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Romney, West Virginia
A beautiful day to ride our way into the hills. Sun, a little wind, temps in the 70s. Hilly! And lots of apples. Continue reading
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On the road
Quiet roads, awesome weather, and great company. Greetings from Clear Brook, Va and Rte. 11, the great fleche highway! Continue reading
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Felkerino’s New Jersey
Look familiar to any of you? Severna Park! Thanks to Clint and Chip for coordinating the purchase. Continue reading
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Field Trip: River City Bicycles, Chattanooga, TN
While my trip to Tennessee has ended, the memories of my bike shop tour work trip live on in my memories and on this blog. River City Bicycles in Chattanooga, Tennessee, was my third bike shop destination. This is an inviting shop with a large retail space. I must confess that I did… Continue reading
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Metro? Sometimes, it’s alright.
Before beginning my commute Monday morning, I stepped outside, assessed the cold and wet, and resigned myself to a Metro ride. Bike riding? Eh, not this damp day, thanks. (Extra credit to all of you who rode, ok?) Continue reading
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I Have an Announcement to Make: Fall is Here!
The fine fall weather from Friday carried on though the weekend. Was it awesome or what?! I bet you went outside. Maybe I saw you. It certainly felt like every single person who lived in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area was taking advantage of the low humidity, cool morning temperatures that pleasantly warmed but never… Continue reading
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Perfect Fall Friday!
I wasn’t going to post today, but the weather was so gorgeous in Washington, DC that it demanded some blog lines. Coming on the heels of a rainy and humid week, I’m certain this Friday was appreciated by many commuters. Continue reading
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A Cyclist Hurt my Feelings Today. Boo hoo.
While Alberto Contador was informing the world about his recent bout with food poisoning, I had my feelings hurt by a cyclist. You be the judge about which is worse. I know it’s difficult to believe that a cyclist would hurt another person’s feelings, given that all cyclists are nice people who care about everyone… Continue reading
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Field Trip: Suck Creek Cycle. Chattanooga, Tennessee
As I like to keep telling people, last week was mostly work on location in Tennessee. That said, I still eeked out time to poke my nose into some of the local bike shops. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Shop number 2 for the week was Suck Creek Cycle in Chattanooga. The shop’s… Continue reading
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WABA 50 States Ride
Want to do a ride in the District that’s 65 miles long, takes 212 cues, and feels like a daily commute that keeps on giving? Then maybe you would be interested in the Washington Area Bicyclist Association’s annual 50 States Ride. That’s where I was this past Saturday. The course is a drunken sailor tour… Continue reading
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Field Trip: Tennessee Valley Bicycles. Knoxville, Tennessee
This past week I’ve been on location in Knoxville, Tennessee. It’s been mostly work, but as soon as I had a break I asked the hotel clerk where I might find a local bike shop that leaned more toward the touring and utility cyclist. The clerk helpfully pointed me in the direction of Tennesseey Valley Bicycles.… Continue reading
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Pandas!
No, silly, I’m not talking about the black and white animals you see at the zoo eating bamboo. I’m talking about “panda portraits,” photos you take of yourself while riding your bicycle. Panda portraits are one of the best ways to memorialize your participation on bike rides. You can’t always be relying on the rando-paparazzi.… Continue reading
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Randonneur Paparazzi and the Civil War Tour 200K
Felkerino and I had a great time at the D.C. Randonneurs Civil War 200K on Saturday. We didn’t do any pedaling, either. Instead we volunteered, took pictures (along with our RBA, Bill Beck) and spent a fantastic day on rural roads and Civil War battlefields. Bill organized a great ride, and picked a spectacular day… Continue reading
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I Love Farmers’ Markets
Rain couldn’t keep me away from the famers’ market today. It didn’t daunt a lot of other people, either, and there was a nice assembly of people patronizing the White House farmers’ market after work. Continue reading
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My Endless Mountains 1000K Story
Hey, everybody! Since I wasn’t able to get out this weekend and ride much, I spent a few hours at the computer with my favorite mug and some lemon herbal tea. It was time well spent, as I finally put together a summary of Felkerino’s and my Endless Mountains 1000K adventure! Felkerino and I set… Continue reading
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D.C. Commute Scenes: Unicycle Style
Back on the bike, finally! Only for the shortest of rides, though. No matter. I still see cool things, even on the short route. Like this commute scene. Continue reading
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Sustenance in the City
I had a great time hitting the Thursday evening Farmers Market by the White House. I was on foot, of course. Post-1000K walking, remember? Check out these awesome veggies. Continue reading
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Tour Buses and My Commute
One of the things I loved the most about summer commuting was navigating the tour buses. It was great. My commute went from a somewhat sedate ride to one filled with anticipation of the unknown. Now the summertime bus traffic has ebbed somewhat, but there are still plenty out there. Many thoughts run through my brain… Continue reading
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Saving Up Nice Days for Rainy Ones
As many of you know, I have not ridden my bike since Felkerino’s and my completion of the Endless Mountains 1000K on August 28, 2010. “Gersemalina, are you going to keep mentioning that 1000K in every post?” Why yes, I think I am. “Isn’t that bragging?” Probably. “Isn’t that socially unacceptable bragging?” I suppose that’s… Continue reading
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Does your Bicycle Gravitate towards Bakeries?
Recently, one of my cycling/randonneuring friends said to me, “I can’t but help to notice a lot of pictures of pastry on your Flickr site. Does your bike gravitate towards bakeries?” I wasn’t sure what he was talking about. Was it this? Continue reading
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Post-1000K Walking
Since the recent Endless Mountains 1000K, I haven’t pedaled one bit. Residual knee pain and general fatigue are the culprits. Knee pain is the randonneur superhero’s kryptonite, I’ve decided. Continue reading
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I Used to be a Randonneur Superhero
When Ed and I rolled into the finish of the Endless Mountains 1000K after 67:37 hours in the company of five other accomplished randonneurs, I felt amazing. There was pain in my knee and I felt dirty and smelled bad, but all that was eclipsed by what our group had accomplished. Continue reading
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Endless Mountains 1000K – Update!
Felkerino and I are no longer riding the Endless Mountains 1000K (although it was quite the adventure while it lasted). We enjoyed a sun-filled ride with some awesome randonneurs and randonneur volunteers, ultimately finishing the event in 67:37. Thanks to Tom, the volunteers, and everybody who rode with us and helped make the ride epic!… Continue reading
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Crooked Helmet Photos
Fellow cyclists and randonneurs, As ambassadors of the cycling community, it is of critical importance that we always look our best. That doesn’t just mean wearing the latest and greatest in cycling wear and reflective clothing. It also means that we must be mindful of our helmets! Some have argued that our greatest fashion dilemma… Continue reading
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Bicycle Touring on the W&OD Trail
One of the great things about tapering for the Endless Mountains 1000K is that I’ve been able to do some things that I don’t normally do. The past two weeks I’ve ridden from home and meandered out on the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (W&OD). While I can’t stomach a steady diet of the bike… Continue reading
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Bike and Roll and Pedicabs
Did anybody notice the awesome weather this afternoon? Tons of people were out, taking advantage of the afternoon sun and low humidity. One of the groups that caught my eye was Bike and Roll, a bicycle rental outfit that takes tourists on bicycle tours of the city. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a… Continue reading
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Flip Flop Commuters
There is a lot of controversy around the flip flop. Is there ever a time when it’s ok to wear them at the office? Are they appropriate for the Metro? Is there such a thing as a fancy flip flop? If you shouldn’t wear flip flops with your business clothes, are they acceptable as casual wear?… Continue reading
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No Money Fun: Gravelly Point
Did you know that National Airport is located right off of one of our local bike paths (the Mount Vernon Trail)? Of course you did! Did you also know that you can watch the planes blaze in for a landing right over your head at Gravelly Point, a park adjoining the Mount Vernon Trail? It’s… Continue reading
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Bikes to Like: Cannondale Tandem
This week I’ve been reminiscing about Felkerino’s and my very first tandem, a dark gray aluminum Cannondale mountain frame. During our first two years plus of riding together, the Cannondale tandem was our steed of choice. We took it on tour from Rockville, Md. up to Niagara Falls, made it through two Super Randonneur series’,… Continue reading
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The Lincolnometer
Summer is on, people. How do I know? The Lincolnometer tells me so. What’s the Lincolnometer, you ask? It is a gauge of what’s going on with tourism and to some degree, the weather, in Washington, D.C. The Lincolnometer is largely based on the people lurking around the Lincoln Memorial at any given moment. The… Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 