Had an exciting ride with Paris, Andrea, and the Sassy Sisters. After we'd passed Old Georgetown Rd on the Georgetown Branch Trail, Ruby had a rear wheel blowout. Initially I couldn't see the small tear in the sidewall so I put in a new tube and pumped it up only to have it blow out again almost instantly without even riding it. Luckily, we were only about 1/4 mile past City Bikes, which was scheduled to open just a few minutes later. The folks at the shop got me new tires (no sense changing only one), some spare tubes and CO2 cartridges, and had me on the road within half an hour with no further incidents. And again, we avoided all the rain that was forecast. Another good ride in the books, even with all of the excitement.
Sassy Sisters Zoo Review by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details
We were able to avoid the really bad weather and had a mostly nice, sunny ride around Reston. I started off from Shirlington and got to get some good, leg-stretching riding in for those first 19 miles. On the Reston part of the ride, got to see some interesting sights that I had not known were there. We also had some bike repairs as Jasmine had not one but two flats and no tubes that fit her tiny 650c wheels. The first flat occurred around North Pointe Village Center so I offered to ride back to Reston Town Center to go to the Bike Lane and pick some up. I was smart enough to get two of them so when she got another flat, this time on the front wheel, I thought we were set. I changed the tube but it wouldn't hold any air. It was time to just call it a day for Jasmine's ride so I hung around with her until Carl could come pick her and her bike up and drive her back to Reston Town Center. Of course, I refused a ride and rode the 3 some miles back to Clyde's and actually beat them there! Had a nice after ride lunch and drinks, which was fortuitous since we missed the thunderstorms and just got some light rain on the fast return ride to Shirlington. But I must confess, I did not ride all the way up Walter Reed. Next time.
NOVA-CBG Reston Rainbow by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details
Had a nice, very casual ride out to Lake Artemesia with the Sassy Sisters. I was the sweeper with Paris the ride leader. We were out early enough that it wasn't yet ungodly hot, just 3/4 of hell. Got to stretch my legs a little bit doing some laps around the lake before we returned to Hyattsville with a quick stop at a cute little bakery on Rhode Island Avenue. It's always nice to have an occasional nice and easy ride.
Sassy Sisters Lake Artemesia Ride by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details
Nice but a little hot day for a trek to Carolina Brothers BBQ in Ashburn. Rode out from Shirlington with 7 other brave souls and picked up riders in Vienna and Herndon. BBQ was excellent as always. Fast ride out; slow slog back. Now let's see if I can make it to the Eastern Shore in time to get a few crabs at Eileen's birthday party.
NOVA-CBG BBQ Ride by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details
Had a nice ride out the CCT to Bethesda but did have to get around the downed tree on the trail in upper NW DC. After that it was uneventful until Peirce Mill, when Steve had an oops at low speed and fell off the bike. He had a bit of road rash and some sore ribs but nothing broken and no obvious signs of concussion. But his helmet was toast! After I checked him out we tightened up his helmet straps to make it suffice for the rest of the journey. We set off to catch up and rendezvous at the zoo but now it was my turn to have karma shine her face upon me. There was a huge puddle blocking the paved trail so I attempted to go around it on the scraggly dirt trail but somehow my front wheel went off into the high grass at the top of a small rise and I couldn't bring it back around. After being stuck like that, not moving, seemingly forever and unable to unclip, I slowly fell off to the right, and right into that damn puddle that I was trying to avoid. I wound up sopping wet and STILL clipped in. I couldn't get unclipped due to the position of me below the bike. Steve waded into the veritable pond and lifted the bike enough for me to unclip and get up. A small bit of road rash and a dimple in the back of the helmet were the only visible signs other than the mud and dripping water all over my kit. So off we went to the zoo without further ado or incident. After a brief respite, a few hot dogs, and the requisite "group" shot, it was off to Fletcher's again to end the ride. The "ride after the ride" was back in Shirlington at Samuel Beckett's so I set off again on the bike and arrived just as everyone who drove got there. Pretty good timing, I must say. I had 43+ miles on the odometer at this point so after finishing a nice lunch and a Guinness, I set off again to make it to the half-century mark by stopping at FreshBikes to window shop and let Curtis know that the Shiv is now absolutely, unequivocally, fixed. Yea!!!!!!
NOVA-CBG Zoo Review by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details
Turned out it was a nice evening for an after work ride. Rode out to the start from the office and then joined the group for a leisurely ride up to the Kennedy Center and then back around through Potomac Yard and Slaters Lane. Once we got back to Daingerfield Island, we were surprised to find out that Indigo Landing was closed but never fear, we found another place to go, Rustico off of Slaters. Nice pizza and beer and good times. And great to be back on the bike.
NOVA-CBG Kennedy Center After Work Ride by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details
Had to stretch my legs tonight to get ready for the Annapolis metric century tomorrow so I decided to do a nice and easy loop around the Arlington Triangle. Climbed all the hills on the loop in the big ring without too much trouble (of course it was in the clockwise direction--doubtful I could do that counterclockwise). Stopped in Shirlington for a smoothie before riding home and I did climb Walter Reed for the third time this week. Needless to say, I did need to drop into the small ring and the big cog on the cassette to do this one but that's perfectly fine with me. It's now becoming routine to ride up it as much as I don't like it. Maybe one day I won't even mind it. Nah, that'll never happen.
Arlington Triangle with Shirlington Recharge Stop by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details
A little hot and sticky but still a great day for another classic boot camp ride. Made a respectable showing on "The Punisher" again and I also rode up Walter Reed again. I don't like it but at least I can do it. And the stop at Best Buns on the way home to get my coffee that I didn't have enough time to get on the ride to the ride along with a cup of crab and corn chowder and a multigrain roll was a nice little perk, as was the "nap" I took for about an hour sitting at the cafe table in front of the bakery. Also of note, the Di2 battery is still reading full charge after ~80 miles so maybe, just maybe, the battery draining issue is resolved. Once I get to 120 miles, if I still have full charge, I'll really believe it's fixed. Fingers crossed.
NOVA-CBG Ft Hunt Boot Camp by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details
The rain held off and we were able to get the whole ride in. Big accomplishments today on hills: I was able to get up the short but steep 1000 block of 33rd Street NW and, even more impressive, I was able to ride all the way up Walter Reed Drive to my turnoff at Quincy Street without stopping, walking, or anything else besides pedaling. Perhaps I've finally turned a corner when it comes to hills. I sure hope so.
NOVA-CBG Georgetown After-Work Ride by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details
