Any DC area RBMers riding BikeDC?
Luigi de Guzman
I'll be riding into the district from Fairfax *early* that morning, so
if anybody from the Fairfax area's going to be riding into the event
(the Metro doesn't run that early, and you're cowards if you
drive....) we could probably get a BikeBus thingie going. especially
if someone knows a good route in.
Ten thousand bicycles, and an assload of novices, yeah I know.
Probably not going to be the greatest example of road manners or
bikehandling (and I'm not the exemplar of bikehandling either). But
it looks like it'll be a good laugh, and I'd been thinking of joining
WABA for a while...and this seemed like a good time to do it and have
a good day out while I was at it.
-Luigi
Eric S. Sande
I'll probably be there. Anyway, today by midnight Eastern is the
registration deadline to get a ride packet and number in the mail,
so http://www.waba.org is the place to go.
I'm not a member of WABA nor is this a solicitation for BikeDC.
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Zoot Katz
>>Any DC area RBMers riding Bike DC on the 20th of September?
>
>I'll probably be there.
You gonna stop for red lights?
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zk
Eric S. Sande
OK, no I don't plan to. It's a completely closed course with police
traffic control. I don't normally get that so I figure it's worth a
shot. As Luigi says it's supposed to be more of a party.
I hope they sweep the Douglass bridge first, the last time I was
on that thing it was broken pavement central. I plan to ride the
XXX bike with XXX tires, that should give me an advantage.
Also my strategy will be to XXX it early, then XXX at the XXX turn,
therefore giving me an advantage at XXX.
All I have to do is ride normally and stay focused.
Most of the other riders will be from out of town, and Luigi
will be tired from his long ride in.
Luigi de Guzman
> >You gonna stop for red lights?
>
> OK, no I don't plan to. It's a completely closed course with police
> traffic control. I don't normally get that so I figure it's worth a
> shot. As Luigi says it's supposed to be more of a party.
>
> I hope they sweep the Douglass bridge first, the last time I was
> on that thing it was broken pavement central. I plan to ride the
> XXX bike with XXX tires, that should give me an advantage.
>
> Also my strategy will be to XXX it early, then XXX at the XXX turn,
> therefore giving me an advantage at XXX.
>
> All I have to do is ride normally and stay focused
>
> Most of the other riders will be from out of town, and Luigi
> will be tired from his long ride in.
Bicycle-wise, Fairfax *definitely* counts as 'out of town.' I'm gonna
have to reconnoitre the way to the start area in the week and a half
or so after I get back from London.
I told a friend of mine I was riding in and he said "you're nuts." I
can take some consolation from a story I read in _CyclingPlus_ here in
the UK about the great British track champion, Cyril Cartwright.
Apparently, when he was a wee lad, he'd have to ride to his
races--twenty or so miles, more?--on an 80-inch fixed-gear bike. So
when I'm suffering, I'll just remember Cyril.
Unless of course, and I repeat, there are any Fairfax-area
participants thinking of riding down. If we got a team together and
pulled each other there at an easy warmup pace, it would be a lot
better.
-Luigi
Eric S. Sande
No, not necessarily nuts. Remember this is only a race if you think
it is. Basically, the two courses are 14 miles on innner city streets
with a flat fast section of about 5 miles along the Anacostia River,
or a 35 mile out and back along the DC side Parkway.
The first is the "family" ride, which is what I plan on doing.
This shouldn't be too bad if you don't insist on being in the lead
group.
The other one is the roadie event. However we can ignore that one
because all the local clubs will be out in force. Besides, who
wants to ignore the scenery.
If you come in on the W&OD and Custis, coming over Memorial Bridge,
you would be 16 miles and change out from Fairfax at the start line.
That works out to a 30 mile ride on the course back to the start line
and 16 miles back to Fairfax, or about a 50 mile round trip if my math
is roughly correct. Doable, it shouldn't be more than 80 degrees F, if
that or not raining which is possible. Probably better.
Only problem as I see it is the Custis going back, it's pretty steep
climbing out of the river valley.
So it's a 50 mile day with all the climbing on the back side, that's
not easy but it's doable.
And that's my worst case take on it, all the DC riding is flat.
You could maybe cut 15 miles by taking the train back, if it's
running with bicycles.