Politics, open government, and safe streets. And the constant incursion of cycling.

Category: DC Page 13 of 26

Sunday: ING Capital Criterium (A Pro Cycling Event in DC!)

This Sunday, consider heading down to Penn Quarter to see the ING Direct Capital Criterium. The pro race, which will feature stars like Christian Vande Velde, Freddie Rodriguez, and Rahsaan Bahati (the reigning US pro crit champion), starts at 11:30.   It’ll take place on a six turn 1km circuit that winds its way among the Federal agencies downtown.  This makes for easy viewing and constant action.  It is, of course, free.

course map

Honestly, we’re getting  a much higher quality field than I expected, given how recently this was announced. Christian Vande Velde will be joined by Garmin-Chipotle teammates and fellow Tour de France riders Will Frischkorn and Danny Pate.  I’m not sure if we’ll see the Rock Racing teammates of Freddie Rodrigeuz and  Rashaan Bahati.  Also of note are Symmetrics’ Eric Wohlberg, Kelly Benefits’ Alex Candelario, and Toyota United’s Dominique Rollin.

There are, of course, impressive cyclists who’ve been racing in the DC area all summer.  If you want to see some of that, show up a little earlier – the men’s 35+ race starts at 8am, and the men’s 1/2/3 (top amateurs) rolls at 9am.

Rahsaan Bahati

Finally, this race has something to offer kids – there’s a kids’ ride/”race” running at 10:30a that will give kids (ages 3-11, seperated out into age groups) a chance to hit the same course that the pros are on.  And if the sheer excitement of that isn’t enough, the first three hundred kids to register (see the site to do it online) will get free ING jerseys and helmets.

I’ll be down there all day, and hope that some of you can make it, too.  If you know anyone who may be interested, please pass this along – it would be great to see a large turnout that would convince the race sponsors to stick around and make this a regular DC event.

This Weekend: Free Guided Washington Walks (and Rides!)

This is the weekend of DC’s twice yearly “WalkingTown” program: “Join Cultural Tourism DC for more than 80 free walking tours (and a few bike tours) in 18 neighborhoods across Washington, DC.” I’ve done these before, and they’ve been well worth my time.  They typically concentrate on a neighborhood’s history, or follow a theme (Civil War cemeteries, public works, new development plans, etc.).  Most are just walkup, but a few require reservations.  If you’ve got a couple free hours this weekend, take a look at the schedule and see if something catches your fancy (for cyclists, I particularly recommend the Anacostia/Riverwalk ride).

Warner & Gilmore: We’ll Screw DC, Too

Listening to the Warner/Gilmore Virginia Senate debate, in which Kojo Nnamdi asked Gilmore whether he would support the recently passed House bill that runs roughshod over DC’s right to self determination on the issue of guns.  Gilmore doesn’t appear to understand what Heller is, but goes on about his support for gun ownership and finishes up by saying that he is also “proud that the Supreme Court of Virginia overturned the DC gun ban.”  And Warner says “On this issue, Jim and I agree.”

The people of DC – just cheap props for cheap political points for cheap politicians.

Welcome Back, Freewheeling Spirit

Freewheeling Spirit, the semi-personal blog of the author of the most excellent Bikes for the Rest of Us (seriously, see this entry on the Flying Pigeon), has returned.   And he does it in grand style, stepping back to consider DC’s just-finished Summer of Bicycle Love.   I really hope the answer to his ultimate question is no.

(We’re just going to skip over the issue of the picture of the batty looking old girl that turns out to be the queen of someplaceoranother).

Anthrax: At Least Leahy Cares

Recall that the Feds tried to wrap up their investigation of the October 2001 anthrax attacks and pin it on a single fellow who had very conveniently just killed himself.  I thought it was bullshit then, and it seems that Sen. Pat Leahy is with me in thinking that it’s bullshit now:

“If he is the one who sent the letter, I do not believe in any way, shape or manner that he is the only person involved in this attack on Congress and the American people. I do not believe that at all,” Leahy said.

He added: “I believe there are others involved, either as accessories before or accessories after the fact. I believe that there are others out there, I believe there are others who could be charged with murder. I just want you to know how I feel about it, as one of the people who was aimed at in the attack.”

[FBI Director Robert ] Mueller did not directly contradict Leahy, saying “I understand that concern.”

I fear that this case will be scrubbed clean by the time anyone who cares is actually in a position to do anything about it.

A Whole Summer of Bike Commuting

If you live in DC – or a city of any size, I suspect – you noticed a lot more bikes on the streets than usual, this summer.   For any number of reasons, I’ve been very interested in their stories.   The following was posted to a local DC cycling listserv by someone who had just finished his first summer’s worth of bike commuting. I hope you’ll find it as interesting as I have.

Last year I bought a bike to help lose weight and get back into shape. I rode bike trails all summer, sometimes riding 80 miles a week. By the time 2008 came around I was 60 pounds lighter than I was when 2007 started.

So when spring of 2008 came I was working long hours and needed a way to keep the weight off. By April, gas was hitting $4 a gallon. The choice was clear, it was time to start bike commuting. Thanks to the folks on this list I figured out a route and my first day for bike commuting was April 16th. I started out riding two days a week but after about a month I went to riding three days a week, and taking Metro on Monday and Friday to stage my clothes.

So I’d like to point out some observations about my summer spent commuting:

– I only drove to work four or five times, and only once because it was raining. A couple of times I drove in because I overslept and was running late.

– Riding in street traffic isn’t half as bad as it looks.

– I saved enough money on gas to buy myself a brand new 17″ laptop from Best Buy.

– Despite all the horror stories, I found out that the drivers in this city are remarkably tolerant of cyclists.

– I only had someone come up behind me on the street and lay on the horn one time. Happened on M. St SE on my way home. The driver never even passed me because they wound up taking a right turn while I was still in front.

– The only other negative experience was when some jerk decided to blast me with his horn while I was using the pedestrian crossing over Washington Blvd coming off Memorial Bridge. I hate this crossing with a passion. Half of the time you have to play “chicken” with the cars to get them to stop.

– I only had two close calls. Once, a tourist did a 270-degree turn at the entrance to Arlington National Cemetery and almost hit me. It was slow speed so I think it only would have wound up with a crunched bike rather than a crunched cyclist. I think I scared him more than he scared me because I was yelling WHOA like a maniac.

– The other close call was with a pedestrian on that narrow sidewalk on 50. She was coming right at me and I was sure she would see me. Wrong. At 7AM, pedestrians are looking at their feet, sleepwalking. They will not notice the 200LB cyclist bearing down on them, even though they are facing you.

– I learned to ring my bike bell. A lot. Pedestrians sleepwalk. A lot.

– Sometimes you will see other bike commuters do things you should not attempt. Like, riding on 50 where the Glebe Road overpass is. I decided to try it myself the next day. And as soon as I was on the other side I decided to never try it again.

– I really, really, miss the cutoff in Fort Myer. That hill is nasty.

– The Maine Ave fish market stinks in the morning. In the afternoon it smells like french fries and Old Bay.

– Riding in the rain isn’t so bad when it’s warm. One morning I showed up at work, sopping wet and covered with mud from the construction site in Fort Myer. Kevin the security guard took one look at me and said “Cyrus, you crazy!”

All in all it was a very positive experience. I kept in shape, learned a lot about riding bikes, and had fun.

Very cool, no?

(And on that positive note, I’ll leave this place alone until Friday.  See you then.)

Reminder: DC Area Road Closings Tomorrow

Don’t forget about tomorrow’s road closings – they’re even shutting down 395 for a couple of hours. The Arlington/Pentagon/Crystal City area will be particularly difficult to navigate, even on a bike.

Voting: Still Too Complicated, It Seems

The ballot counting for yesterday’s DC primaries has turned out to be, in the words of the CityPaper’s CityDesk – a total clusterfuck.  Go there for details. I just can’t deal with the sort of mindset it takes to screw up such a simple thing, right now.

Congress Back To Screwing DC (This Time With Guns!)

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Congress, apparently because it has nothing better to do, is preparing to shove the preferences of its pro-gun Members down DC’s throat:

The legislation has four main goals. It would repeal the D.C. ban on semiautomatic pistols and rifles; eliminate the city’s gun-registration requirements; allow District residents to purchase guns in Virginia and Maryland; and abolish the regulation that guns kept at home be unloaded and either disassembled or fitted with trigger locks.

Opponents of the legislation said it could have even more far-reaching effects because of what they termed its vague provisions

“You could drive a truck through this language,” said Peter Nickles, acting D.C. attorney general. He noted that the bill would bar the D.C. government from passing any laws that would “unduly burden” residents wanting to have or use firearms as long as they met federal requirements.

But wait, don’t the Democrats control Congress now?  Well, let’s not let some silly little principle like self determination get in the way of your election year antics:

[The] legislation is likely to prevail in the House, according to congressional sources and supporters and opponents of the bill. It has won the backing of 48 Democrats, many facing reelection in strongly pro-gun areas, and is expected to pick up broad support among Republicans.

Right.  Great job, Nancy.   Useless ()*@#@#%#$ Democrats.

Robert Novak: Still An Ass

Robert Novak, last seen fleeing the scene after he hit a pedestrian, pens a column in which he blames it all on a brain tumor. He also has a curious way of describing things:

The person I hit, identified by police as Don, with no fixed address, was taken to George Washington University Hospital, where police said, “There are no visible injuries.”

Of course, Don has a last name, which is known to Novak and anyone else who can read.  “No fixed address” lets us all know that Don’s homeless, and thus it’s probably his fault.  Finally,  Don did indeed have injuries, requiring that his shoulder be reset.  But these are all minor details, I suppose, to someone who’s put his hate of pedestrians into the public record poor, suffering Bob Novak.  Funny how he still manages to retain his ability to be a complete ass though, isn it?

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