Category: #bikedc

You got another what?

I managed to get 8 1/2 miles on The Mule with no problems. As I was accelerating through a suburban intersection I heard a clang sound on the ground. I thought that my pump had fallen off my bike for some reason so I pulled over and checked. The pump was still on my frame. I started down a long hill when my back tire started feeling squishy. I pulled over again knowing full well that I now had my second flat in two months.

I had gone over a year without a flat so I suppose I was over due for this, my second flat in two months. It took me over 15 minutes to find the source of the flat. I found a tear in the tire’s casing that was so smooth I didn’t feel it or see it when I searched. I only found it after I found the hole in the tube and matched the tube to the tire. I couldn’t find any debris in the tire at all. I must have hit a sharp piece of metal that did it’s thing and left the scene of the crime.

I covered the hole on the inside of the tire with a $1 bill and put a new tube in. As I started back up I could feel a lump in the rear wheel with each revolution. I stopped and took the wheel off to make sure the tire was properly seated under the rim of the wheel.

Back on the road I decided that rather than ride my planned 40 miles, I would head back home. I took the long way making sure to check to see how far gas prices had fallen in the last 24 hours. To my surprise the same gas station was now charging 38 cents more, $2.15. Stranger still, the gas station next store was charging $1.99.

I rode to Mount Vernon, still deserted, of course, then back toward home taking several loops around neighborhood streets to pad my mileage.

After 25 miles I called it quits. I then changed the rear tire again, tossing out the damaged one and replacing it with an old one I had in my basement. As I was checking to make sure the tire was properly seated I spotted a fracture in the rim of the wheel. No bueno. This sort of thing is a ticking time bomb that can destroy a ride and leave you stranded.

Off I went to Conte’s Bike Shop in Old Town Alexandria. As luck would have it they had a wheel that would fit my needs. (It was not a wheel they normally carry. They had it on hand because they goofed on a previous order.)

I was pretty wary about going to the shop but they were all business as far as hygiene was concerned. No one stood close to me, except for the handing over of the wheels. The mechanic wore surgical gloves and used a Clorox wipe on the credit card scanner. Then he let me select a couple of wipes for my use.

As I left I checked out the people sitting outside a restaurant celebrating St. Patrick’s Day. Nobody seemed like they were having much fun. Customers were in groups of two or three and separated by a few feet from other groups. Lethal viruses are a buzzkill, dude.

So tomorrow I will remount the tire and fiddle with the rear brakes to make sure everything works properly. Tonight I am going to order some new tires. These last ones were a rip off. They only lasted about 6,000 miles.

Return to Dr. Pain and other adventures

Yesterday, in anticipation of my appointment with Dr. Pain, I walked 3 1/2 miles. I experienced some discomfort in my left leg but it never amounted to much. In fact, several times I stopped using the trekking poles. I also found that I am no longer walking on the balls of my feet, which is really awkward. Oddly, I seem unable to walk slowly. My body is full of mystery.

I had a minor, split second twinge of pain in my lower back when I was taking off my shoes but I haven’t had any symptoms of nerve pain shooting across my lower back for a week.

I almost cancelled the appointment out of an abundance of caution about the coronavirus but decided to go and be super careful. No one was in the waiting room. I used hand sanitizer three times while in the office.

After a short wait in an examining room, Dr. Pain came in and sat as far from me as physically possible. We discussed what I’ve been doing (e.g., riding a bike like a boss, walking more than a mile, physical therapy exercises twice a day) and she said that she wasn’t giving me any more shots for now. “That first shot has allowed your body to heal itself. Don’t stop what you’re doing.”

The plan going forward is for me to come back to see her in early May, but only if I have pain. Otherwise I am good to go on my annual bike tour, coronavirus willing. One thing is very clear, I am riding much stronger than I have since my 2018 tour.

After the doctor’s visit, I went to the drug store to secure some shaving stuff and paper products. They had a few shaving things. I decided to buy the expensive stuff thinking the cheap stuff was more like to have been handled by virus vectors. (Great name for a sports team!) There were no paper products. Big surprise.

When I checked out, I didn’t let the clerk (who was wearing gloves) to touch my items. It pays to be paranoid.

Then I took off for parts north. I rode the Mount Vernon Trail 15 miles to Rosslyn and crossed the Key Bridge into Georgetown. Traffic on the adjacent GW Parkway was light as it was on the bridge. Georgetown lacked its usual chaos. Mostly, the people I saw were alone or in groups of two or three. I rode past the White House and made my way through Lafayette Park. There I encountered three teenage boys on scooters as I entered the west side of the park. When I prepared to use a curb cut to leave the east side of the park, the scooter boys cut in front of me. No problem. Then I let three people on Segways, a guide and two tourists, also go in front of me. As the third person started down the curb cut she turned and sneezed over her shoulder.

I had been keeping my distance and I am glad I did. Still I waited a few seconds before proceeding into her germ cloud. I saw no point in lecturing her about her hygiene as I was pretty sure she sneezed as she did to avoid losing control of the Segway on the curb cut.

I rode the 15th Street cycletrack back toward the Potomac River. At the Pennsylvania Avenue entrance to the Ellipse I saw a group of at least 25 tourists walking across the street. Normally there would be dozens of similarly sized groups all over the tourist areas but today they were the only big group.

At the Washington Monument, DC’s famous cherry blossoms were starting to put on their show. A few trees at the Tidal Basin were also putting in a decent effort. Here’s a view looking back toward the Washington Monument across the Tidal Basin.

As I began crossing the Potomac on the 14th Street Bridge I spotted a whopper of a cherry tree in bloom. This tree is quite old and, for some reason, seems to be the first to reach peak bloom. The ramp to the bridge puts you right on top of the tree. You could go snow blind looking at it.

The ride home was uneventful. When I got home I put my clothes in the washing machine just in case Madam Segway was packing coronaheat.

Greetings from Elbownia

Here at the Rootchopper Institute we’re social distancing our butts off. Of course, my preferred SD method is to ride my bike alone. I’ve been grinding away at it for nine days in a row. Rather than getting worn out, I’ve been getting stronger. This is exactly what happens on a bike tour. It makes no sense either on tour or at home but it is what it is.

Yesterday’s ride took me over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge, down the corkscrew ramp on the Maryland side, and up the long hill past the casino complex to Oxon Hill Road. From there I made my way into DC via the streets of Anacostia. I rode past the derelict buildings of Saint Elizabeths (no apostrophe) Hospital and down MLK Jr. Boulevard. Eventually, I made it to the Anacostia River and took the Anacostia River Trail to Benning Road. There I crossed over to the west side of the river, rode south between the river and the rotting hulk of RFK Stadium all the way to the Navy Yard. Soon I was passing Nationals Park, Audi Field (soccer), and the Wharf eventually making it down to Hains Point to check out the not-ready-for-prime-time cherry blossoms. (I did managed to shag three golf balls from the rusty spring hackers on East Potomac Yard course.) Then it was up the Potomac River past the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials, across the Memorial Bridge to the Mount Vernon Trail and back home. A nice 43-mile spin in 70-degree temperatures.

Today’s ride was a recovery ride. I made it six miles, nearly to Old Town Alexandria, before I realized that I had forgotten my water bottles. I used the Wilkes Street tunnel to turn back home. On the way I passed my local bike store. The plan had been for the store to re-open in March, but from the looks of things it’s going to be quite some time before that happens.

  • View from front. You can see all the way to the exterior wall in the rear
  • Side view in rear, Note the missing roof.
  • Rear view with poles buttressing the rear wall

Within a mile or two of this bike shop there have been two other large fires in the last month. And sometime in the last few months a hotel was struck by lightning. Coincidence?

After fetching my water bottles I made my way down to Mount Vernon, home and burial place of George and Martha Washington. I can’t remember the last time I saw it closed, but such are the “circumstances” these days.

My ride home took me to Route 1. As I waited at the traffic light I took note of the remarkable fall in gasoline prices since the financial and commodity markets went haywire.

There were long lines at this station and the one next door. Of course, the handles on the pumps may be a fine place for the Covid-19 virus to hang out but you take your chances when you can save 40 cents a gallon.

The ride home was brisk. I don’t know what got into my legs lately but I was accelerating up small rises in the road and I didn’t have a tailwind.

After the ride, I spent 20 minutes scraping loose paint from an exterior wall on the house. During dinner, I had a slight and very brief twinge of nerve pain in my lower right back. Oddly, this is good news. I am scheduled to have a new kind of injection in my lower back on Monday, but I haven’t had the slightest bit of pain in six days. Tomorrow I go on a six-mile hike. If that doesn’t bring about some serious pain in my back or my left leg, I am declaring myself cured and cancelling the injection.

Now if only I could do the same for the coronavirus. I guess I’ll just have to keep bumping elbows for a while longer.

Introvert’s Delight

Ah, social distancing. It’s right up my alley. I can ride for hours all alone and know I am doing the right thing for my community.

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Sadly, this pandemic didn’t happened while I was working. It would have put an end to the extroverts trying to push everyone into this meeting or that. Brainstorming get togethers? Not any more! Three-day office retreats. Fuggetaboutit! Teambuilding exercises. Pshaw!

I do feel like I’ve fallen into a creepy science fiction movie. Here I am riding along on the prairie when I stop for food. Is the clerk at the register infected? Do the old men sitting around the table at the truck stop carry the dangerous contagion? Will I get out of this gas station alive? AYYY!

I am one of the high risk folks. I have compromised lungs in three ways. I have mild persistent asthma. I have had a lung infection in the last five years. And let’s not forget those lovely pulmonary embolisms. Also, I am 64. Take me out to the ballgame? I think not.

Meanwhile, my stenosis pain is in rapid retreat. Lord knows why. I am scheduled to be treated for lower back pain next Monday but that pain, too, is gone. Do I even bother with the treatment? I even tested my lower back by riding Little Nellie, my wee wheeled Bike Friday, yesterday. Normally, this bike beats up my back. Today, no pain.

The only problem I am having is a sore left knee that woke me up at 7 this morning. I have lowered the saddle on all my bikes and I suspect this is the culprit.

My thoughts are with Gio and Cristina, the Italian bike tourists I met on the side of the road in Eureka, Nevada. They are back in Italy. Stay well.

As for the rest of you all, don’t panic. Exercise good hygiene. Bump elbows. This too shall pass.

 

Igor and the Dead

I went back to Dr. Pain today. I only dealt with her assistant Igor. We talked about 20 minutes. We decided that my left leg is in reasonable shape, but that a more pressing issue is the random, sharp pain I’ve been getting across my lower back. So rather than get another set of injections for my left leg, I am getting a different kind of injection for the lower back pain. Igor assured me that this injection will be significantly less painful.

The process has three steps. I get an injection next Monday. Wait a couple of weeks and, if it helps, I get another. Then if that works I get one final injection.

There is no guarantee if any of these injections will work or, if they do, how long the relief will last.

(Note: I am totally kidding about Igor in the sense that my doctor’s assistant is not some deformed man who says things like “Yes, master” and “Brains!” Igor is in fact a not-at-all deformed woman in her early 30s (a guess). She’s smart, conscientious, and considerably better looking than Dr. Frankenstein’s assistant. )

After the appointment I jumped on The Mule to enjoy the 70-degree weather we had today. I rode to the Congressional Cemetery on the east side of Capitol Hill. It’s an old cemetery that is still accepting new permanent guests, so to speak. It also is a bit of an oasis for Hill East residents who jog, take a stroll, or walk their dogs there.

I wandered around for about a half hour. One thing that struck me is that no matter how important you may have thought you were in life, in death you end up in the same place as a clerk at the 7-11, pushing up daisies. You likely will be forgotten no matter how ostentatious your grave is. That said, here are a few pictures.

Bitch set me up!
I wonder where Clyde Tolson is
Best epitaph
All politics is local
Nats fan
Doggone doggos
The father of gerrymandering

The father of gerrymandering
Doggone doggos
Nats fan
All politics is local
Best epitaph
I wonder where Clyde Tolson is
Bitch set me up!

Spring forward

The shift to daylight savings time is always a problem for sleeping. It doesn’t help much when you are twice woken up by sharp pains in your lower back. Apparently I was rolling over when the pain hit. It felt like someone was sticking a needle in me. When I did get out of bed, I had a sharp pain across my lower back.

Four hours later my back felt fine. Go figure.

I did some light work around the house. I was surprised that my lower back didn’t start aching until I’d been going at it for over an hour.

Next up was a ride up the Mount Vernon Trail to DC to check out the first blossoming trees of the year. The Enid Haupt Garden is situated at the rear of the Smithsonian castle. The flower beds had been planted and the magnolia trees were in the first stages of bloom. (The blossoms weren’t open but they were colorful nonetheless.)

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There was a controlled burn about 35 miles to the southeast. This accounts for the slight haze in what otherwise would have been a perfect spring sky.

I then rode down the national Mall slaloming through scores of tourists along the way. The reflecting pool between the World War II Memorial and the Lincoln Memorial had been emptied.  I couldn’t resist going for a ride in it. I had lots of company.

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The ride home was into the wind. I didn’t mind.

Time to hit the hay. That lost hour of sleep is catching up with me.

Four weeks

Today marked four weeks since I received epidural injections of cortisone. My condition continues to fluctuate. The referred pain in my left leg and hip is mostly gone. I can’t tell if this is the result of the cortisone or the fact that I am wary of doing much on my feet.

I had a nasty back spasm in my lower right back and pelvis earlier in the week. It left me doubled over and in considerable pain. Ibuprofen and rest fixed it but obviously this shouldn’t be happening.

I get little stabbing reminders that feel like the same sort of spasm is about to hit then they go away. Much of the time I feel like my lower back or my leg is about to go haywire but it doesn’t. It’s as if my body is taunting me. To say that this is frustrating is an understatement.

One thing I did do this week was ready my lawn mower for spring. In the process I found out that the blade wouldn’t come off. I tried force, WD40, and a solvent. Nothing worked. So I lifted the mower into the trunk of my car and took it to a repair shop. The point here is that I lifted this ungainly metal thing and moved it around without totally messing up my back. I think if it had weighed five more pounds I would have regretted my decision.

I also went for a flat two mile walk in Huntley Meadows Park. I made it about five minutes before my lower back started to ache. After another five minutes I started using a cane. I stopped a few times to take in the view. This helped my back quite a lot. I made it the entire way without problem but my walking mechanics are still not quite right.

I go back to the pain doctor on Monday. I’ll be interested to see what she says. Do I get another injection or not? My plans for the spring and the summer are on hold until I have some idea what my body will be able to tolerate. Can I sleep in a tent? Can I ride long distances day after day? We’ll see.

One thing to keep in mind is that steroid injections can cause a temporary decrease in immunity. Normally, I wouldn’t give this a second thought but it would be bad news to be exposed to the coronavirus after having another shot.

As far as biking is concerned, I’m back to averaging about 30 miles per day (with one day off per week). I feel strong except for the fact that winter’s weight gain isn’t doing me any favors on hills. I’ve ridden a few days in shorts which seems to help my mechanics, not to mention my frame of mind. My knee and hip problems from last summer are gone.

This morning I rode to and from Friday Coffee Club in DC, a 29-mile round trip. As I got underway, I saw the edge of a storm front that looked like a mountain range in the predawn light.

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This brought to mind the gradual approach to the Rockies in Montana in 2018. I sure hope I can get back out on the open road this summer.

Bike to What Day?

Okay, technically, I don’t work. But I hear most people do. How convenient because National Bike to Work Day happens every year on the third Friday in May. This year that will be May 15.  And registration is now open here in the DC area.

It’s the perfect opportunity to try bike commuting. You can ride alone, with a friend, or in a caravan (or should that be a bikavan?). Along the way you can hit your designated pitstop. That’s where you’ll find your free t-shirt and other free stuff.

Did I mention that Bike to Work Day is free?

And if you’re really rambunctious you can stop at other pitstops and pick up more free stuff.  (Pro tip: bring a spare pannier for all your free goodies.)

Freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose, right?

You might be late for work. What do you mean your boss doesn’t like it when she’s late to work. Put a Bike to Work Day sign on her door. Then sign her up. Better yet tell your HR manager. Put a sign on his door. Sign him up too.

If you don’t work, invent a job. I am the Chief Executive Officer and President of the Rootchopper Institute.  (We’re still working on that all important mission statement.)

After work there are happy hours which is a good thing because you will be happy. Trust me. These aren’t free. You won’t care.

So click the link below and sign up. Act now. Don’t delay. Limited time offer. Restrictions apply. Blah blah blah.

https://www.biketoworkmetrodc.org/

 

 

 

 

It started out okay then…

Today’s bike ride was supposed to be a test of the saddle position on The Mule. Before I began, I slid the saddle back a couple of millimeters on its rails. I could tell immediately that I had hit the sweet spot. It felt perfect.

Cause for celebration right?

About a half mile into the ride, I noticed the speed on my bicycle computer was toggling up and down at random. I thought maybe there was some electrical interference from my phone but after several adjustments (e.g., removing my phone from my handlebar bag, removing my keys with its Tile device from the bag, turning off my phone altogether) I realized that my trusty bike computer was kaput.

Making lemonade from lemons, I decided to ride to bike shops in search of a new computer.

I rode to Conte’s bike shop in Old Town but didn’t see anything that floated my boat in their display case. Next I rode up the King Street bike lanes to Spokes Etc. on Quaker Lane. They had a nice one but it only displayed four digits for total trip distance. Since my bike has over 56,200 miles on its odometer, this wouldn’t do.

So I headed out King Street to REI in Baileys Crossroads. There being no bike lane beyond Quaker Lane, just gobs of cars piloted by impatient drivers, this would prove to be a rather unpleasant experience. As is obvious, I survived the ordeal but it wasn’t much fun.

At REI I decided to roll The Mule up the five steps to the front door instead of walking to the far side of the doorway to use the ramp. What could go wrong?

Halfway up the steps my lower back seized up with a spike of pain the likes of which I haven’t felt in months. I stopped, took a second to let the pain subside, then pushed The Mule to the landing in front of the door.

REI had a bike computer that did all the tricks I wanted so I bought it. The wait in line was rather painful but my back stayed calm.

I used the ramp leaving the store. Duh. Then rode hilly Carlyn Springs Road to the W&OD Trail. The fact that I could get on my bike and ride it up hills without pain tells me that this episode was a spinal issue not a muscle issue.

I rode home without another back episode. My new saddle position caused me no pain of any sort, even my left knee cap stopped barking at me.

At home I installed the new computer on my bike. Its display is about 50 percent bigger than my old one. Now I can see clearly how slow I am. Then again, if I want an ego boost I just switch to odometer mode: 56,229 miles.

The Mule abides even if my back doesn’t.

 

 

Leaping toward spring

February was an eventful month. I rode 25 of 29 days for 629 miles. 104 miles over 7 days were indoors using Big Nellie on a resistance trainer. I hit 15,000 miles on my CrossCheck. My longest ride was 51 1/2 miles on The Mule. So far this year, I’ve ridden 1,341 miles.

Of course, the biggest thing was that I finally got cortisone shots in my back to reduce the nerve pain in my leg and lower back. Mostly, it worked but my body is far from normal. I have pain of one sort or another every day, but at least I can walk a few hundred yards without a cane. I go back to the doctor soon. We’ll talk about whether I should get a second set of injections.

Since this is reading season, I managed to read three books: Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Small Island, Dark Places by Gillian Flynn, and And I Do Not Forgive You by Amber Sparks.

I attended some interesting events. The WABA Annual Meeting and Awards was fun. It was nice to see some friends being recognized. Three kids were given awards for presenting testimony before a Vision Zero meeting of city council members. I watched the testimony online and I have to say that these kids were awesome. (They were nine or ten years old at the time of the hearing.)

I attended a screening of a short film about Black American Sign Language at Gallaudet University in DC. Thanks for the invite to Katie Lee, a friend who works at the Gallaudet U. Press. I managed not to see her. The place was packed.

I also went to Amber Sparks’s book tour event at Politics and Prose. She’s the wife of Chris, a former co-worker.  Her book has gotten rave reviews in the Washington Post and on NPR.

And speaking of former co-workers, I had a drink with Jessica who is back from her whirlwind tour down the Pacific Rim. This followed a very long trip to South America, Antarctica, and Easter Island. Intrepid she is. As good as it is to see her, I will miss her posts from the other side of the world.

And, of course, I managed to haul my lazy ass out of bed a few times to ride to DC for Friday Coffee Club. Apparently a new dress code involving wool caps, glasses, and beards has begun to take hold.

Jessica back in town
Ursula and Megan at the Awards
Judd and Ed showing off the new dress code at Friday Coffee Club

And so I forge ahead into March. It’s time to start thinking about a bike tour. Last year I had floods, tornadoes, and mountains. This year I have stenosis and a pandemic. Wherever you go, there you are.