I saw Dave and Kid O (presumably a nickname) riding along East Capitol near the Supreme Court and I passed and said hello. I believe that she's 10 or so. To be a 10 year old bike commuter in Washington DC. I would love to read the perspective of a 10 year old on her bike commute. Maybe we can get a Tales From the Sharrows KIDS edition. It will have the advantage of being considerably better written and vastly more insightful.
Pennsylvania Avenue to 11th Street. I rode slow and low (low because I was on the Brompton) and in that one way and that one way only did my bike ride resemble the preparation of delicious barbecue. Other than my being lightly sauced. (ZING!)
I saw friends of the blog and cofee club regulars Ted and Jean at the intersection of 11th and Rhode Island and I dinged my bell and yelled their names but neither looked over. Womp womp. I might have also seen Rob, he of HubScrubDC, at the intersection of 15th and R. And then I saw a guy who liked kind of like Henry Kissinger, but I don't think it was actually him.
My Brompton squeaked in a kind of perma-squeak that sounded terrible. I cleaned the chain this weekend and I think I under-re-applied the chain lube. There is no amount of extraordinarily simple bike maintenance that I cannot screw up. I even installed my front wheel incorrectly the other day. Pretty much only one way to do it and I still found a way to muck it up.
They should just open up Ann Taylor Gourmet already. Two birds with one stone for professional ladies who like sandwiches, right? It would probably go best on Connecticut Avenue. Other clothes-related musings: leggings aren't pants. But aren't they just Cycle Chic Lycra? And when it comes to Smart Wool, I'm Smart Woo! It wasn't even that cold this morning and I wooled up. No regrets. That stuff's addictive.
Here are some unsought hill climbing tips:
-Use a low gear
- Don't overexert yourself
- Remember that the hill is as long as long as it is and absolutely no longer
- If you can help it, don't get a job on top of a hill
Wait, isn't a job at the top of a hill better than a job at the bottom of a hill? At least you ride downhill on the way home, which is especially nice in summer.
ReplyDeleteBetter, but jobs at no discernible elevation difference are probably the best.
ReplyDeleteI have a job at the bottom of a hill, which makes riding home harder, but not til 3/4 of the way. I think you're right, I have it better.
ReplyDeleteKid O says "no way", mainly because it's more writing than she already has to do for school, but also because it's more riding than she already has to do for school. Maybe when they have a long weekend...
ReplyDelete