Whatevering Rides
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Seduced by Speed
I have always seen road bikes as superfluous and silly, the toy of transport for the self-indulgent– those who ride for exercise, sport, and speed, with little interest in practicality. Continue reading
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Riding in Search of Weak Spots
Some randonneurs maintain brevet fitness throughout the year, but I haven’t managed to achieve that. When September arrives, I ride for fun, and run myself into shape for a fall marathon or two. Winter weather tempers my riding ambitions. It’s just not as glorious to ride around the countryside through various shades of winter browns… Continue reading
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Bikes Are Not Family Members, But…
After a month spent in delightful lollygag mode, Felkerino and I pumped up the tires on the Co-Motion Java tandem for our first century ride of 2015. As I rode along looking alternately at Felkerino’s backside and a somewhat snotty top tube resulting from my runny nose, I was wholly grateful for the hours and… Continue reading
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Maintaining the Base: Weekend Back-to-Backs
As part of our preparation for an upcoming two weeks of summer bike touring in Colorado and to maintain the bicycling fitness we developed over the course of the brevets, Felkerino and I have spent the past two weekends doing back-to-back Saturday and Sunday rides. This is not so difficult to do in June, where days have… Continue reading
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90 Miles: D.C. to Patapsco State Park
With temperatures soaring up to 60 degrees this Sunday after a week that could scarcely creep above freezing, it was impossible not to heed the call of the road. Continue reading
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Giving Thanks for Good Friends, Bike Rides, and Coffeeneuring
Happy Thanksgiving, everybody, and thank you for reading Chasing Mailboxes. Continue reading
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Fall’s Final Burst: Felkerino and I Visit Philadelphia
This past weekend Felkerino and I put our bikes on the roof of our car and drove north to meet up with friends and attend the Philadelphia Bike Expo. Continue reading
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The Furlough, Fall Events, and a Marathon Taper
Taking the topic away from coffeeneuring for a moment, I wanted to post some thoughts about three separate, yet interrelated, topics: lions; tigers; and bears. Or really: how I spent my furlough days, the impact of the furlough on the fall event plans, and my marathon taper. It also gives me an opportunity to post… Continue reading
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100 Rainy Miles for Coffeeneuring and an 87-Mile Sunny Fun-Odyssey Follow-Up
We sort of interrupt the Coffeeneuring Challenge for a couple of ride reports. I say sort of because Sunday’s ride included coffeeneuring. My 87-mile Tuesday Fun-Odyssey also included coffeeneuring, but my documentation is questionable thus, did the coffeeneuring even happen? You tell me. 100 Rainy Miles for Coffeeneuring This weekend Felkerino and I craved an… Continue reading
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Shutdown Friday in Downtown D.C. with the Excepted Intermittent Bike Friday Tikit
Day Four of the government shutdown and for the second consecutive day I called on my Excepted Intermittent Bike Friday Tikit. It was cowering in a corner, licking its wounds from yesterday’s century, trying to be invisible. No doubt I had ruined some trust between us. “Tikit, you gotta give me another chance,” I said… Continue reading
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Shutdown Century on the Excepted Intermittent Bike Friday Tikit
Having designated all of my bicycles “Excepted Intermittent,” they are all required to help me with any “excepted” rides I might perform. Today, I called on my Bike Friday Tikit to assist me with such a ride. I departed my house around 10:30, figuring that my Tikit and I would ride out a ways on… Continue reading
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Shutdown Diaries: Leesburg Loop via the C&O
To help manage my shutdown anxiety I have spent the last couple of days away from the television, the computer, and the depressing barricaded and closed areas of downtown. I’m also trying to get in some exercise. After all, I want my work clothes to still fit when this $%&! is over. Today I took… Continue reading
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A Visit to Bikes@Vienna on the Leesburg Loop
Over the weekend Felkerino and I meandered from home to do what we call the “Leesburg Loop,” a 90-ish mile ride that starts in D.C., crosses the river into Virginia and takes the Custis and W&OD Trails to Leesburg, winds around to White’s Ferry for a quick ferry ride across the Potomac into Maryland, continues… Continue reading
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Century Ride: D.C. to Buckeystown, Maryland
Sunday was a perfect day to be a bike rider. Since Felkerino and I consider ourselves bike riders, we went outside and rode our bike most of the day. We departed from the District and steadily made our way north past the Lincoln Memorial, through Georgetown, and out to Maryland. Continue reading
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The Weekend Warrior
Like many people in this town, I work in an office environment Monday through Friday. I spend lots of time in front of a computer or sitting in meetings. Lots. For over 40 hours each week, I sit. And sit. And sit. To compensate for my largely sedentary work life I bike commute, pepper in… Continue reading
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A Taste of Skyline Drive on the Co-Motion Java Tandem
The past two out of three weekends, Felkerino and I have headed out to Skyline Drive to test out the Co-Motion Java’s feel on long steady climbs and to condition our legs for summer rides ahead. Felkerino has a great write-up of Sunday’s ride on this other blog I know called The Daily Randonneur. Even… Continue reading
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The River Runner Century
Saturday’s weather was so stellar that Felkerino and I agreed to spend the day together out on the bike. I know that must be shocking news to all of you reading this. This time of year is wonderful for riding. The humidity has not yet settled into the area, overnight temperatures are high enough that… Continue reading
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Spring Fever: On the Bike, Off the Clock
This weekend’s spectacular weather made for an invitation to ride that Felkerino and I could not refuse. We ditched the indoors for a weekend of riding with friends. Saturday, we oiled the chain on the Co-Motion tandem and met up with Barry B. and Lane G. for a meander from Poolesville, Maryland, to Shepherdstown, West… Continue reading
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Ride My Age Birthday Ride
This week I celebrated my birthday by riding what has become an annual “Ride My Age Birthday Ride,” where I ride my age in miles. In order to not feel rushed (because every year this ride takes just a little longer) I took the day off and headed out of the city via the C&O… Continue reading
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Sunday Joy Ridin’ on the Rivendell Romulus
Felkerino and I decided to go on a post-200K brevet joy ride today to bask in the recently arrived warm weather and pay a visit to family out in Northern Virginia. Because of all the stop-and-go movement of the urban environment, we left the tandem in the Dining Room Bike Shop and opted for single… Continue reading
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Mandatory Fall Foliage Dirt Road Ride
With the shades of fall intensely pulsing through our area, Felkerino and I decided we better get out for a good autumn ride before showers or windy days wrested the brilliant leaves from the trees. We looked at the Saturday forecast, which indicated overnight temperatures would not be bitingly cold. Sun was also predicted, with… Continue reading
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Look Mom! Re-Learning to Ride No-Handed
Sometimes I like to see myself as a “serious” bike rider. I ride in the rain and cold, maneuver adeptly in urban traffic, and participate in the occasional brevet. That’s right, people. Serious. Another part of bicycling that I take seriously is riding no-handed. Ironically, riding no-hands evokes images that to me are far from… Continue reading
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Riding the C&O Canal on the Rawlands
This weekend, Felkerino and I took advantage of the spectacular mild weather and busted out our Rawland dSogns for a day ride along the C&O Canal. Our destination? Homestead Farm, a pick-your-own produce place just outside of Poolesville, Maryland. Continue reading
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Spring Training Rides, Leaving the Pavement Behind
The past two weekends, Felkerino and I put the brevet cards aside to enjoy some excellent training rides. As you may know, I like to qualify weekend non-brevet cycling as “training.” It’s like a doctor’s note that excuses me from my household responsibilities. D.C. to Frederick, Maryland – 120 miles Two Saturdays ago, Felkerino and… Continue reading
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Weekend “Training” Ride: 80 miles
I like labelling my weekend rides as “training rides.” It’s like having a Get out of Jail Free card. No, sorry, I can’t do my household chores. Rather, I must train. Instead of reading tea leaves, Felkerino and I examined the weekend weather radar and decided that, with a 40 percent chance of precip, Saturday… Continue reading
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Winter Cycling: Hardcore or Something Else Entirely?
Today, Felkerino and I ventured out for a 120-mile training ride from D.C. to Brunswick, Maryland, and back. Training for what? I don’t know. Training to be fitter for the spring brevets, I suppose. And to justify all my winter gear purchases over the years. About half of our ride was completed in freezing or… Continue reading
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Rides for All Seasons
Or so it’s felt the last three days. From temperatures in the 60s, 40s, and today’s dip into the 30s with snow, it’s been quite the climate roller coaster here in the Mid Atlantic. Saturday – Last Train from Clarksville 201K Permanent Saturday’s too-good-to-be-true weather had anybody who ever pedaled out and about. Felkerino and… Continue reading
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Weekend Bike Rides: Coffeeneuring, Cupcake Commuting, and a Noodle
Congratulations to all the people who ventured out for the decidedly difficult Woodbine Wallop! Something about getting up in the dark in sub-freezing weather and riding 128 miles with 12,000 feet of cumulative climb had me sleeping in on Saturday morning. You all are tough! Felkerino and I chose more leisurely outings this weekend. Here’s… Continue reading
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Carradice Cheesecake, Weekend Cycling, and Mechanicals
How was your Thanksgiving? In the D.C. area, we were not only treated to a holiday, but also some spectacular late November weather. Sun, light wind, and temperatures in the mid-sixties. At least not all the good weather happens while I’m at work. Here are the weekend highlights from this neck of the woods. Continue reading
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Weekend Roundup: Two Shorties, a 200K Brevet, and the D.C. Tweed Ride
If you were in the D.C. area over the weekend, you know that we had some choice cycling weather. A pinch brisk in the mornings, giving way to sun and warmth in the afternoon. Long-sleeve, no-jacket temperatures. With weather like this, who can stay inside? Not me. Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 