OPEN THE DOOR at 3255 K St. NW and the scene is just what you'd expect from a club in swanky Georgetown waterfront digs. Bossa nova emanates from overhead speakers. A dark wood bar beckons from a corner, and there's a concierge on the second floor. But, wait a sec — is that a treadmill?
Yep, and those are weight machines. A glass-encased room displays 10 stationary bikes facing a 50-inch flat-screen TV. Oh, and that bar downstairs is serving smoothies and muffins instead of vodka tonics. What kind of club is this?
IN THE SPRING OF 1998, Eric Gilliland had a revelation.
"I remember exactly when it happened," he says. "I was riding down E Street, and I saw a guy pass me. He had this absolutely beautiful bike that he had built up on his own. Just watching him and the way he rode through traffic — it was a very clean way of riding."
What impressed Gilliland was that in lieu of shifting gears, this cyclist was riding on a single — and unalterable — chain. Something Gilliland, then a bicycle messenger, decided to give a spin.
Now the 37-year-old director of the Washington Area Bicyclist Association rides his fixed-gear bike regularly. Whenever he needs to make a quick jaunt from WABA's Logan Circle office, he hops on the titanium-toned wheels he had custom-built in a Boston bike shop. "It's my getting-around-town bike," he says.
Single speeds come in a multitude of makes and models, but once you know where to look, they're easy to spot. Whereas geared bikes have chains coiled in a circle on their back wheels, single speeds have just one simple continuous chain loop.
And although single-speed riders have a tendency to use the terms "single speed" and "fixed gear" interchangeably, there's a wee difference between the two riding styles. Single speeds have a "free wheel" that allows riders to coast without pedaling. Fixed wheels, however, are connected to the pedals (hence "fixed") and rely solely on pedal strokes for movement. Just think of the tricycle you rode as a kid. What happens if you try coasting?
Continue Reading "Singular Performance: Get in Gear With Single Speed" »
ELIZABETH KIKER HESITATES when asked for tips on biking in the wet and leaf-strewn conditions of the season. She's vice president of the League of American Bicyclists, but she took a spill a couple weeks ago on the Custis Trail when conditions were slick. "It was 100 percent my fault," she admits. "I was passing someone on a curve, which is A) A bad idea because you can't see around a curve, and B) I was trying to get back over with my wheel turned, on a paint stripe. It was wet and I was worried about the jogger I was passing."
On paved trails, paint stripes can be slippery when dry. On wet days, they should be approached cautiously. And as fallen leaves dot trails, don't forget they can take away traction. Stay alert, monitor your speed, and avoid turning your wheel on a slippery surface. If you need to pass someone, try to wait until you get to a straightaway.
Another condition that blows is unexpected wind gusts. Can you lean in to avoid being blown over? Yes and no. "You have to counterbalance. It's tricky. If the wind stops as suddenly as it started, you could fall from that." Sheesh. "Slowing down is best." Just make sure you're moving fast enough to avoid floppin' over. That would be no way to fall.
WALKING INTO A BIKE SHOP as a first-timer can be a tad overwhelming. Tall, lanky (and often pungent) dudes walking around in spandex asking about "cranks" and "shifters" usually don't help a newbie feel any smarter, either. Jakob Wolf-Barnett wants to change that. "We want to get rid of the intimidation factor," Revolution Cycles' head of operations says. "And just have a fun, no-pressure environment for people to try bikes out." Enter Biketoberfest (Revolutioncycles.com).
Head to Occoquan Regional Park (9520 Ox Road, Lorton, Va.; 703-690-2121) on Sunday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for the free festival that'll please pedalers of all skill levels. Cycling safety experts and advocacy leagues will be on ‘hand to answer beginning riders' questions, and bike manufacturers will preview '09 Trek makes and models.
Gearheads and newbies alike will spin in a tizzy over the 80 demo bikes available for test-rides: There's a 7-mile course for road riders, a 0.75-mile loop for hybrids and a 1.1-mile rootsy route for mountain bikers. Post ride, grab a burger and sprawl on a patch of grass to watch a cycling gear fashion show. You'll see the latest in pro to commuter wear. Because, seriously, a hot bike is one thing; looking smashing in your Lycra is another.
Photo courtesy of iStock
TEXAS IN SOUTHEAST? Yee-haw! Alaska in Northwest? You betcha. For the fifth year, the Washington Area Bicyclist Association's 50 States and 13 Colonies Ride lets D.C. denizens explore the nation's nifty fifty within D.C.'s borderlines.
Head to Adams Morgan's Walter Pierce Park this Saturday (8-9 a.m.) to pick up a cue sheet for directions to the 63-mile adventure that'll have you zig-zagging throughout the District. There's no real rhyme or reason to the course, says event planner Henry Mesias — you'll fly down a steep hill only to sharply turn to huff and puff up another — but this is not "for the person who just rides on the Capital Crescent or Mount Vernon trails," he says. "This is for someone who is completely comfortable riding in the streets." Unlike the recent Bike D.C., which had roads blocked off for the family-friendly ride, this event is unsupported. Cyclists should be prepared to pedal with weekend traffic. Still, there will be three pits stops along the way (for water refills, Clif Bars and road assistance). And those who register by tomorrow (Waba.org, prices vary) have the option of ordering a California Tortilla burrito lunch — not a bad idea since Mesias says it'll take five to seven hours to finish. Too long? Try the 13 Colonies Ride instead, which clocks in at 15 miles. And if patriotic athleticism isn't enough to inspire you, perhaps the draft specials and food discounts at the 4-7 p.m afterparty at Bourbon (2348 Wisconsin Ave. NW, 202-625-7770) will. Ride on.
Photo courtesy of WABA
SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THE LAUNCH of the nation's first bike-sharing program (Smartbikedc.com) and our spandex-sporting mayor falling off his Cannondale while training with the D.C. Velo team: It happened. D.C. became a glorious 'n gritty cycling city.
D.C. Velo President Mark Sommers knows this, but admits "there hasn't been a big cycling event in the center of D.C. for many years." That changes on Sunday. As race director for the Capital Criterium, he's invited professional racers to up D.C.'s street cred. At 11:30 a.m. superstars including Tour de France vet Christian Vande Velde will loop 85 times around a 1-kilometer course that starts at Pennsylvania Avenue and runs between 10th and 13th Streets. With $50,000 in prizes up for grabs, Sommers expects a fast and furious race. "It's a course where you'll find your lungs in the back of your throat pretty quickly."
Continue Reading "Trail Blazer: Capital Criterium Bike Race" »
DELEGATES, REPORTERS AND POLITICIANS flooded into Denver, Colo., this weekend by car, plane, train and bus. Except for the 1,000 cyclists who arrived Sunday — and left bikes provided by Schwinn, Trek and Fuji for attendees of the Democratic National Convention to use for free. Their agenda? "We're shooting for 10,000 rides, 25,000 miles, half a million calories burned and 12 metric tons of carbon offsets," says Nate Kvamme, a director in the Innovation Center of health-benefits provider Humana. The idea he's been working on for more than a year is finally a rolling reality, co-sponsored by the cycling advocacy group Bikes Belong.
The program will be available for Dems through Thursday and kicks into gear for Republicans in Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minn., Sept. 1-4. Interested parties can register ahead at Freewheelinwaytogo.com, or pick up a cruiser at seven stations (see site for a map) from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Each bike has a cycling computer that will upload a pedaler's total mileage, calories burned and carbon offsets to a personal Freewheelin' page.
Ann-Marie Luciano, an Obama delegate for Maryland's 6th District, doesn't normally cycle but says she'll saddle up in Denver. "The hotel I'm staying at is 20 minutes from the convention. ... It would be perfect." For Virginia House Delegate Jeff Frederick, it's a tad more complicated. As chairman of the state's Republican Party, he's provided a car, yet he's also an avid cyclist. "I've got events coming out of my ears," he admits. "I wouldn't mind if I had an opportunity to go do whatever I wanted to do. It would be great to take a bike and cruise around a little bit."
Photo courtesy of Barry Staver/Humana
DAVID CRANOR faced a conundrum. The idea was to take the state-spanning rides held in Virginia and Maryland and apply the concept to D.C. Too bad pedaling across the city, he says, "is more of a sprint than a weeklong ride." But that got his wheels turning. "What if you tried to ride around D.C., but only on the actual border?" he mused.
That's how Washcycle's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Around DC (WAGBRAD) was born. Cranor — who writes popular D.C.-area blog the WashCycle (Thewashcycle.com) — has been covering local cycling since he created the site in September 2005. Topics range from bike parking at Wolf Trap to debates about cycling safety. Yet WAGBRAD is the first public bike ride the 36-year-old NASA employee has planned.
The 47.3-mile trip starts at the Jones Point Lighthouse in Alexandria at 8 a.m. Saturday and will follow the District's boundary markers from start to finish. Cranor estimates it will take four and a half hours (there's a stop in Rock Creek Park for lunch — bring your own food). "I'll be surprised if a half-dozen make it all the way to the end," he says. Sounds like a challenge, Washingtonians.
Photo courtesy David Cranor
SEARCHING FOR THE ULTIMATE BREWSKI of the summer? No prob, biker Bob: Just saddle up on your 21-speed and pedal to Old Dominion Brewpub (44633 Guilford Drive, Ashburn; 703-724-9100), a biker bar of a different stripe. (Think Schwinns, not Harleys.) Because, really, whether you order a pale ale or the seasonal Oktoberfest lager from the D.C.-area brewery, says bar manager Tarun Batra, "beer tastes even better" after a little sweat and grit.
Getting there is pretty simple: Just cruise west on the W&OD bike trail (see Wodfriends.org for access points from the 45-mile path's Shirlington start). A start from the Wilson Boulevard entry in Ballston put the pub at 23 miles out. (A steady pace gets you there in an hour and a half.) The ride itself is pretty flat — no monstrous climbs — and rolls through the scenic downtown shopping areas of Vienna and Reston.
It can be such a leisurely spin, in fact, that you need to remember to stay alert when approaching the 25-and-a-half mile marker. Even though Batra says the bar is just off the trail, you still need to find it. Look for a white sign posted on the trail's side with directions to the pub. Bring a pen to jot them down — the bar is hidden in a nondescript office park, and a wrong turn could easily have you cycling around Dominion's root beer facility's parking lot. Ahem.
Usually, 50 cyclists frequent the bar on weekends, Batra says. "Sometimes we'll have a table of 20 people sitting together in spandex and biker shorts." They must smell lovely in the sweltering August heat, right? Says Batra: "I don't stay too close to them too long!"
Photo by iStock
RANDALL MYERS WANTS TO let people know that cycling isn't just for sport. "It's a viable way to do anything — whether it's going around the District or raising money for a cause." Myers, vice president of Brother to Brother Sister to Sister United (BBSSU), is helping coordinate the Aug. 17 One Day, One Ride, One Cause, which aims to draw attention to a fact of which many are unaware: As many as one in 20 of the capital's residents are living with HIV.
At 7 a.m., pedal pushers will meet at the Anacostia waterfront for a 40-mile loop through D.C.'s eight wards. There's a $50 fee, and cyclists are asked to raise a minimum of $100. The money will be distributed to local AIDS groups such as Metro TeenAIDS and Building Futures. Clif Bars and Powerade will be provided gratis, and sandwiches will be served at the event's conclusion at Anacostia Park at about 3 p.m.
Consider yourself a cycling newbie? Don't fret, says Myers, noting the four pit stops along the way (see 1day1ride1cause.org). Even non-bikers are encouraged to pop by the ride's end, which features a speech by D.C. Council member Tommy Wells and info from AIDS activist groups. "We want people to come whether they're riding a bike or not. Come learn about AIDS, where to be tested, where it's transmitted," says Myers. "All the things you think you know but may have forgotten."
Photo courtesy of iStock
Addison Road