Rolling a Fatty at Midnight

Man, was I feeling high the other night--after rolling a fat bike along gravel roads in the dark.

In what’s becoming something of a tradition, the DM crew ventured out on the weekend for a full-moon ride. Here’s how it works: circle the date on the calendar, plan a gravel loop in the outback where there will be minimal traffic, drive outside the city as the sun is setting, get lit up, and go for a spin under the moonlight. 

Maglia Rosa: Triumph & Tragedy at the Giro d’Italia

As some of you may recall, I’m a recent convert to the Giro. In fact, you’ll find me perched near the tippy-top of the Giro bandwagon, along with all the other Ryder Hesjedal fans who hopped aboard following his surprising victory in 2012.

Now, after reading Herbie Sykes’s fascinating history of the Giro (published in 2011, two years after the event’s centennial), I’m even more intrigued and bewitched by the race for the pink jersey. Sure, the Tour de France gets all the Grand Tour-hype, but I find myself largely convinced by Sykes’s claim that the Giro is actually “the most beautiful, and the most captivating, of cycling’s great stage races.”

Alphabet City

They call it DC, this city that’s also a state (or rather a district)—not to be confused with VA across the river or MD, which surrounds it on every other side. That two-letter moniker—DC—is apt, since letters seem to float across and even organize this town. 

Although it’s the place where (federal budget) numbers, with dollar signs, tend to get the final say, at heart, Washington is an alphabet city.

Guest Post by Victoria Day: Cappie Diem

They’re red. They’re sturdy. They’re affordable. They’re cappies.

For the past five days, I’ve been riding around Washington, DC, on Capital Bikeshare bicycles—or “cappies” for short. I rode on city streets and bicycle paths. On paved trails and gravel trails. I rode in the sun and the rain.  And I loved it.

Capital Gains & Losses

Cycling around Washington, DC, for the past 10 days has been terrific—about as good as urban cycling gets in a major North American city, in my experience anyway. It’s got the kind of cycling infrastructure you’d expect in a Portland, Madison, or Tucson: the usual web of bike lanes, sharrows, and secure lock up stations, not to mention an impressive bikeshare program. Then, to boot, there’s a remarkable network of cycling paths (such as the Capital Crescent Trail and Mount Vernon Trail) that connect major suburban areas (Bethesda, MD; Arlington, VA) to the core of DC. The sight of these trails at rush hour is a marvel to these North American eyes: a steady stream of thousands of people riding their bikes to and from work.

Washington DC Postcard

It was during my first full day in the nation’s capital that I stumbled upon Fletcher’s Cove. It’s a sleepy, leafy hideaway tucked in the eastern shore of the Potomac River along the Capital Crescent Trail between Washington proper and Bethesda, Maryland. I was cruising along the busy commuter trail in the drizzle, heading north, when I suddenly realized I was starving.

Birth Announcement: MB 2000

Gil Morgan is tickled to announce the completion of his bouncing baby bicycle, the MB 2000, after a seven-month, over-winter gestation period. The MB weighed in at 25 lbs and 7 oz and looks shiny, sleek, and ready to roll.