bike commuting
-
Top of the Town
I’ve been meaning to write you about my new daily escape through the city – from the lowest part of D.C. to the top of the town. It’s a 7.5-mile contraflow endeavor that takes me out of the heart of the city to a residential tentacle. Since beginning this commute, I’ve felt a novel joy… Continue reading
-
Ride Your Bikes, People
I’m fond of my active commute routine. My regular commute to work is predictable, pleasant. Over the years I’ve devised a sweet route that minimizes high-volume car traffic, and I store a nice selection of seasonal work clothes in my office. This week I’ve been thrust outside of my routine, which is pretty much a… Continue reading
-
The Right Tool for the Job: Bike Friday Tikit Commutes
Over our many years together, the relationship between my Bike Friday Tikit and me has been nothing if not tumultuous. Continue reading
-
Stop telling the bike commuter it’s going to rain: Reba of Women BikeDC
I find the bike riding population in D.C. to be eclectic and interesting. I talk to a lot of people, sometimes I don’t get their name or their history, we just share the moment we are in and then ride on. Biking is about being present in the moment you are in and not trying… Continue reading
-
Deb of Women BikeDC. Part 1: Infrastructure Beyond D.C. and Turtle Rescues
Every time I post one of the Women BikeDC interview series I feel proud to be part of the women’s cycling community. No matter the barriers, we ride, and cycling has transformed us in many different ways. Today I’m featuring the first part of my interview with Deb, who some of you may know as… Continue reading
-
Stillness in the Ruckus of Washington, D.C.
Buses align Ohio Drive, one after the other, and block my once-daily view of the Potomac. Large chatty groups of tourists swarm the National Mall, oblivious to the bike commuters that weave around them. They start the day early, and I fail to wake up any earlier to avoid their field trips. The sudden influx is an annual… Continue reading
-
BikeDC Commutes 2014: The Months in Photos
As I was assembling my recent post about 12 months of running in D.C., I realized that I wanted a memory of the past year’s bike commutes in the city. Considering I spent much of the year feeling blasé about the urban bike experience, my photos make it seem like it wasn’t so bad. As if I enjoyed… Continue reading
-
@SharrowsDC Ride Along in #BikeDC
As a child, I spent part of my summer days taking swimming lessons. My sister and I would walk with Jeff, the neighbor boy, to the bus that would take us to our swimming lessons in the town seven miles down the road. I did not like swimming lessons, but I enjoyed the walk to and from the bus.… Continue reading
-
Switching It Up: Bike Friday Tikit Commutes
Last week someone asked me how many bikes I own. I generally deflect this question because anyone who is surrounded by bad influences (I’m looking at you, Felkerino) and has the money can purchase multiple bikes. So I have more than one bike, but do not consider it any sort of accomplishment. That said, the… Continue reading
-
It’s The Worst Thing In The World…
To be a driver behind a cyclist. Today is a bike tour rest day for Felkerino and me, and it coincided perfectly with an op-ed blowup in the Washington Post, which I am disappointed to admit is also my local paper. Continue reading
-
Bike Commute Hoarder
Lifehacker recently posted an article called the Cycling Commuter’s Daily Bag that essentially emptied out a bike commuter’s pannier. Curious, I looked through the items listed and the accompanying photos. The number of items this person carried to her job was shocking. The article did not go into the mileage of the woman’s daily commute, but during… Continue reading
-
Unexpected Triumph on a Double Hairpin
You know those people who say “My favorite part of my day is my bike commute?” Yeah, I bet you do. They’re giving me a headache. Continue reading
-
Bike to Work Day is Every Day
Today, many places are celebrating Bike to Work Day in an effort to inspire more people to ride bikes. Unfortunately for those who may have planned to try out bike commuting and enjoy one of the many pit stops scattered throughout the city, today was a true commuter test. It poured cats and dogs all… Continue reading
-
Slowdown Commutes in D.C.
This past month I participated in 30 Days of Biking, a challenge to ride one’s bike every day in April. In all, I rode 28 of 30 days. I made the 30 Days of Biking pledge because I was in a bike commute slump I could not shake. Continue reading
-
Our House, In the Middle of Our Street
Whenever we hop on our bikes, we not only expose ourselves to all sorts of elements, but we also come face to face with other bike riders. Despite that, riders do not tend to talk to one another. We share space, but generally our only apparent common goal is coming and going each day from home to work… Continue reading
-
Present
Present is a space I don’t occupy well, especially in the city. My bike takes me places while my mind calculates where I’m going and where I’ll head next. Work. Appointment. Grocery store. Repeat. I ponder the past. How did it go? What could have gone differently? The ride is a pass-through as my thoughts bounce… Continue reading
-
Cherry Blossom Farewell: Petals, Puddles, and Pavement
One of my favorite times in Washington, D.C., is when the cherry blossoms reach out to say hello to all of us. Another is when these delicate petals fall, leaving a textured pink layer over grass and pavement. Continue reading
-
Flow Like Water
The fleeting pink and white blossoms cover the city. Sun shines and spring breezes blow. Families and field trips congregate on our sidewalks. And hey, how about those tour buses! Yes, it’s cherry blossompalooza in Washington, D.C. In previous years I dreaded this scenario. But thanks to my regular midday runs that have exposed me to this… Continue reading
-
Sick of Cycling? Try 30 Days of Biking
We’re eight days into April, a month that has become known to many in the Twitterverse as 30 Days of Biking, where riders pledge to ride every day of the month and document their efforts via social media. I did not plan to sign up for 30 Days of Biking, but officially registered last week because… Continue reading
-
On Writing & Riding: Tales From The Sharrows
“Sometimes you’re the lead guitarist, thrashing through power chords with a raw energy and other times you’re in the back with the tambourine, beating it against the front of your leg and swaying side to side.” -from Ride In 2/21: Have a cantaloupe, Lassie If you live and ride in Washington, D.C., you might be… Continue reading
-
D.C. Iced Over
A week of freezing weather fostered some icy ambience in the city. We’ve all been out taking cell phone pictures of the Potomac River’s icy overlay on our bike commutes. Continue reading
-
First Week of September in D.C.
Like that, everyone is back in the city. Congress gears up and the tourists recede. I forgot so many people work here. Spectacular weather means an explosion in fair weather commuters. They’re everywhere. Part of me is glad to see more people on bikes, and part of me feels annoyed by the overall congestion. Continue reading
-
The Big Confusing Dilemma of What to Wear While Bike Riding Around Town
When I rode my bike as a child I did not give much thought to the clothing I would wear while riding it. Have bike. Wearing clothes. Shoelaces tied. Will travel. Remember those days? Fast forward a few decades and what to wear while biking has become much more wrought. Currently, there are a couple… Continue reading
-
Back in Washington, D.C.
It was rough to return to regular life this week after eight straight blissful days of the bicycle life in Colorado. I missed the open road with stop signs few and far between. I missed full days in the sun, and the steady progression over mountain passes. Lo’ our bike tour was wonderful. After today’s… Continue reading
-
Commute Essentials: Klean Kanteen Cages
A few years ago I began commuting with steel Klean Kanteen bottles. I liked using the steel bottles, but because Klean Kanteens are narrower in circumfrence than a standard plastic water bottle and I use stainless steel cages almost exclusively, the metal on metal made the Kanteens rattle away on city streets like nobody’s business. I… Continue reading
-
Anticipation: a Bike Commuter’s Friend
Do you ever have commutes where you feel like you are in the middle of an urban obstacle course? Dodge this! Veer around that! Watch out for the crazy driver! No one is following the rules! As I rode through the post-work milieu today, a particularly gorgeous early summer day in the city, I realized… Continue reading
-
Bike Parking in the City: Issues and Etiquette
Bike parking in the city can be a tricky business. Many parts of the city (at least the ones I visit in the District) do not have enough racks to accommodate all the bikes of those who want to park in the area. Bikes get crowded onto racks or, if those are not available, we… Continue reading
-
Velo Orange Mixte Commutes & the Search for the Ideal Bags
Lately I’ve been on a mission to ride all of my bikes more often. This is partially due to needing to clean the Surly LHT as well as change out a tube, but also because if I’m going to own multiple bikes I feel should make the effort to ride them all. The past… Continue reading
-
The Pennsylvania Avenue Bike Lane Dilemma
Washington, D.C., welcomed the Pennsylvania Avenue bike lanes to the city in the middle of June 2010. These lanes, as all #BikeDC riders well know, are situated in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue and run from 3rd to 15th Street Northwest. Pennsylvania Avenue is one of the main thoroughfares of the District, particularly during the… Continue reading
-
What Word Sums Up Your Cycling Experience?
With the D.C. area’s celebration of riding your bike to work known as Bike to Work Day happening this Friday, I’m revisiting some inspiring words from the #BikeDC cyclists I interviewed several months ago. One of several questions I asked of this group was: What word or phrase describes your D.C. bicycling experience? I love… Continue reading
Chasing MailBoxes 