A rare bike commute

I don’t commute by bike.  I live in Capitol Hill, work in Tysons Corner and that’s that. So I drive to work.  Someday I am going to try to take the Metro, but it will require waking up extra early.

Today however I had a reason to bike to “work”.  Work in this case was investigation of an issue at a property that one of our clients owns just south and west of Dupont Circle.  They insisted that I visit at 9:30 in the morning, and I insisted (to myself) that I would bike to work. Therein lies the reason for this post to exist.

I started off heading west on Maryland Ave NE, looped around Stanton Park and then back onto Maryland towards Constitution.  In traffic at 2nd Street I thought I was being shoaled and passed on the right, when I was really being passed on the right so the other cyclist could make a right on red.  I didn’t feel too bad.  Down the hill I accidentally ran the red at Constitution and Louisiana – it is a long intersection and I entered just as the yellow cycle hit, so sorry.  I made my way to the Pennsylvania Ave. bike lanes where I saw a commuter on a nice Sam Hillborne talking on the phone and riding.  That seems to be an increasingly common thing, and is confusing. I was also passed by a combo superbiker/tennis pro who wore a strange combination of tennis and cycling apparel. I was again confused.

Then, a cab pulled alongside me and slowed, I could tell he wanted to U-turn through the bike lanes.  So I slowed and blocked him from doing so.  Eventually he found a way behind me and did the illegal U-turn anyways.  Jerk.

Penn to 15th, to White House, to Penn to 20th. At K and 20th a car was acting strangely, but then I realized they were deciding “go” or “no go”, as a “go” may result in blocking the box.  They no-go’d and that was smart of them.  I went because I wouldn’t block the box, but then I realized I needed to be on 21st.  That was not smart of me.

What does a dirt engineer bring to a job site?  Lots of fun things.  Basically soil testing comes down to testing apparatuses that:

• Push
• Press
• Pull
• Squeeze
• Cram
• Shake
• Jiggle, or
• Smashe

There is no Smooshing.  That is left to this twee-ish band.  I didn’t have those things with me though, so I improvised with what I had.

Helmet (prevents smashes); field notebook; cycling cap (no purpose); big hammer (smashing); mirror (seeing down deep holes); long tape measure (measuring); big screwdriver (poking); collapsable ruler (also measuring); work phone (calling); garden trowel (diggin); flashlight (peering).

I did my work, then rode home largely the same way.  Some bro on a busted old Schwinn he found in his grandmothers garden shed shoaled me 3 times.  I took Louisiana to D instead of Constitution to Maryland to avoid the hill.

I noticed that it is hard to find a balance between riding the pace you want to, and not sweating. There was an exact moment on the ride home that I could feel the valves bursting in my pores and I started to sweat up my work clothes.  oops.  Thankfully my head had a nice new moisture wicking Walz cap.  Not just any cap either, a special one that I ordered when they were doing free embroidery. Check it:

#bikeDC hat

Disregard the graying hair says the The Ables and the Bakers and the C’s.  I will get by, I will survive.

Looking forward to my next bike commute.

Utilitaire Control No. 8 – Stay Safe

Part 8 of 12 in the 2012 Utilitaire 12 revisited a #coffeeneuring spot from the fall, Pound coffee on Pennsylvania Ave.  But first a digression…

As I write this, I am thinking of the unfortunate collision this morning between a person on a CaBi and a lumber truck at U and 11th NW.  No clear understanding of what exactly happened or how the person is doing has surfaced.  It made me want to write a long post about my perspectives as a cyclist and as a driver, but in the end I gave up, realizing that the issue is just not meant for the screen.  The issues and relationships surrounding bike/car interaction should be occur in person, on the road or off.  That way we can all take a step back and realize that at the heart of the matter there are real people who are riding/driving, just like you and me – and maybe that can add some civility and weight to the conversations.

Another reason that I bring this up is because on my way to this utilitaire stop, Kate and I were taking the lane on Pennsylvania Ave (at about 6th SE).  I was at the left side of the right lane about 1 wheel behind Kate, who was riding in the center of the lane out of the door zone.  Traffic was light, and given the lane widths and on-street parking on Penn, taking the lane is the safest thing to do.

As we approached a light turning from red to green, a cyclist flew by us screaming obscenities.  Seconds later another came through in the same club kit yelling that the car following them (and us) had hit the first cyclist.  A cop car was there, and threw on his blues and pulled over the driver.  The hit cyclist, who was still riding (FAST) may or may not have come back. Her friend I think talked to the cops.  We couldn’t see what had happened, could offer no assistance, and everything appeared under control by the police.  We locked our bikes and ordered coffee, though I was flush with adrenaline and was shaky.  What had just happened? Was anyone really hurt? Could we have done something to cause, or prevent this? Thank god the car hadn’t hit Kate or I.

Cars and bikes can absolutely get along – but damn, its a scary relationship at times.  Cyclists are vulnerable road users, it is a blessing and a curse to be treated the same as cars in the eyes of the law (that’s another blog post though).

We had an espresso and a latte, a nutella scone and an egg/feta/spinach croissant.

Here is my report for Control No. 8

Control Type: Breakfast/Coffeeneuring (first use)

Date: 26 February 2012 (second ride, week four)

Destination: Pound

Distance: 2.13 miles

Who: Kate and I

Observations:

• Saddle adjustment is critical for riding enjoyment – saddle flopped again.  Fixed again and I think it is good.
• Pound breakfast sandwiches would be better if the croissant was switched to wheat bread or bagel.
• Pound has beer!
• Stay Safe

Other Notes:

None.

Photos:

Breakfast

 

Beers

Utilitaire Control No. 7 – Eleven

Part 7 of 12 in the 2012 Utilitaire 12 was multi-modal and multi-purpose – hitting 11 shops or retailers in about 4 hours.

After staying up into the wee hours of the morning on Friday watching Downton Abbey (why is this show so addictive?) I awoke on Saturday with a long list of chores to do, many of them wedding related. Step 1 was to get a hair cut.  While not wedding related, it was needed, and it presented a grand Utilitaire opportunity.  Unfortunately I have not been satisfied with any of the barbers I have visited in DC or Northern Virginia – so a search was necessary. Yelp is my friend.

Armed with the addresses of three well respected institutions I set off, only to find that I couldn’t find the first two, and the third had a line that would take all afternoon to get through.  Dismayed, I was about to set north from Dupont Circle to Mt. Pleasant, to visit a recommended shop from #bikeDC tweep @BicycleBug.  But then, I spied a “salon” that seemed to be filled with happy customers.

Snip Snip Snip.  I was feeling like I found a good shop (VSL Hair Design, how fancy), and was happy with the cut, but I am sure the barber did not appreciate that I promptly covered my head with my helmet and left.

I then rode to the Starbucks at the U Street Metro station (espresso #1), where I parked the bike and began the pedestrian portion of my utilitaire with Kate.  Sandwiches at Taylor Gourmet on 14th Street were followed by browsing vintage stores for some specific gifts for friends.  This included Treasury, Current Boutique, Miss Pixies, Mimilah, Junction Vintage and Good Wood, all via foot power.  Unfortunately the gifts we were seeking were not found, and I was getting grumpy with all this “girl shopping”.

So back on the bike towards Union Station, where my saddle decided to keel over and play dead.  Somehow the binder bolt came loose and my saddle started flopping all around.  Highly uncomfortable and a pain to ride.  I parked near Bike and Roll and fixed it all up, though getting that perfect angle back will be hard.

At Union Station I stopped into Express because I saw a tie that I might like for the wedding, but realized that it pretty much sucked.  Got some socks though.

Espresso #2 came courtesy of Ebenezers Coffeehouse, and provided a little pick-me up to end the shopping day.

Here is my report for Control No. 7

Control Type: To Get My Hair Cut (first use)

Date: 25 February 2012 (first ride, week four)

Destination: VSL Hair Design

Distance: 8.67 miles

Who: Kate joined for a portion of the trip.

Observations:

• Saddle adjustment is critical for riding enjoyment.
• New Bikeshare station at Maryland & D NE!!!
• Weddings take a lot of time.
• All the newspaper boxes downtown were hung over or something.  All laying down on the job (wind?)
• Coffee + Bikes = Great
• Union Station needs to double its bike parking capacity (at least).

Other Notes:

None.

Photos:

New CaBi Station at Maryland & D NE

More Bikeshare goodness

 

Asleep on the job

My hair was cut.

 

Saw this decorated and crusty bike at U Street

 

Not Comfortable.

Utilitaire Control No. 6 – A Punishing Reward

Part 6 of 12 in the 2012 Utilitaire 12 was delicious.

After riding a modified Weenie 100, there was only one food that would be fitting for dinner – hot dogs.  Frankfurters, red hots, half-smokes, tube meat, wiener.  I am a big fan of this cylindrical foodstuff, which I attribute to having grown up in southern Connecticut.  There we had Super Duper Weenie, Rawleys, Swanky Franks, Danny’s Drive In, and Windmill, the best rolls from Chaves Bakery, and the best natural casing dogs from Miller’s Provisions and Hummel Bros.  Suffice to say, I have had a few hot dogs in my time.

Fortunately there is a hot dog joint in DC about a mile from my apartment (1.02 to be exact) on Barracks Row called “DC-3“, after the Douglas airplane. I cleaned up from the century and rode over (with lighting).  Same setup as before.

Here is where the punishment begins.  First of all, after spending a ton of hours in the saddle, hopping back on in blue jeans hurts!  Even if for only 2 miles.

Then I decided I really needed to see how bad this “3 Alarm Cruncher” hot dog was, since it was featured on a new Food Network show “Heat Seekers“.  Again, pain.  But this type of intensely spicy pain can also be pretty nice.  The 3 Alarm Cruncher was a DC style half-smoke, wrapped in bacon, split in two and stuffed with habanero peppers, a large helping of sriracha sauce, jalapeno relish, little green peppers, and jalapeno flavored potato chips mashed up and sprinkled over the damn thing.  WOW.

But also a reward for a tough days work, and I was happy.  Unfortunately the other DC-3 dog that I had was pretty lame, so I don’t think I will be back.  Oh well.

Here is my report for Control No. 6

Control Type: Dinner (first use)

Date:18 February 2012 (second ride, week three, light bonus)

Destination: DC-3

Distance: 2.04 miles

Who: Just me

Observations:

• Getting back in the saddle after a cantury is painful.
• The 3 Alarm Cruncher is painful.
• Hot dogs are a great reward.
• I am thankful that I live so close to so many great spots in DC.

Other Notes:

None.

Photos:

Utilitaire Control No. 5 – Almost didn’t happen

Part 5 of 12 in the 2012 Utilitaire 12 was pretty annoying. I wanted to stop at a local store to do one of two things… either find some diet coke and beer, or to get dinner.  I figured it wouldn’t be too hard.  But I guess I didn’t realize that every store in Capitol Hill that isn’t a bar shuts down at ???, earlier than 10:30pm.

After wandering the neighborhood for a while, from H Street, to Massachusetts Ave to Pennsylvania Ave – I eventually found what I needed at Congress Market on the corner of 5th and East Capitol NE.  New Belgium “Dig” beer and diet coke. Hurrah!

Oh yeah, this was a night ride, so I used lights.  Same setup as before.

Here is my report for Control No. 5

Control Type: Grocery Store (second use)

Date:17 February 2012 (first ride, week three, light bonus)

Destination: Congress Market

Distance: 4.15 miles

Who: Just me

Observations:

• Having no beard (and therefore incredibly improved aerodynamics) has not increased my speed.
• Cap Hill is a 9 o’clock town. (like Albuquerque)
• Greater Greater Washington is reading my mind.  H Street definitely needs performance parking, it was packed!  Trolleys will move SLOW on H street given all the double parked cabs.  New zoning laws that allow stores to open, but with limited morning and night hours will fit right into the existing Capitol Hill way of doing things.

Other Notes:

Looking forward to a nice ride tomorrow!

Photos:

Lights, frontal

hurrah!

double hurrah!

Utilitaire Control No. 4 – Reads, Foods, Gifts, Snows

Part 4 of 12 in the 2012 Utilitaire 12 was a doozy. I suppose it could have counted for multiple types of rides, but I will call this one my first “Library” ride, since I set off with that destination as the top priority.

The ride took me up 8th from home to H Street, then east on H to the bank.  I like this bank because the front entryway is rather large and I can put my bike there without hassle while going about my business.  I then rode down 10th back to Maryland Ave, and followed that until I got to my local library, the Northeast Neighborhood Library.  It is a good thing that I went to the bank, because the library is only about 1/4 mile from home, but with the detour, I arrived after traveling 1.04 miles.

I needed a library card.  The library is great!  DVDs, magazines, interesting books, less interesting books, and completely uninteresting books can all be found here.  And it is free!

Mission accomplished, I headed down to Eastern Market to look for vegetables and Valentines presents for Kate.  She reads this blog once in a while – so… I got some arugula.  Nothing else…

As I was leaving the market (inside) a vendor said he just got a twitter alert from DC saying that a snow squall was headed here and would hit within the hour.  I thanked him and figured I should get home.  The sky was darkening quickly.

I hadn’t made it a block when the wind whipped up and the snow started falling like crazy.  It was fun! And then I was home.

Sunday brought more utilitaire-ing, with a trip to VM Clothiers, where I am getting a suit for my wedding, and to Harris Teeter, where I am getting food for my stomach.

Here is my report for Control No. 4

Control Type: Library (first use)

Date: 11 February 2012 (second ride, week two)

Destination: Northeast Neighborhood Library

Distance: 2.44 miles

Who: Just me

Observations:

• Riding in the snow is FUN
• There were about 8 police cars and a pulled over bus blocking the road near 8th and East Capitol.  Not sure what was going on, and didn’t want to stay to find out.
• Produce selection is pretty weak right now at Eastern Market, can’t wait for spring!

Other Notes:

None.  My upstairs neighbor is singing and (presumably dancing) to “Footloose” right now.

Photos:

Locked up with a friend

Library

New plastic

Skaters at former temporary market location

Snow?

Snow!

4 down, 8 to go.

Utilitaire Control No. 3 – Grocery Gettin

Part 3 of 12 in the 2012 Utilitaire 12 brought me to my local “more than a corner store but less than a real grocery store” grocery store – the Capitol Hill Supermarket at 241 Massachusetts Avenue NE. I hadn’t planned a Utilitiare ride this evening, but I got home and started cooking dinner (Chicken and white bean stew type thing) and noticed that we were completely without three main ingredients (Cilantro, tomatillos and poblano peppers).  In the horrible, terrible snow storm we were having (at least that is what the news people said we should expect) I did not want to go a long distance to a “for real” grocery store, and I knew that Capitol Hill Supermarket has enough of a produce selection that I might get lucky and find what I need.

Ah, but this culinary discovery occurred around 8pm – BONUS – 1 of my “lights required” rides was also completed. What kind of lights did I ride with?  Well, since I am not a super commuter, I do not have an intense light setup.  I do however make sure that the batteries stay relatively fresh, as that directly impacts the light output.  I notice a lot of cyclists with dinky 1 LED lights and a battery with almost no juice left in it, but the light is barely noticeable.  I run the Cateye TL-LD150 models, one front, one rear.  I set them both to flashing mode for this ride, given the road conditions.  I find that with a fresh charge, the 5 LEDs really pump out a good amount of light.  Note, these are classified as “safety lights” not “headlights”  on Cateyes website – and I think it is good that they make the distinction.

Capitol Hill Supermarket is less than 1 mile from home.  I would have to extend the ride a bit to fit within the mileage requirements. Thanks to my Cateye bike computer, I was also able to make this happen (1.06 miles each way).

Here is my report for Control No. 3

Control Type: Grocery store (first use)

Date: 8 February 2012 (first ride, week two, lighting bonus)

Destination: Capitol Hill Supermarket

Distance: 2.12 miles

Who: Just me

Observations:

• Regardless of ride distance, never forget to wear gloves when temperatures are close to freezing, lest thine hands doth freeze.  (did that make any sense?)
• Capitol Hill Supermarket is well stocked, but while they stock a huge variety of refried beans, salsas, Amys Organic canned soups, and dark chocolate, they do not stock tomatillos.
• Drivers seemed very patient (admittedly it was well past rush hour) and did not get aggressive as I took the full lane (just in case there was black ice, I wanted room to make wide and slow turns)

Other Notes:

I ended up finding cilantro, but had to use my stash of home-grown jalapenos (I grew a few pounds this summer, they freeze well) and a mix of green enchilada sauce, and diced green chiles to make the stew work.  It turned out delicious, but a bit salty.

Photos:

Lighting

Trying to hold camera as steady as possible. I need one of those gorilla-pods

The goods

A little less blurry thanks to garbage can tripod

The Highs and Lows of Cycling

I thought I was going to call this post “John and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day”.

Hills - I really don't like hills...

The hill above would be a great reason to title a post as I had initially planned.  I despise hills.  I’m heavy, my bike is heavy, I haven’t done any serious workouts in at least a month – riding up hills are the low point of my cycling life.  But then I thought, what if I am looking at this photo the wrong way.  Imagine that the person who took this photo just finished bombing down it with a huge grin on his face – riding down hills might just be the high point of my cycling life.

Reflecting on that simple twist of perception, I’ve re-titled my post and now feel better about my ride today.

It all started so innocently, instead of heading to the flat roads of Hains Point, I decided to ride 2 miles from my home up to the National Arboretum.  I figured that this would provide a bit more elevation changes – and an opportunity to push myself a bit.

Then things went up hill…

(remember, up hill is bad, going downhill would be good!)

1) I had a tiny breakfast and no lunch.  At the starburst intersection of Maryland Ave., H Street, Bladensburg and Benning Roads – the first barely slightly uphill portion of the ride – I could feel that my legs had nothing in them.  That is not a good feeling when you plan on riding for nearly 2 hours.

2) I got to the Arboretum and realized that the grounds are a little hillier than I had thought. Ooof. Out. of. shape.  Between labored breaths I tried to enjoy the scenery, but really I hated myself for thinking that I would enjoy riding up all of these hills.

I wasn't even sure I thought I could

3) I wanted to take some photos of the scenery, so I brought along my heavy DSLR camera (which I regretted once I started up the hills).  At one point I took out the camera thinking I would get a great shot – and got a weird error message I hadn’t seen before.  CRAP.  I left the SD card in my work laptop.

4) Then, huffing and puffing up the steepest hill in  the Arboretum, I made a silly mistake.  I shifted into my granny gear while pedaling hard.  CRUNCH.  My pedals stopped in an instant.  I was lucky to unclip and not take a tumble, but I had given myself the worst case of chain suck I had ever experienced.  Hopelessly jammed, scratching up my chainstay.  I tried hopelessly to fix it, but I gave up after a solid 10-15 minutes of trying, gently pulling, firmly pulling, moving the crank arms a bit – nothing worked.

Chain. Sucked.

And my ride ended.  I coasted down the hill and out of the arboretum and walked the 2 miles home. Defeated.

As I was coasting back to the entrance, things started going downhill..

1) I decided to at least get some kind of photo with my iPhone – and you know what… I’m happy I at least took a picture of the beautiful day.

2) As I was walking up R Street, a young boy (maybe 5) was making noise for the sake of making noise.  His grandmother hushed him, so he started talking to her in a “childs whisper” – were you can basically still hear everything he is saying 20 feet away.  He saw me pushing my bike (note, I’m wearing a green wool long sleeve jersey and black tights) and he asks his grandmother “Why is he wearing skinny jeans?  I know he is talking about me, his grandmother does too… so she doesn’t respond.  So he asks again, maybe 5 more times “Gramma why is that man wearing skinny jeans??”.  I wanted to laugh out loud so badly, it was great.

3) I got home.  Broke out my tools, spread everything out on the living room floor.  Grabbed my trusty bike repair book (for some comfort – or to throw if things went bad).  And knew that I had to take the crank off to get this mess undone.

Help me Todd!

Then I saw this (well not exactly this, since it is a marketing image)

SRAM Powerlink

SRAM you wonderful company.  I was too frustrated to look for this when I was in the Arboretum, but there it was staring my in my face.  Pinch, Push, and bam, I was pulling my chain through the impossibly tight space it was jammed in.  No more than 30 seconds later I had everything put back together.  All my problems were solved.

So I took the bike for another short spin to make sure the chain and chain rings weren’t bent or skipping.  They weren’t.

Chain. Un-Sucked.

I rode hard for another 20 minutes through the dark roads of Capitol Hill under a full moon. Sprinting so hard that my quads were burning. It felt great.

Arboretum, I’ll be back – a lot – and by the end of the year your hills will be down hill in both directions.

Bike The Boundary – SW9

Bike The Boundary – A series of bike rides where I visit the Boundary Stones of the original perimeter of the District of Columbia. 

Where: SW9

When: July 16, 2011

Why: A ride along the Mount Vernon, Custis and W&OD Trails from Capitol Hill to Herndon and back.

Distance: 55.29 miles

I rode past this stone located in Benjamin Banneker Park on Van Buren Street in Falls Church, VA.  It is actually a very easy stone to “accomplish” when riding the W&OD trail.  Wouldn’t you know it, Benjamin Banneker played a major role in the survey and layout of DC along with Andrew Ellicott and Pierre L’Enfant

 

Monumental D.C. – Emancipation Memorial

Monumental DC – A series where I’ll be documenting the many memorials in DC that we pass by frequently, but rarely seem to stop and pay notice to. Follow on twitter with #monumentalDC

What: Emancipation Memorial

When: Monday October 17, 2011

Where: Lincoln Park

I didn’t anticipate riding much after the Sea Gull Century on the 15th, but I got home with daylight to spare on a monday evening and felt like I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for a ride, even if it was short.

I had been meaning to visit the Emancipation Monument, also known as the Freedman’s Memorial at Lincoln Park in Capitol Hill so I rode down at sunset to scope it out.

The statue was designed and sculpted by Thomas Ball, and erected in 1876. It is said that the first contribution to a fund for this monument was by a freed woman named Charlotte Scott of Virginia, who gave her first freely earned $5.  The fundraising was eventually spearheaded by the St. Louis based  Western Sanitary Commission.

The bronze sculpture features Lincoln holding a copy of the Emancipation Proclamation in one hand resting on a pillar adorned with patriotic flourishes.  His other hand is outstretched over a kneeling ex-slave whose own hands are reaching outwards revealing broken shackles.  The slave is said to be modeled after Archer Alexander, the last person captured under the Fugitive Slave Act.  There is much disapproval over the design of the statue, including the pose of the ex-slave and some of the symbolism of the many features.  This disapproval was voiced by none other than Frederick Douglass, who delivered the dedication speech on April 14th, 1876, 11 years to the day after Lincoln was shot) in front of a crowd of nearly 25,000 people, including President Ulysses S. Grant and many other dignitaries.

Emancipation Memorial - Lincoln Park

Interestingly, the statue originally faced west towards the U.S. Capitol until it was rotated east in 1974 in order to face the newly-erected Mary McLeod Bethune monument.  If you are far from DC, but the Boston suburbs are within distance, a trial model of the monument was purchased from Thomas Ball and now rests in the town hall of Methuen, Massachusetts.

Sources: Wikipedia, National Park Service, CityPaper DC