Bicycle Trail Rant

[.RJ]

In my efforts to get back in shape (well a shape other than round) I've dusted off the bicycles, andrew gave me a hand to get them in working order (mad prawpz) and off I go. Most of my time is spent on the w&od trail ( <!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://wodfriends.org/">http://wodfriends.org/</a><!-- m --> - for the non-nova people... 45 mile paved trail from arlington to purcellville) but there are several other trails around arlington as well.

At any rate... I had decided that riding on the paved trails rather than the dirt or the street would be less hazardous to my health. My logic was infallible.... right? After 600+ miles on the road bike in the past 2 months I'm questioning that logic, and my sanity.

Today was a pretty typical ride - drive to a park on the trail, head towards arlington, break off on a trail that heads along 66 and down to the potomac, down another trail that goes along the river, cross the bridge into DC, stop and laugh at all the jackasses sitting in a parking lot, turn around and head back. Total distance, 22 miles. Seems like a nice way to spend the afternoon... except for...

• *The group of girls running along the trail 4 wide, that dont move until I shout at them to get the F@#%!@ out of the way (hint: these trails are 2 people/bicycles wide in each direction)

• *The little kid pedaling down the trail on his trike, who decides it would be a good idea to make a u-turn right in front of me. I go off in the dirt, keep the bike up and move on... no sense yelling because his parents were nowhere in sight

• *Some guy mosey-ing down the trail with his little kid, down the middle of the damn trail. I yell "passing, left" and the guy moves to the left, and i go off in the dirt and I came real close to spitting myself off the bike. I yelled back "watch the f@%T! out". Probably undeserved for him, but I was fed up

This about sums it all up:



Unfortunately today was a pretty typical ride in terms of near misses. I really think people in cars are more attentive than people walking along the trails, even though I've been hit in vienna riding in traffic once, about 3 years ago. I really enjoy getting my exercise on, and being outside on 2 wheels, but i'm starting to get fed up with this shit. I ride a lot out west of herndon after work, whenever I have to drive in to work I take the bike with me and go to the trail out there and its much less busy on the trail and more enjoyable. I'd do it every day, but, I cant keep my bike at work. Just one of the assinine property management rules at my office, subject of another rant.

My huge gripes about the trail system in this area are:

• *The trail is for people moving in both directions. Dont park your fat ass in the left side of the trail while talking on your cell phone

• *In America, we drive/walk/bicycle on the right side of the road. Foreigners are the biggest offender here

• *The trail is for pedestrian traffic. Its not a place to stop in the middle of the trail and chat, congregate, or stop in the middle of a bridge and talk

• *The trail is not a playground for your children. There are plenty of playgrounds along the trail for your kids to wander around in

• *When you are in a group of cyclists passing joggers/walkers/other cyclists, do it single file, instead of forcing people going the other direction off the trail

• *When some guy yells "passing, left" really loudly, he's probably coming at you at 20... sometimes 25 or 30 mph... get out of the way!

[ViPER1313]

When some guy yells "passing, left" really loudly, he's probably coming at you at 20... sometimes 25 or 30 mph... get out of the way!

How about instead of coming towards young children walking along the trail at 20.. sometimes 25 or 30 mph... you slow down to 5mph and pass them politely. There would probably be a lot less drama involved. Personally, I hate jackasses on bikes who swerve around me from behind doing 20mph as I try to jump out of their way.

[.RJ]

When there's children involved I slow way down, or if I cant make a clean pass on the other side of the yellow line I also slow way down.

[Apoc]

It would seem to me that you're just not meant to pilot anything with wheels.

[PDenbigh]

Personally, I hate jackasses on bikes who swerve around me from behind doing 20mph as I try to jump out of their way.

Don't try to jump out of their way. They are anticipating you staying on your course, and when you try to move out of their way, you throw them (us) off in a bad way.

[.RJ]

It would seem to me that you're just not meant to pilot anything with wheels.

Well, I'll remember that next time I'm out riding while you're piloting your TV remote

[Apoc]

It would seem to me that you're just not meant to pilot anything with wheels.

Well, I'll remember that next time I'm out riding while you're piloting your TV remote

Don't be salty just because I could watch TV while doing my 5 miles this morning.

[.RJ]

TV overrated.

No, I still havent gotten my Tivo service working yet.

[Ginger]

I've been riding bicycles on that trail for years... I'm a road bike racer, which puts me in a precarious position with relation to where, apparently, it is socially acceptable to actually ride my bike:

RJ & I:

(22:03:20) J a z z 0 6 0 2: I can't ride my bicycle on the street without facing death
(22:03:37) J a z z 0 6 0 2: or endless criticism from urban heros with steering wheels
(22:03:41) jester0097: heh
(22:03:51) J a z z 0 6 0 2: and so I go to the bicycle trail
(22:03:57) jester0097: hate on, my brother
(22:04:32) J a z z 0 6 0 2: but, oh noes, can't go there without some idiot, 2 kid stroller, toddler walking, breast feeding, cellular phoning cunt trying to tell me off about how it scares her

[.RJ]

I was all pissed off. Then I remember I hadnt really eaten all day, and I fixed some soup. Now i'm pretty content.

I am so simple.

[Apoc]

I'm sure that's good for your metabolism. Bitchface.

[ScottyB]

i just stick to the dirt trails....the kind with rocks and roots 8)

i feel your pain though, seriously. i can't stand people that think they own the place, be it on a bike trail or in a car going down the road for that matter.

i will say one thing....when i ride on the street, i try to stay on the road and not on the sidewalk, but sometimes i really fear for my life. if i'm going slow uphill, and there's nobody on the sidewalk, i'm hopping my butt up there instead.

[.RJ]

I'm sure that's good for your metabolism. Bitchface.

I'm not sure I do anything thats good for my metabolism. My eating schedule is so f'ed up due to work, poor planning, poor memory (yes, I forget to eat), snacks, and so on.

[Apoc]

I'm sure that's good for your metabolism. Bitchface.

I'm not sure I do anything thats good for my metabolism. My eating schedule is so f'ed up due to work, poor planning, poor memory (yes, I forget to eat), snacks, and so on.

A guy I work with has become really serious about getting in shape over the last few months. He eats like 6 smaller meals a days so his metabolism doesn't decide it needs to store food because it doesn't know when the next meal will be. He's dropped 30 pounds in the last few months so I gotta believe it's working for him.

That said, I've been trying to eat something small and healthy in the morning rather than skip b-fast altogether but I've actually forgot to the last 2 days.

[.RJ]

I have been doing my best to stick to the smaller meals thing... most of my "meals" end up being a protein bar (or similar) - i do think I am doing a decent job of it, but I just cant always stick to it.

Not sure how I bike over 400 miles in one month while eating under 2000 calories a day and not lose a single pound. I'm still a bit perplexed one that, but I'll keep riding. I'm doing something for sure, because I'm getting faster and a 40 mile ride is easier than 20 mile ride was 2 months ago. I need to stop slacking on going to the gym to lift though.

[Maengelito]

I was all pissed off. Then I remember I hadnt really eaten all day, and I fixed some soup. Now i'm pretty content.

I am so simple.

homer: this quiz will tell me what makes me tick

bart: my guess is hunger and rage

homer: yeah, but in what ratio?

[Evan]

When some guy yells "passing, left" really loudly, he's probably coming at you at 20... sometimes 25 or 30 mph... get out of the way!

How about instead of coming towards young children walking along the trail at 20.. sometimes 25 or 30 mph... you slow down to 5mph and pass them politely. There would probably be a lot less drama involved. Personally, I hate jackasses on bikes who swerve around me from behind doing 20mph as I try to jump out of their way.

Its not a kiddie playground, its a highly travelled bike trail. If a child cannot control themselves properly they should not be on the trail, period. Not to mention should never be left unsupervised.

[Apoc]

Parents supervising their children? That's just crazy talk!

[Ryan T]

In the summers I ride bikes quite often on the Creeper Trail. The Virginia Creeper Trail stretches 35 miles from Abingdon Virginia thru Damascus Virginia to the NC State Line near Whitetop Virginia.

All dirt trail, some of it you have to go through this guys cattle field, which can add a tiny bit of adventure if there's cattle around, but usually not. Also pass by a few lakes and other cool places to eat/hang out. Very little traffic, never had a problem passing.

[Dragon]

Here's my question, where are the laws that dictate what behavior is and isn't allowed on the trail?

To the best of my knowledge there isn't any, and therefore you're left with people's common sense, sense of courtesy, as well as human nature. Combine all of that and what do you get, an extremely hazaderous environment. You are expecting people to behave a certain way and they're not, but you know what there's nothing dictating that they have to behave that way. The trail isn't the road or the track, you can't expect people to know how to behave or to do a certain thing because you're coming up on them. You have to expect the unexpected, hence why when I was using the trail I didn't go to the high traffic areas like Arlington, I used the stretch from Vienna to Purcelville.

You want to ride somewhere where people are required to behave a certain way or face legal consequences if they don't, then ride on the public roads where there are laws.