President's Day weekend ride?

[7rider]

Hey, all.
The MORE website crew (www.more-mtb.org) has a series of rides they call the "Dot gov" rides - for all the local Federal employees around the DC area who have all these crazy Federal holidays off (Poor DH - so few holidays). As you know, Fed email addresses are "x.gov".
So anywho....I thought I'd steal a page from their book.
Dot gov ride for the President's Day weekend!!!
We have a federal holiday coming up.....President's Day on Feb. 19. Not sure what the weather will be, but my crystal ball says this cold stuff will be moderating and behind us.
What do you say we keep and eye on the weather and plan a ride for the good-weather day on that weekend? - something mellow/casual since...well, heck I've been a lump all winter and am totally out of shape and I'm proposing the ride!!!
Road - trail whatever. We'll play it by ear and see what folks are up for.
Wanna play??

[Velobambina]

Regina -- This week's snow and frigid temps have made riding outside impossible (trail is still icy--dang, it hasn't gotten warm enough to melt the stuff sufficiently. roads here in Arlington are still very salty, so i'm reluctant to take even my beater bike out). They are predicting more of the same for next week, including a possible "significant" snow storm on Tuesday. I, however, remain hopeful that the snow will stay south of us and we will get some good melt. That said,I 'm not overly optimistic that the weather will cooperate. I might have to do my dot.gov President's Day ride on the trainer w/my old pal, Coach Troy, cracking the whip.

[HillSlugger]

Hi Regina,

I'm in serious withdrawal due to the lack of outdoor riding. I watch the weather predictions each weekend hoping for temps above freezing but haven't been out since our ride back in early January.

Yes, yes, yes...if we get temps above freezing!!! Count me in!

Nicole

[divingbiker]

I'm in, too, if it's above freezing.

I can't believe I'm saying this, but after commuting by bike this winter any temperature above about 25 now seems downright balmy. My cold thumbs disagree, but the rest of me is relatively happy, at least for an hour or so.

[ladyfish]

I'd be interested, but I joined an MS150 team, and we are planning a ride that day, if the weather is decent!!! I'm tired of this freezing weather!!!

[7rider]

Sigh.
Okay. My NOAA experience is fish, not weather! (off topic - did you read Mark Trail in today's Sunday comics? At least he's a NOAA fan!)
I shared a chair today (was skiing at Liberty) with a teacher from Clarksburg who was saying *she* heard 12" on tuesday. Trusty weather.com says "too soon to tell."
Maybe it'll be mostly rain/sleet/mix, and it'll be gone by the 19th. Right???
Not gonna toss the crystal ball just yet.
Keeping the hope alive for a monday ride. I, too, Nicole, haven't ridden outside since our January jaunt. However, I have gotten a bit better on the rollers.

[HillSlugger]

I may not be "allowed" to do a Monday ride. We'll have to watch the weather and I may have to manage the home front, too.

[aicabsolut]

Turns out I DO have President's day off from school. Keep your fingers crossed for the weather!

[7rider]

Looks like my warming trend won't hit until Tuesday (temps approaching 50 next week).
Anyone still up for this on Monday?

I don't know if it'll warm up enough to actually melt this stuff - and if it does, what off-road conditions would be like (thinking C&O canal here).
Perhaps the Peach Tree Loop from Riley's Lock? http://www.bikewashington.org/routes...tree/index.htm
Conditions look to favor cyclocross and hybrid bikes.....

An option, of course, is to do this on the 24th, but I'm not sure if I myself am going to be around next weekend...

[Kalidurga]

If you do the Peach Tree Loop on Monday, you may want to make sure the roads aren't still icy. Unless you're feeling particularly daredevil-ish

I was thinking about hiking the Seneca Greenway Trail this weekend. If I do, I'll try to drive around that area and post a road condition report for you guys before Monday morning.

[HillSlugger]

Yeah, this weekend is looking too cold and I think that Monday is out for me. I would be up for next weekend, weather permitting.

[Velobambina]

I checked the W&OD Trail Conditions blog and a guy who ventured out yesterday reported awful conditions. Luckily, he had studded tires. The crust is extremely thick from the sleet and he ended up riding off to the shoulder, where there were no footprints, etc. He said that he left no tracks--and he's a 200lber--so that shows just how frozen solid this junk has become.

I did a quick visual check of the Custis Trail on my way home from work yesterday. Same thing--covered with that ice/sleet coating.

These are both rather heavily traveled trails, as the Custis is a major commuter bike route into DC.

Not sure about the C&O. I'd venture a guess that conditions there are the same.

Because of all the salt/chemicals on the road, I'm loathe to ride even where it's been cleared. In Arlington and vicinity, most roads--even the major ones-- lack a shoulder due to the plowing so it's rough going--jersey-barrier like walls of grey ice/sludge. There is no room to move over if you encounter a car, and in the 'hoods, they cleared only enough area for one car to pass. So a two lane road is essentially a one lane road. Then you have to worry about the ice chunks that flew off of cars whose drivers forgot to clear them off.

As much as I hate saying this, I'm going to keep inside with my buddy Coach Troy and my trainer until we get a solid melt. Let's hope for the expected warm up into the 40s and the rain. Nothing will clear this junk out like a good soaking rain (clean up our cars, too).

If you ladies end up riding, please post a report.

[7rider]

Okay.
Looks like riding this weekend is a non-starter. I hope everyone can at least get outside and enjoy the snow and fresh air.
Next weekend calls for rain, but let's keep an eye on it and see if we can hook up then for a ride.
Just tryin' to keep our monthly TE rides alive!

Meanwhile, I did rollers this a.m., and DH introduced me to his "Cyclrobx" video to keep my workout interesting. The video is from 1995, features a very YOUNG Tyler Hamilton (!) and a lot of the guys have BIG hair. It's kind of funny. But...the bike fell off the rollers 3 times - twice while stopped and once while trying to ride while wearing his slippers instead of shoes (NOT a good idea!) - and I didn't kill myself. So....a major hurdle crossed. Yay.

[aicabsolut]

Some of my teammates went out for a ride today. Up through RC park and over to Falls Rd and around and down to McArthur. I can ask them how it went. CC trail reviews have been not so good so far. One teammate rode in to our spinning session (for cold weenies like me) this morning from MD and she said the roads are ok.

Monday forecast still looks pretty darn cold.

I think I'm only going to do the Saturday race next weekend, so I might be able to squeeze in a Sunday ride if anyone is around and it's not raining.

[Kalidurga]

I drove the Peach Tree Loop today and most of the roads still have slushy/icy spots scattered here and there. Beyond that, they're just a wet, narrow, sloppy mess. I did see two bikes along the way (both women), so there are some diehards out there. They weren't doing much in the way of speed, though.

I was bummed that I couldn't even find a shoulder on the road cleared enough to park for a hike along the Greenway