I took my two kids for a ride on the W&OD on Saturday. They did a good job of staying to the right, and a couple of the serious enthusiast riders gave them some encouraging words.

However, a couple of assholes wearing the latest in tight neon spandex yelled at them for being in their way.

If you want to go train, head out to the Blue Ridge and climb some hills, or head over to Burke Lake. My kids have every right to be on that trail as you do to be on a major car thoroughfare.

/end rant

Once again, "serious" bikers continue to prove that they are wannabe assholes

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

@OP - next time bring a walking stick with you - fits perfectly in those asshole's spokes LoLz

As a group, I've never seen bigger assholes than bikers. Although not widely publicized, they kill about a dozen pedestrians a year in New Yorks Central Park. Anywhere they have to share the road they are, in general, arrogent and uncooperative. They insist on biking even when conditions make the very thought of it utter madness.
On back roads they refuse to ride single file , blocking the automobile traffic that the roads were meant to accomodate.
Then, there is the goofy, faggy uniforms they wear. They dress up like Lance Armstrong , just as a child dresses like a cowboy, as if having the correct accessories gives them credibility.
I once saw a cab driver get out of his car and beat the hell out of some douche on a ten speed. Although the cabbie was opening the door for his arrest and lawsuit, it was fun to watch, and I envied him as I saw his knuckles fall repeatedly on the neon clad douchebags face.

The neon outfit doesn't make you Lance Armstrong. Being a one-testicled cheater will get you pretty close, though.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://bible.cc/1_corinthians/13-11.htm

The W&OD is fine for going the distance, but it sucks for getting it at speed. Way too many obstacles (e.g., other riders, runners, dogs on 30' leashes, walkers, etc.) to get in a good workout.

I'd much rather ride through neighborhoods where all I have to worry about are speeding cars and trucks.

As for the neon, it sure is ugly, but it helps you to be seen. (Number one excuse from folks after they've hit cyclists? I didn't even see him.)

"Although not widely publicized, they kill about a dozen pedestrians a year in New Yorks [sic] Central Park"

Secret information? Or wild speculation?

Obviously this can't be done on W&OD, but if you see the asshole wannabe Lance Armstrong on the road, I suggest you learn how to door a bicyclist.

I told a former Falls Church Council member (biker) I am going to hit him next time he blows through a 4 way stop where I am stopped. I have seen him do it twice. The last time he had a kid trailer on it.

What I hate is the bicyclists that take breaks at the Vienna Starbucks on Maple Avenue as if it were a pit stop. They come in drenched in sweat and funk and sit around like they own the place.

Starbucks is a big fat waste of money.

As a runner on the W & OD and along the Potomac leaving from TR Island I have to say 90% of bike riders have little concern for pedestrians. They act like they own the path and go by at unsafe speeds. Both places always have kids on their bikes and the kids are unpredictable in their actions. The fast riders never give an indication they are passing and always play the game of "how close can they come to the runner." I seem to remember some time ago a solution was tacks put down on the trails. But that won't be right. Would it?

kardiac Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As a runner on the W & OD and along the Potomac
> leaving from TR Island I have to say 90% of bike
> riders have little concern for pedestrians. They
> act like they own the path and go by at unsafe
> speeds. Both places always have kids on their
> bikes and the kids are unpredictable in their
> actions. The fast riders never give an indication
> they are passing and always play the game of "how
> close can they come to the runner." I seem to
> remember some time ago a solution was tacks put
> down on the trails. But that won't be right.
> Would it?

No, that wouldn't be right. Flatting out at high speed could result in serious bodily injury, not only for the cyclist, but anyone around when it happens. Plus, kids might step on them. Remember, we must keep children safe at all times!

I guess I'm a member of that 10%. I yell when I'm passing when I'm on my bike or when I'm running. What really peeves me though is when the dbag in front of me is wearing earbuds and is in their own little world. If they don't care about the outside world, I'm not going to worry about them any more than I have to.

theShadowToo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I guess I'm a member of that 10%. I yell when I'm
> passing when I'm on my bike or when I'm running.
> What really peeves me though is when the dbag in
> front of me is wearing earbuds and is in their own
> little world. If they don't care about the
> outside world, I'm not going to worry about them
> any more than I have to.

Let me guess; it would seriously hurt your workout if you had to slow down to go around someone.

If they're wearing earbuds, it's probably because they're trying to make running as enjoyable as possible. I fucking hate running, but I do it anyway. If some asshole on a bike clips me to make a statement because I didn't hear him coming, he's going to be riding the thing the rest of the way without a seat.

SHARE TEH ROADZ!!!11

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

I had to get my mountain bike fixed up and took it to local repair shop. The guys at the shop were nice enough but there were these spandex clad motherfuckers sitting around (probably jerking each other off) and one said, in sort of a dick tone: "man, look at that antique" - referring to my 1997 mountain bike, which by the way wasn't some Walmart/Target POS. That thing cost me $800 back in the day. I sorta laughed and said "yeah, it gets me where I want to go. Sorry that it can't be carbon fiber".

What I wanted to say was "Sorry I can't be a wannabe douchebag in spandex who disregards everyone and everything when out biking. I'll stick to my t-shirt and shorts while enjoying a nice ride with my kids, while you practice for the Tour de Fairfax."

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

My uncle went into a bike store to buy my cousin a new bike... He recalled the event

The guy asked me what my budget was. I told him $500. He told me that they dont sell toys at his establishment. I walked out.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/06/2011 04:09PM by JBass.

MrMephisto Wrote:

> Let me guess; it would seriously hurt your workout
> if you had to slow down to go around someone.

Look north a few posts where I say I typically ride in the streets (it's the safest place for cyclists); I ride on the trail as little as possible. If I am on the trail, it's not for a workout and speed isn't an issue. When I do ride on the trail, it's with the kids or I'm riding to work. Regardless, if I do happen across an pedestrian, I give a warning. If there's no response, I give another before I pass. Response or not, I slow down (and give a wide berth, if possible) when I pass. This applies when I'm running (sans earbuds of course) as well.

> If they're wearing earbuds, it's probably because
> they're trying to make running as enjoyable as
> possible. I fucking hate running, but I do it
> anyway. If some asshole on a bike clips me to make
> a statement because I didn't hear him coming, he's
> going to be riding the thing the rest of the way
> without a seat.
>
> SHARE TEH ROADZ!!!11

Fair point -- anything to get folks off their fat assess and out in the world. But if I give them fair warning (always twice) and they don't respond, who's at fault if they decide to turn around w/o looking and u-turn right into an oncoming cyclist? I'm pretty sure it's not me as I'm not the asshole in his own little audio universe.

I used to run on the W & OD and used an ear bud (singular).One of the benefits of the buds is that you easily wear just one allowing you to still hear whats going on around you.
Sadly, only a small percentage of bikers gave any notice they were coming up fast behind me and trying to pass and they did play the "how close game". Had I shifted slightly to the side we both would be injured.
In my neighborhood this weekend I saw a group of lifeguards biking to the pool for the shifts. They completely blew through a four way stop without even slowing down. There were cars already at the intersection that had the right of way.
My problem is the bikers rally around "Share the Road" but their actions seem to be saying give the road to me.

theShadowToo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Look north a few posts where I say I typically
> ride in the streets (it's the safest place for
> cyclists); I ride on the trail as little as
> possible. If I am on the trail, it's not for a
> workout and speed isn't an issue. When I do ride
> on the trail, it's with the kids or I'm riding to
> work. Regardless, if I do happen across an
> pedestrian, I give a warning. If there's no
> response, I give another before I pass. Response
> or not, I slow down (and give a wide berth, if
> possible) when I pass. This applies when I'm
> running (sans earbuds of course) as well.

Fair enough.

> Fair point -- anything to get folks off their fat
> assess and out in the world. But if I give them
> fair warning (always twice) and they don't
> respond, who's at fault if they decide to turn
> around w/o looking and u-turn right into an
> oncoming cyclist? I'm pretty sure it's not me as
> I'm not the asshole in his own little audio
> universe.

In that case, you're absolutely right. If they pop a u-turn or cross to the other side of the path without looking and get run over, that's their own dumbass fault.

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

> Let me guess; it would seriously hurt your workout
> if you had to slow down to go around someone.


I don't get this at all - slowing down and then speeding up makes the workout better, not worse. This is how you lose weight fast. I bike regularly on the WOD and make a point of slowing down to pass anyone for this reason. There is also a dirt path for a good portion of the trail that can be used if the paved path is too crowded.

@theShadowToo - you are an alright dude/lady (i dunno) - if more cyclists hade yr attitude, that would make drivers want to look out more for bikers when they are out.

@JBass yr uncle should have driven his car into the shop later on (by accident, of course) LoLz

yeah Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> > Let me guess; it would seriously hurt your
> workout
> > if you had to slow down to go around someone.
>
>
> I don't get this at all - slowing down and then
> speeding up makes the workout better, not worse.
> This is how you lose weight fast. I bike
> regularly on the WOD and make a point of slowing
> down to pass anyone for this reason. There is
> also a dirt path for a good portion of the trail
> that can be used if the paved path is too crowded.


That only works if you're trying to lose weight. It doesn't help someone reduce their assholeness. There's no cure for that. Except for death.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

or an ice cream truck LoLz

http://www.fairfaxunderground.com/forum/read/2/581981.html

On bikes/pedestrians on the WO&D -

Maybe the problem is the pedestrians. On streets, pedestrians/runners are supposed to walk/run against traffic - which includes bikes... Somehow on the trail, some idiot decided to have pedestrians/runners walk/run with traffic. Doesn't work very well.

Warhawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I had to get my mountain bike fixed up and took it
> to local repair shop. The guys at the shop were
> nice enough but there were these spandex clad
> motherfuckers sitting around (probably jerking
> each other off) and one said, in sort of a dick
> tone: "man, look at that antique" - referring to
> my 1997 mountain bike




Can you really tell the difference in a bicycle from another decade? I didn't think there has been any styling differences or revolutionary advances in bicycles in a very long time.

@Westfield - then the problem is with the trail designers, NOT the peds that are following the rules.

@ eesh - one can only tell the difference enough to bring it up to somebody if that person is an ultra-asshole LoLz

eesh Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Warhawk Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I had to get my mountain bike fixed up and took
> it
> > to local repair shop. The guys at the shop were
> > nice enough but there were these spandex clad
> > motherfuckers sitting around (probably jerking
> > each other off) and one said, in sort of a dick
> > tone: "man, look at that antique" - referring
> to
> > my 1997 mountain bike
>
>
>
>
> Can you really tell the difference in a bicycle
> from another decade? I didn't think there has been
> any styling differences or revolutionary advances
> in bicycles in a very long time.


You got me. I wouldn't think so, but who knows. I guess I was junking up the place in my cutoff shirt and basketball shorts or maybe that guy couldn't see my bulge due to lack of spandex. Whatever.

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

I couldn't care less about what happens on the W&OD trail, just stay the fuck off the road. Why should I have to be late for work because you want to dress up in spandex and exercise during rush hour?

Fucking sharing the road. Go run over kids on trails and don't ride down the middle of Old Dominion Dr at 9 AM. Jackoff pretentious bike riding pricks.

Please do not send them to Burke Lake. The trails are not wide enough as it is. Right now they fly around people while decked out in those god awful fag outfits they wear. Burke Lake is very crowded and not suited at all for speeding bikes.

I would suggest that these wannabe Tour de Force assholes should go get a stationary bike for home use, but ha ha, who am I kidding? Nobody would see how much bike riding they do if they did it at home.

--------------------------------------------------------------
13 4826 0948 82695 25847. Yes.

Now that my daughter is just about old enough to ride her bike outside of our little area and over to friends' houses (next year probably), we've been going out and I've been teaching her the hand signals for turning, how to obey stop signs, how to be observant of drivers and all of that good stuff. There's been a few asshole drivers that don't quite get that when they pull up behind us at a stop sign, we go before they do. Little things like that. But we've seen quite a few of these spandex motherfuckers since the spring blow through stop signs, cut across traffic to make turns and the like. I look over at her and say "that is what you are NOT supposed to do. Things like that will get you killed. Those guys are buttholes. Don't do that."

__________________________________
That's not a ladybug, that's a cannapiller.

I hate those bikers, I hate when they ride on the street and block traffic. seriously they cause frustration, hatred, and more importantly accidents.

they act like they own the road and i've been on the WOD trail and they act like they own that too

The bike lane store in burke closed up as well thank god

I overheard their wives at Starbucks talking about how the spandex really doesnt help their small peckers.

I was driving down Fox Mill Road south of Lawyers when a huge pack of douchebags ran a stop sign from a side street and turned onto the road in front of me. I was going the speed limit at 35mph and they didn't slow or even look. I'm talking about 60 of those assholes.

I kept going and cut the pack in half with my car. When several of them stopped abruptly so as not to hit the side of my car, they got rear-ended by the bikers behind them.

I hope it fucking hurt. A lot. You can only imagine the venom I'd get if I ran a stop sign in my car and cut off just one of those pricks. I dare them to say a anything about it - our roads are not their velodrome and they're the biggest hypocrites when it comes to sharing the road.

As for the dbags on the trail, fuck them. If they're that serious about their sport, they can go somewhere that isn't open to the public. These assholes need to learn to share or gtfo.

once again, my hero

We live off a two way scenic road. I hate them. They make our roads so unsafe. If my kids are not in the car I flip them the bird.

The biggest problem with all the asshole Lance Armstrong bike riders is that they don't STOP at all the STOP signs posted at ALL road crossings! STOP means STOP, unclip and let those who have the RIGHT-OF-WAY proceed before crossing the roadway.

Another pair of those assholes kept me from passing them in the right hand lane... we get to the stoplight and they go right on through.

Too bad cops have better things to do than ticket bicyclists... like respond to road rage incidents where some dbag is strangled with his neon shorts.

Most of the cyclists on the W&OD, to my observation, are courteous and give wide berth to pedestrians, runners and children/families on bikes. I know I do. The "rule" for cyclists who are riding faster is to announce loudly from roughly 20-30 yards behind overtaking - "On your left!". Most of the time I get an acknowledgement from whovever I am about to pass. No one has ever demonstrated hostility to me.

However, for everyone's sake we should always SIGNIFICANTLY slow down when approaching families, children and/or folks with pets from any direction. It helps that there is a bright, yellow dividing line down the middle of the trail to guide folks to stay on the right side, too. Unfortunately there are some cyclists who are dangerous, and give the safe ones a bad name. And there are also inattentive pedestrians who sometimes block both left and right sides of the trail when runners and cyclists are approaching.

Bright clothing is for visibility.

Spandex is for muscle compression to mitigate the effect of absorbing the millions of micro-impacts of 'road-buzz'. These micro-impacts accelerate the fatiguing of the muscles and deteriorate athletic performance over several hours of riding. Spandex is wonderful, and you should try it before knocking it.

Gordon Blvd Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> once again, my hero
>
>

Most likely the same douchbags that danced at the Jefferson Memorial. Inmature attention whores.

ASSHOLE ARMSTRONG Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The biggest problem with all the asshole Lance
> Armstrong bike riders is that they don't STOP at
> all the STOP signs posted at ALL road crossings!
> STOP means STOP, unclip and let those who have the
> RIGHT-OF-WAY proceed before crossing the roadway.

The biggest problem with all the asshole Jeff Gordon car drivers is that they don't STOP at all the STOP signs posted at ALL road crossings! STOP means STOP and let those who have the RIGHT-OF-WAY proceed before crossing the roadway.

:-|

But yeah, folks should at least yield to the right of way (regardless of whether riding a bike or driving a car).

F Landis Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Gordon Blvd Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > once again, my hero
> >
> >
>
> Most likely the same douchbags that danced at the
> Jefferson Memorial. Inmature attention whores.


oh CHRIST - dont get me started on those assholes........................wahhhhh, we dont want to get a protest permit like everybody else has to get. Wahhhhh, we are better than everybody we should be allowed to do what we want when we want regardless of who's property it's on.

sorry for thread jacking there................

Go ahead, GordonBlvd, this entire site is all about you...

hahhahahah Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The bike lane store in burke closed up as well
> thank god



No, they moved to a larger facility in West Springfield.

they shouldnt allow those assholes on the road they dont even pay gasolene taxes

@232 - now that there is an interesting point :)
@ Now I rollin' - um.....................yeah, whatever. o_0

Warhawk Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I had to get my mountain bike fixed up and took it
> to local repair shop. The guys at the shop were
> nice enough but there were these spandex clad
> motherfuckers sitting around (probably jerking
> each other off) and one said, in sort of a dick
> tone: "man, look at that antique" - referring to
> my 1997 mountain bike, which by the way wasn't
> some Walmart/Target POS. That thing cost me $800
> back in the day. I sorta laughed and said "yeah,
> it gets me where I want to go. Sorry that it can't
> be carbon fiber".
>
> What I wanted to say was "Sorry I can't be a
> wannabe douchebag in spandex who disregards
> everyone and everything when out biking. I'll
> stick to my t-shirt and shorts while enjoying a
> nice ride with my kids, while you practice for the
> Tour de Fairfax."

My brother! I'm still riding an old Diamond Back MTB from around 1994 - from right before they sold for hundreds cheaper and gained a bunch of weight. I get shit for it from my friends, but mine gets used a lot more per year than their new bikes.

Spandex bike douchebags are like audiophiles... they'll spend their money on the dumbest shit.

I run on the W&OD frequently. I have had no major problems with bikers, aside from the "get-as-close-as-possible-when-passing" game. I just hope they realize that if they clip me I'll get fucked up, but not nearly as bad as they'll get it after flying off their bike.

As much as everyone hates these people, at least they're being active and won't clog our healthcare system with weight-related problems.

I have affection for bikers, and appreciate the whole bike-to-work stuff. But for god's sake stay off of Kirby Road. You have a death wish that will be realized. BTW, have you seen that guy who feel compelled to ride his bike down the middle of Haycock in the middle of rush hour? I think this will eventually end badly for this clueless douche.

So how many "serious bikers are non-self-absorbed people" comments did we have in this thread?

Don't forget your Nair before you ride!

I have seen some FALL OFF directly in the path of my vehicle. I'm in my fifties so give yourselves a few more years of this shit and it will also happen to you.

I am contemplating getting a comfy bike or trike bike [as are my other oldlady almost if not 60 friends] and cruising the WOD . nice lunch in vienna and then maybe a stop in Tysons. Payback time for the spandex crowd .....the trail isn't the bike version of the autobahn.

whiterussian Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I have affection for bikers, and appreciate the
> whole bike-to-work stuff. But for god's sake stay
> off of Kirby Road. You have a death wish that
> will be realized. BTW, have you seen that guy who
> feel compelled to ride his bike down the middle of
> Haycock in the middle of rush hour? I think this
> will eventually end badly for this clueless
> douche.


The same goes for Fox Mill Road south of Lawyers. One lane in each direction, no shoulder, blind curves and hills. To bike to work, I have to take the CCT. Six miles by road becomes nine miles by off road trail that takes 90 minutes.

wnrsm Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> To bike to work, I have to take
> the CCT. Six miles by road becomes nine miles by
> off road trail that takes 90 minutes.

Wow - a ten minute mile. On a bike. Do you realize how many people can run faster than that?!? I call BS on that.

MrMephisto Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I would suggest that these wannabe Tour de Force
> assholes should go get a stationary bike for home
> use, but ha ha, who am I kidding? Nobody would see
> how much bike riding they do if they did it at
> home.

Sorry, MrMephisto, it isn't for show.
Attachments:

I was on the W&OD on Tuesday morning (7JUN11), and I actually had a great experience. It was my first time taking the bicycle off the trainer in three years, and a friend had a decided that he wanted to make it a regular workout. We covered about 12 miles before lunch, and it really kicked our asses. What surprised me the most were the drivers, and the sheer numbers that actually stopped for us so we could cross the streets. We only had ONE vehicle that didn't let us cross the entire time, and it was a truck from Maryland (Go figure). All of the cyclists and runners were cool, regardless of their apparent standing (I even recognized a few folks from around Reston).

Myself, I have a mountain bike and I just wear basketball shorts and a t-shirt when I ride, same with my friend. We were pretty fast in certain parts, but once we got tired some spandex dudes were flying by us at a pretty quick pace. No one ever said anything negative, though, maybe because we weren't kids and they couldn't intimidate us.

Warhawk, both of my current bikes are from 1997 or earlier. They each cost me over $300 back then from bike shops, and they've been damn good bikes (The mountain bike took me off-road along the C&O all the way out to Harper's Ferry years ago). Don't listen to some assholes talking like spoiled smartasses, fuck 'em. Also, I agree about those assholes blowing red lights and stop signs. They wanted to be treated like vehicles, but they suddenly think they're above that shit when it suits them. Once I begin riding the W&OD more often maybe I'll come across some of the twats mentioned in this thread, but we'll see. At least I can go bounding off the trail with my bike, unlike the spandex heroes and their frail twig rides.

==================================================================================================
"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).

theShadowToo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> The W&OD is fine for going the distance, but it
> sucks for getting it at speed. Way too many
> obstacles (e.g., other riders, runners, dogs on
> 30' leashes, walkers, etc.) to get in a good
> workout.
>
> I'd much rather ride through neighborhoods where
> all I have to worry about are speeding cars and
> trucks.
>
> As for the neon, it sure is ugly, but it helps you
> to be seen. (Number one excuse from folks after
> they've hit cyclists? I didn't even see him.)


You need to ride in the morning during the weekdays (If possible). We came across just about everything you mention, but it was overall pretty sparse. The biggest obstacle was the tractor mowing the grass along the trail, and of course the intersections. We were able to maintain all out exertion for miles on end.

==================================================================================================
"And if any women or children get their legs torn off, or faces caved in, well, it's tough shit for them." -2LT. Bert Stiles, 505th, 339th (On Berlin Bombardier Mission, 1944).