Vietnam Wall and on to the Lincoln Memorial which I haven't been up close and personal with since my family visited during Spring Break 1990.

All in all, and aside from the snafus, we had fun. Unless something more important or pressing comes up next year, we'll probably ride in Bike DC again. I do hope that my girlfriends become stronger and more confident cyclists by then so we can ride together.

I promise I did not photoshop our bikes onto a postcard.

Another fun point is that I got lots of compliments on the floral basket. So many in fact that Scott was disappointed no one commented on his Hula girl shirt. People eventually noticed his sartorial flair and we wound up about even on comments. One guy even suggested that Scott invest in a dashboard Hula girl to attach to his helmet for the next group ride. We're both pretty keen on that idea.

More damage

To me. The bikes are fine. In fact, it took Scott longer to put the bike on the back of the truck than it took for the bike mechanic to shift the horn/brake assembly back into position on the side portion of the handlebar. Apparently, the actual metal part of the handlebar was completely unscathed. I had no idea that the horns could bend so much! Now I just need to take a Sharpie to the edge of the brake handle and Circe will be back at 100%.

Friday night I rode my hybrid over to B's house and then rode the trails around her house with her. It would have been a faster trip to her house, but she's getting used to riding again and is on a hybrid so I took the slower bike with new combo platform/SPDs. These SPDs are pretty tight as I discovered when I lost momentum going up a hill, lost my balance, and couldn't unclip before falling sideways into a ditch full of thorn bushes.

Good times.

B. pulled my bike off me and then hauled me out of the thorns. She also kindly pulled a couple of thorns out of my upper arm. I washed off the blood and we resumed our ride. I felt fine when we got back to her place and decided to ride back home. The traffic was kind of heavy for a Friday night, but I've gotten pretty comfortable around cars. I amused myself by hitting and maintaining the 25mph speed limit on a residential street which meant that the car behind me couldn't (well, not legally anyway) pass.

I hopped on the W&OD in Old Town Herndon for the trail leg of my trip and ran into a bit of trouble when the trail was CLOGGED with teens who were ignoring the concert happening on the green behind City Hall. I slowed way down but when a girl darted out in front of me, I went down hard on my right side.

The kids around me were horrified and helped me up, gathered my belongings which had fallen from my basket, continually asked if I was okay, and apologized again and again. I thanked them for their help and told them that I was very nearly a professional faller and I was okay. One of the boys said, "In that case..." and began to clap. I bowed, we all laughed, and I hopped back on for the final leg.

When I got home, Scott was horrified to see the bloody scratches on my left arm and leg, fresh bruise on my right arm, and streaks of blood from knee to ankle on my right leg. He's looking to develop a line of cycling clothing made of bubble wrap for me. I think I may simply need to go back to wearing leggings over my cycling shorts. I never got banged up like this when I was fully clothed.

Due the cuts and bruises and stiffness and soreness, I stayed home from the group ride today. I was disappointed to make that call this morning, but as of tonight I've realized that was the best choice. Scott and I will take our own trip out to Purcellville and back tomorrow. Oh, and he's going to loosen the clips on my pedals a tiny bit so I can yank my feet out more easily and not escalate injuries.

May Day

It's the first of May (NSFW for language), my eighth wedding anniversary, and the start of National Bike Month. Whoo hoo! I've signed up for the WABA-sponsored Bike to Work Day -- yay, free food and swag en route to work -- and am anxiously awaiting to see what activities the fitness center at work will provide on May 18.

In other news, I -- well, the staff at my LBS -- have made some upgrades to Circe and Lily. Circe got a new stem Friday afternoon and that change has made my road bike so much easier to ride. My hands usually went numb a few miles into a ride; on Saturday, I completed a thirty-two mile ride with no numbness or discomfort. I even felt comfortable enough to ride in the drops a few times and I didn't feel like I would take a header over the handlebar. The new stem has me riding in a slightly higher position which is a lot more comfortable on my overdeveloped ab and my back. As my core strength improves, I'll probably go back to the shorter stem.

Lily got a thorough bath on Sunday. And I do mean thorough. It was a two and a half hour ordeal, but I got every bit of road grime off the frame and out of the cogs and sprockets. Her rims, cassette, chain wheel, and chain practically sparkle. She's not showroom clean, but she's the cleanest I've seen her since taking possession. Unfortunately, when I put her in the two highest/hardest gears, there was some grinding in the chain wheel. I could have monkeyed with the front derailleur, but I let the professionals handle that and I had the mechanic change out the spiky pedals for the combo platform/spds I purchased a few weeks ago. It's going to take a little getting used to riding with pedals that aren't grippy, but I'm happy to have the option of riding clipless while commuting.

Paul's Ride for Life & Cyclefest

This past Saturday was the fourth annual Paul's Ride for Life and sixth annual Cyclefest Expo in Reston, VA. Since we were riding the twenty mile route, we took our time getting ready and hit the trail just before 8:30am for the five mile ride to Reston Town Center via the W&OD. The skies were sunny when we left the house, but the clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped significantly before we even got to Herndon. Check-in at the RTC pavilion was smooth and as we snapped photos of each other, two members of the Bike Me DC club joined us and we hit the trail.

This was the least blurry photo.

Yes, we dress to match our bikes.

The ride itself was pretty easy -- I mean, a third of the route was my usual commute and we've both traveled the entire route many, many times -- and everybody from volunteers to ride participants were enthused and high-spirited despite the chilly temperature. Most people alerted a pass with a "Good morning!" rather than the standard "On your left!" Lots of families joined the ride with kids on trail-a-bikes, in baby seats, or in trailers. One man even had a chihuahua in his front basket. Poor little guy looked chilly despite his fluffy jacket.  The rest stops were nicely appointed, but some hot cocoa would have been a nice touch. I was so cold when we left the second rest stop and headed back towards Reston that I suggested we stop by our house and get some warmer clothes. Mother Nature must've been listening, though, because the temperature shot up a few degrees and the wind dropped enough that I actually had a good sweat going by the time we got to our jumping-off spot. We decided to continue without stopping.

Rest stop #2 at W&OD and Claiborne Parkway.

When we got back to Reston Town Center, the Ride for Life volunteers were in celebration mode and the Cyclefest Expo was in full swing. We visited for a long while with a couple of women representing Tri Team Z. Scott's interested in triathlons and this looked like a great group with whom to get involved. He signed up for more information and will probably attend one of their next meetings.

I chatted with a representative of Fairfax Advocates for Better Bicycling a bit. They've organized a ride from a Reston Park-n-Ride to the Udvar-Hazy center this coming Saturday (available to WABA members only for insurance reasons). I'd love to participate, but I've already committed to another ride out to Purcellville. The rep said that this was the first of what will hopefully become a regular ride; I hope he's right because it sounds like fun. We also discussed the issues that we suburban cyclists have which differ from our urban counterparts such as faster-moving traffic, limited access roadways, and scarcity of cyclists which means that drivers aren't as aware that we're on the roads. I also stopped by the Friends of the W&OD tent and asked how one becomes a friend of the trail. Seeing as how I use it for business and pleasure, I feel like I should give back, you know?

By this point, Scott's and my teeth were chattering and we decided it was time to head home. We'd been given coupons for a free water bottle from The Bike Lane and we swooped by the shop for swag before hitting the trail to go back home where there was hot showers, fluffy PJs, and lots of napping with warm cats.

According to an email sent out by the event organizers, 460 riders participated on Saturday and by all accounts, everyone had a pretty good time. I know that we enjoyed ourselves and will be back again next year. I may even feel comfortable enough riding one-handed on Circe that I can take some pics on the road.