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Arlington/Alexandria Community Bike Ride this Sunday

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On May 31, 2007

In Cycling, DC, Virginia

WABA (and lots of co-sponsors) will be holding the Arlington/Alexandria Community Bike Ride this Sunday, offering a couple of options for recreational cyclists:

FAMILY RIDE: (7-mile loop)
Less experienced riders and families will enjoy this ride along popular Community trails like the W&OD, Mt. Vernon and Four Mile Run. Don’t worry, these trails are flat!

COMMUNITY RIDE: (23-mile loop)
More experienced riders will love this route, with on-street bike lanes in several neighborhoods as well as scenic trails like the W&OD, Custis, Four Mile Run and Mount Vernon- into historic Old Town Alexandria.

Rest stops at Bluemont Park, Rosslyn, Crystal City and Alexandria will be stocked with water, refreshments and restrooms and will provide basic mechanical assistance.

I’d been planning to hit Roseryville that morning, but a combination of wanting to put action behind recent words about organized rides and a genuine hope that people discover and get excited about the local trails has me volunteering as a ride marshal this weekend.  Come check it out and say hi.

CSC Invitational: Saturday, June 2nd

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On May 24, 2007

In Cycling, DC, Virginia

If you enjoy racing at all, come to my neighborhood and check out the CSC Invitational next Saturday, June 2nd. For the uninitiated, the CSC Invitational is a day-long series of amateur and pro bicycle races on a 1km circuit that winds through Clarendon. It’s a great way to spend a day, as the course is incredibly spectator friendly (always lots of people, but never impossible to get a roadside spot). Come check it out. More info here. While I hope you’ll come early to support your local amateur racers, the men’s pro race starts at 12:25pm.

For those of you who follow cycling, this is a good chance to see once and future stars – over the years, this race has hosted victories and impressive efforts by the likes of Ivan Dominguez, JJ Haedo, and Bobby Julich. Ivan will be there this year, as will Christian VandeVelde. I stumbled on this event in its second year, when it was still the Clarendon Cup. I’ve made it most years since then, and have never had anything but a fantastic day there.

Ride Report: DC Moonlight Monument Ride

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On May 21, 2007

In Cycling, DC, Ride Report

Last Saturday night, I finally took advantage of one of the Potomac Pedalers Touring Club‘s organized rides. In this case, it was the “Moonlight Memorial Monument Ride”, which was scheduled for a rollout from 11th and K St. at 9pm. All PPTC rides are volunteer-led affairs, which generally means that while there’s an agreed upon pace and route, it’s up to you to make sure you can take care of yourself. Given the ride-filled schedule this approach produces, I think it works pretty well.

15th St.Perhaps the ride was advertised beyond the usual PPTC venues (I know that I was reminded of it by a posting on an MTB-related site), but as the ride started, it quickly became apparent that there were more than a few folks who hadn’t either ridden downtown before or ridden at night. And as you might imagine, there was a lot of overlap between those two groups. Now this, of course, is perfectly fine – no way to get experience without doing it for the first time, right? But it does end up requiring some extra care (and work) on the part of the ride leaders. While I did see someone hold up a yellow triangle of cloth and say something about following that at the beginning of the ride, I think that was pretty much the last time I saw him. There may have been other people who had been recruited to shepherd the groups as they drifted apart (in addition to speed differences, there would be inevitable – and multiple – separations by cars and traffic lights), but I never saw them.

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Please call your Rep: DC Vote

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On April 19, 2007

In DC, Politics, Virginia

The DC Voting Rights Act will come up for a floor vote on Thursday, and it needs the support of your Representative:

The bill was pulled from the House Floor last month after three legislators tried to attach a provision that would strip DC of its strict gun laws.

[ . . . ]

The DC Voting Rights Act, sponsored by Representative Tom Davis (R-VA) and Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), balances a vote for the traditionally Democratic District of Columbia with a vote for Republican-leaning Utah. It would raise the number of members in the House of Representatives from 435 to 437.

The bill received wide bipartisan support in committee, and represents a real chance at ending the shameful situation forced upon DC residents. This bill is real and and it’s constitutional. Please don’t let this fail.

A DC Taxi Zone Map – And It’s Useful!

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On April 14, 2007

In DC

Via DCist, El Greg brings us the first useful DC taxi zone map I’ve encountered.   Better than anything those clowns at the DC Taxicab Commission have ever put together.  I don’t have any real objections to the archaic zone system, but the Commission’s insistence on utterly useless maps is absolutely ridiculous.

Friday Notes

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On April 13, 2007

In DC, Personal, Politics, Society, Virginia

There’s so much good and insight in Baratunde Thurston’s rather amusing post about not being amusing that you’ll have to read it yourself. And if you’re in DC, he’s at HR-57 on Saturday night, as part of the 4 Shades of Black show at the DC Comedy Festival.   Check him out.

~

But speaking of funny, the Arlington Republican Women’s Club is sponsoring a seminar next Thursday called “So, you want to be married?” 7 p.m. at Hunan Number One, $23.  Laughing right here, free.

~

I’ve got very little to say about Imus, beyond the fact that I’ve never really understood his appeal.  I don’t at all believe any of the spin that his firing is due to any genuine interest in decency by MSNBC, CBS, or any of the advertisers.   As Media Matters well illustrates, it’s not just Imus.

The big right-wing broadcast names – Limbaugh, Hannity, Beck, etc. – don’t just poke fun at Chelsea Clinton and crazy enviros anymore – they’re downright hateful (and consistently go far beyond what Imus just said).  Here’s a few from the Media Matters list:

On the February 1 edition of his radio show, [Rush] Limbaugh responded to a Reuters report on a University of Chicago study that found that “a majority of young blacks feel alienated form today’s government” by asserting: “Why would that be? The government’s been taking care of them their whole lives.”

[ . . . ]

On the September 9, 2005, edition of his radio show, [CNN host Glenn] Beck referred to survivors of Hurricane Katrina who remained in New Orleans as “scumbags.” Also, after acknowledging that nobody “in their right mind is going to say this out loud,” Beck attacked victims of the disaster and the families of victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, saying: “I didn’t think I could hate victims faster than the 9-11 victims.”

[ . . . ]

On the March 31, 2006, broadcast of his radio program, [widely syndicated radio host Neal] Boortz said that then-Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-GA) “looks like a ghetto slut.” Boortz was commenting on a March 29 incident in which McKinney allegedly struck a police officer at a Capitol Hill security checkpoint. Boortz said that McKinney’s “new hair-do” makes her look “like a ghetto slut,” like “an explosion at a Brillo pad factory,” like “Tina Turner peeing on an electric fence,” and like “a shih tzu.”

[ . . . ]

While discussing the rape and murder of 18-year-old Jennifer Moore during the August 2, 2006, edition of his radio show, [Bill] O’Reilly appeared to suggest that the clothing she was wearing at the time helped incite her killer. O’Reilly discussed several factors that contributed to the “moronic” girl’s rape and murder, including that she was drunk and wandering the streets of New York City alone late at night. But in addition to those factors, O’Reilly added: “She was 5-foot-2, 105 pounds, wearing a miniskirt and a halter top with a bare midriff. Now, again, there you go. So every predator in the world is gonna pick that up at 2 in the morning.”

It just goes on and on and on.  Bonus creep factor material:

On the February 28 edition of CNN Headline News’ Glenn Beck, while discussing racy photos of American Idol contestant Antonella Barba, Beck asked his female guest: “I’ve got some time and a camera. Why don’t you stop by?”

You’ve really got to see the video of that one to get the full slime effect.   But all of these guys – the biggest names in the business – spew this crap every day, and all the networks and advertisers that pretend to take issue with Imus continue to advertise with them.

Is sharing *that* hard?

By

On April 9, 2007

In Cycling, DC, Virginia

This exchange in the Washington Post – between a cyclist and pedestrian involved in an accident on the Capital Crescent Trail (CCT) – illustrates why you’ll rarely find me on that trail (or the Mt. Vernon Trail (MVT), on weekends).   Apparently, it is too much to expect that all users of a trail pay attention to each other.  While I agree with the general principle that larger and faster moving objects (i.e., cyclists & bladers) have an obligation to be more vigilant than other trail users (i.e., runners & walkers), this doesn’t absolve pedestrians of their responsibility to stay alert and out of the way of other trail traffic.

The pedestrian in this case really annoys me, apparently unable to comprehend her role – plugged into an iPod and evidently unable to hear the warning by the approaching cyclist – in the accident.  And after 8 years of riding these same trails (tho’ less and less, over the years), I can tell you that she’s hardly alone in her myopic approach to trail use. I have a good voice for yelling, and a better bell for ringing, on all of my bikes.  And I use them constantly.  Yet I have dozens and dozens, if not hundreds, of stories of near-misses with pedestrians who either weren’t paying attention, didn’t understand how to stay out of the way, or simply decided that it was *their* trail.

So I have generally given up on riding these trails at any time other than early morning or the odd midday excursion, which is a shame.   While I’m comfortable that my approach to trail sharing is a fair one, riding the CCT or MVT isn’t  worth the hassle and possible harm to myself or the unaware pedestrian.  And then I’m reminded – I can use the Custis/W&OD most any time without these problems.  Granted, the W&OD is more of a commuter trail than recreational trail.  But it’s a high volume trail where people seem to have the stay-to-the-left, call-out-when-passing routine down pretty well.  The only difference I can think of between this trail and the other two is that the other two attract more recreational pedestrians.  Perhaps, then, that is where the safety education efforts should focus.

(Scott has his own take on this.)

Reminder to Sen. Webb: You Can’t Carry in DC

By

On March 29, 2007

In DC, Policy, Virginia

As this Washington Post article explains, it’s legal for Senators/Representatives (and their designees) to carry a gun in the Capitol.  However, it is not legal to carry that gun anywhere in the District.  I understand Sen. Webb’s demurring on answering on whether he’s carried a gun in the District in the past (even if it was with some incredibly lame invocation of 9/11).  He may need to be reminded, though, that he’s not above the law – he has no business carrying a gun from Virginia to the Capitol on a daily basis.  It’s against the law, and it would get me, you, and pretty much anyone else arrested.   Don’t like it?  Fine, work with the District to rework the law.  But until then, respect it.

DC Voting Rights: More of the Same

By

On March 22, 2007

In DC, Law

Oh, I could go on about the paragon of hypocrisy and duplicity that is the Bush White House, or tell you (once again) that for all of his other faults, Rep. Tom Davis (R-VA) is trying to do right by DC.  But I won’t.  Because it’s pointless.  And it just brings out all sorts of hateful things that I should let percolate for a while.  So I’ll direct you to DCist’s recent coverage of the issue, which has been surprisingly good.  See this for the coverage of today’s debate, and then this for where things appear to stand now.

Race Report: St. Patrick’s Day 8K

By

On March 18, 2007

In DC, Personal

First things first – I’m not a runner. In fact, I hate running. Cycling’s my thing. But I also dig adventure racing, and until someone can design a course that doesn’t involve running, I’ll just have to suck it up and learn to deal with running. So, in light of the cancellation of the last Quicksilver criterium, I decided to take a crack at my first 8km race, the St. Patrick’s Day Race. So, with that out of the way, here’s my take on it:

The St. Patrick’s Day Race draws a lot of runners (and a few walkers), and it’s easy to see why. The race is well organized, there’s a wide distribution of speed among the competitors, and the scenery is great.

Registration is handled through Active.com, and you can pick up your timing chip and shirt at the Old Post Office building up to two days ahead of time. This proved a smart move, and I didn’t envy those standing in the pick-up lines the morning of the race (not so much for the length of the lines as having to stand still in 30 degrees with a 20mph wind . . .). The swag is a white technical race shirt with an undated St. Patrick’s Day Race logo on it. A nice change from the usual cotton shirt that will end up in the “to donate” pile by the end of the year.

At least a few thousand runners showed up, and the course easily accommodated everyone. The starting area was organized by pace (and it seems our mayor Adrian Fenty did a job worthy of his spot on the front line, coming in at just under 34 minutes for 9th in his division). There was some slight bunching at the start, and then briefly when heading up the first (and only) hill, but that was about it. I’m a decidedly back-of-the-pack runner, so it was great that the course design allowed folk like me to get a few glimpses of the front runners as the race progressed. My only complaint here is more theoretical than practical – I passed a number of runners plugged into iPods. While I didn’t witness any resulting problems, it still makes me itch.

The course is generally designed around the eastern end of the Mall. It starts in front of the National Theater, heads down Pennsylvania Avenue, up towards Union Station, back down and across the Mall, a jog around a federal agency I can’t recall, and then back across the Mall and up Pennsylvania Avenue. It’s almost entirely flat, with the only hill being a gradual 70ft. elevation change. Something a guy like me can appreciate. The water station at 5k was welcome, but the hidden jig to the left when you thought you were almost upon the finish line was just cruel . . .

The race was a good experience for me, which is something I wouldn’t expect to say with regard to running. I didn’t feel like an elephant among antelope, but I got to see the antelope run. The good organization made sure that I could direct all of my efforts and worry to the race, and not logistics. All in all, the race served the runners well, and I expect to be back next year.

Next effort: Kidney Kare 5K in Carrboro, NC

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