Hurry grab your bikes. Cross season is coming.

At registration

I took a day off from training and racing to do Bike DC with some friends and 3996 other people.

Bike DC is a causal ride through DC and Arlington on closed roads. The ride traversed several roads normally closed to bicycles including the E St expressway, 66, and the GW Parkway.

The weather cooperated with the event; it was warm and sunny. However, it increased the crowds a bit (not crowded). I also witnessed my first traffic jam caused by bicycles as the riders were funneled onto the GW Parkway.

I’ve written an adaptation of the 12 days of Christmas to describe what I saw throughout the ride:

• 12 Beach Cruisers
• 11 Folding bikes
• 10 Recumbents
• 9 Tandems
• 8 Aero-bars
• 7 Fanny packs
• 6 Helmet-less
• 5 PINK TOWNIES
• 4 Fixed gears
• 3 Cargo Bikes
• 2 Unicycles
• A dude on an Elliptigo

Crossing the Potomac on the 66 Bridge

TEAM USA!

Welcome new bike commuters.

Today was a great day to ride. I rode the whole 15 St cycle track, turned onto the Penn Ave bike lanes, and hit up the Freedom Plaza pit stop. It doesn’t get better than that.  See you out there again sometime.

Also, since it was such a nice day, I snapped some pictures. All of my pictures are on Picasa.

Rocking the 2011 BTWD Shirt in the Penn Ave Bike lane

Swag at the WABA tent

All smiles

Let's Go Nats

As of today, Spring is officially here. Not because the weatherman said so or that it’s actually going to stay warm out. Today is Opening Day.

Nationals’ games are a good way to spend an evening outside chatting and reminiscing about how the time you caught a foul ball. However, getting to and from the stadium can be a hassle.

Parking is expensive and the traffic can be bumper to bumper. The metro can be packed like a can of sardines.

Why not bike?

In fact, the Nationals make biking an easy option. In addition to the 250 bicycle racks near the stadium the Washington Nationals also have a free bike valet.

For the convenience of our bicycling fans, Nationals Park offers a FREE bike valet located in Red Garage C at the corner of N & 1st Street, SE. Access to the valet is on N Street just left of the entrance.

The valet will be accepting bikes two hours before game time and will close 1 hour after the last inning.

The tricky part of a route for most people will be crossing the Mall and the Southwest Freeway. I’d recommend 7th St to M St SW or 3rd St to Independence to New Jersey Ave SE.

If you need a route suggestion, let me know in the comments.

Counter steering is one of my favorite things about bicycles. This video uses motorcycles and bikes to explain the concept.

For a more in-depth explanation, read Bicycle Physics.

And you have to purchase gear while rep-ing you team.

And this kid is a champion.

From the listing on Craigslist:

DC Bike Swap 2011
Saturday March 26th, Noon till 2pm.
We will be setting up in Lamont Plaza in Mount Pleasant DC. (Mount Pleasant Street and Lamont Street across from Heller’s bakery)

There are no costs or overhead.

There will be mechanics and others to assist your shopping. Feel free to bring bikes, tools, parts, accessories, bike art, food, books, movies, BIKE ART,etc.

(Tables and blankets are great for display).

Tell your friends, come get brunch, volunteer for the Farmers Market Bike Clinic Coops (Bloomingdale, Glover Park, 14th and U, Mount Pleasant), The Bike House, DDOT’s Bike Ambassador or any other DC bike programs. Learn about Cabi, DC’s bikeshare (Biggest in the nation). Learn about local bike shops, great rides, etc.

Potholes are a safety hazard for cyclists. They cause us to have to suddenly move side to side into traffic or other hazards. Potholes send vibrations through our spines. Potholes pop our tubes even when we’re late for work.

But now you can do something about it. Now through April 21^st is the DC government’s Potholepoolza. If you see a pothole, you can stop, take a picture of it, send the picture and location to DDOT, and they will try to fill the pothole in 48 hours. No joke. This is called getting stuff done.

There are four ways to report potholes:

• Online at http://311.dc.gov
• Call 311
• Email: potholepalooza@dc.gov
• Tweet @DDOTDC on Twitter

Instead of cursing as you ride by potholes, you can stop, click, and email.

Mini-potholepoolza contest: I’m going see how many potholes I can report. I can think of at least 7 off the top of my head. Can you beat me?

"You're doing it wrong!" says the sign near the Capital Riverfront

I wonder if this sign actually encourages people to ride with traffic on 1 st SE.

Authority figures can have a profound affect on people’s behavior. Stanley Milgram’s Obedience to Authority experiment measured people’s willingness to obey an authority figure. An authority figure (a guy in white lab coat) would tell them to shock people or perform other acts that conflicted with their conscience. Despite their personal reservations, the subjects carried out what the lab coat just told them to do.

This experiment has been repeated many times over. However, cyclists defy the results everyday.

• If you put up a sign that says “don’t bike here”, the cyclists scoffs and says “watch me.”
• If you put up a gate that says “Stop”, the cyclist scoffs and rides up on the curb, nearly hitting a pedestrian, and goes around the gate.
• If you put up a fence that says “No bikes”, cyclists portage over the fence with panniers et al. in tow.
• If you put up an electric fence, cyclists dig a hole and ride under the fence.

As long as it saves them 30 seconds, they’re going to do it.

In general, I don’t know what inspires people to salomon down the street, but they’re going to do it whether you put up this sign or not. If you’re not afraid of facing a 3000 lbs car head on but you follow the guidance of small sign off the side of the road, I’m not sure what’s going on inside your head.

If you don’t want people riding against traffic, maybe both sides of the street should have a bike lane.

Walking is so over.

I ride my bike most places, but c’mon man that dog clearly can’t keep up. Put the dog in a basket.