While riding in the Nation’s Triathlon, I noticed a large number of empty Gu packages and other discarded gel wrappers on the course.   They were thrown out by triathletes who chose not to put the wrapper back in their jersey pocket or bag after eating the gu.

THESE WRAPPERS CAN CAUSE FLATS.  

Out of consideration for your fellow athletes, you should not discard the wrapper on the road.  The gu or gel is sticky and will adhere to a tire that runs over it.  Then the sticky spot on the tire will start to accumulate dirt, road grime, glass shards, thorns or other things that can work there way into the tire and cause a flat.   

Many flats occur as a result of something sticking to a tire and getting pushed through the tire after a number of revolutions rather than puncturing the tube immediately.  The sticky Gu packets on the road increase the probability of this happening.

I saw quite a few riders with flat tires including several without the items needed to fix it - but that is the subject for another day.   

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The 20,000 miles include supported tours (Holland, Alaska, Ireland, Italy, the Canadian Rockies), several state tours and 7 self supported tours with college friends.

I reached the 20,000 mile milestone on the bicycle segment of the Nation’s Triathlon this past weekend.  I was glad to reach the milestone on a unique ride.  The route covered many roads that are usually inaccessible to cyclists, however for the triathlon the roads were closed to cars.  I was also glad to reach the milestone on a challenging ride done at a fast pace.  It was the many miles that I have ridden that enabled me to do that ride at about 19 miles/hour.

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I am writing again because the DC Government recently removed the Ghost Bike that was dedicated to Alice.  They thought that the bike had been there long enough and people would not mind if it was removed.  They were wrong.  Soon after the original Ghost Bike was removed, a group of people placed 22 new Ghost Bikes at the intersection.  Here is a link to a Washington Post article on the 22 Ghost Bikes and below is a video of the bikes.

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2007 tour de france bike Great condition - $225 (alexandria)

GREAT CONDITION, BRAND NEW WHEELS, NEW PAINT (RED AND WHITE), 45 LBS, MADE IN FRANCE, SCHIWWINN COMPANY. COMPONENTS ARE SHIMANO RSX 

 I don’t even know where to start given all the wrong information in the ad.  Wow - a Tour De France bike that weighs only 45 lbs!!  I don’t know if a Schwinn has ever been in the Tour and certainly not in 2007.  This bike is at least 10 to 15  years old.  It was not made in France.  The current Tour De France bikes weigh about 1/3 of this bike.  The bike has new paint (probably a rattle can paint job intended to cover rust).   If it is rideable, it may be a good city bike because it would be less likely to be stolen, but it isn’t worth $225.   It is a shame that craigslist is full of ads like these.  Hopefully an unsuspecting person will not wind up with this junker.

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The Washington Area Bicyclist Association (WABA) and City Bikes held a full moon ride yesterday evening.  The 8 mile ride began in Georgetown and went up the Capital Crescent/Georgetown Branch Trail (a local rail trail) to City Bikes in Chevy Chase where a BBQ was held.  The ride began at 8:45 PM and more than 100 people participated.

I usually don’t ride at night and really enjoyed the ride.  It was fun to be part of such a large peloton.  With the exception of one near miss of a deer that was startled by the oncoming group of cyclists, the ride had no problems or accidents.  There was quite a mixture of bike and bikers including road riders, commuters, mountain bikers, fixed gears and a few tandems.  The DC Bike Ambassador was there with his large trailer (I will discuss him more in a future post).

I rode to the start point of the ride as the sun was setting and it was just beginning to get dark.  I had my bike set up with two headlights and a rear blinker.  I was amazed at the number of people on the trail without any lights.  Perhaps it is because the days are just beginning to get shorter and those folks are not used to getting caught in the dark. 

The ride was also an excellent opportunity to see the effectiveness of different lights and here are a few tips based on my observations.

• Use a rear red blinker - You will be more visible to cars and other cyclists.  Even when it is light enough that a headlight is not needed, the rear blinker makes you far more visible.  It can get dark enough during a rain storm, twilight or on a shady road that the rear blinker is needed.   

• Aim your headlight - A headlight has 2 purposes.  It makes you more visible to on coming traffic and lights the road in front of you.  Aim the light so that it illuminates the road and balances these two objectives.

• Lights vary significantly - While it is a good idea to have a headlight on any bike where you may get caught out in the dark, a small light is probably adequate for those situations.  However if you regularly ride at night, I would suggest a more powerful light. 

WABA has some other events coming up in the near future.  The 50 State Ride travels a route through Washington DC that takes you on streets named for each of the 50 states.  A shorter version covers just the 13 original colonies.  These rides are on September 26.  There will also be a bike swap on September 12.  Check their website for details.

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