Wednesday Morning Commute - you can’t bare your bottom

Good morning

• The 11th Street Bridge construction team has closed the bike/pedestrian trail that runs between the intersection of 11th & O Streets SE and the Navy Yard Riverwalk East end. The trail will be closed for approximately 3 weeks to facilitate demolition of the old 11th Street bridge. Also, last night, Good Luck road was closed below DC 295. 
• “Tour de Fat” Still Needs a Car-for-Bike Swapper
• DDOT is hosting a design update and review meeting for Minnesota Ave NE. "The study limits are Minnesota Avenue from A Street to Sheriff Road...The design documents for this project are at 90% completion and reflect many comments from previous public meetings held in your community." Tuesday, June 19th 6:30-8:30pm at Friendship Edison PCS/Woodson Senior High School.
• This fall, work will begin on an EA for transforming the SE Freeway west of Barney Circle into Southeast Boulevard. This will include an "adjacent new multi-use trail to allow bicycle and pedestrian travel not currently possible in this area."
• New Roundabout being installed at the entrance to the Greenbelt Metro Station.
• Work to begin this summer on the Broadneck Trail in Cape St. Clair, MD. Eventually the trail could connect to the B&A Trail. "Phase 1 includes the construction of a trail along College Parkway from Green Holly Drive to Cape St. Claire Road."
• I predict that Arthur Armstrong will become a daily bike share user.
• From a begining cyclist to an Olympian in 4 years.
• Beer Bikes, coming to a town near you.

Comments

[Michael H.]

I actually "competed" against Evelyn Stevens in an event a few years ago. Well, it was a charity time trial event open to anyone, and she completely crushed my time. But my excuse was that I went down the wrong lane near the finish line and wasted almost a minute going back around the fences to cross the finish line properly. At least I can say that I'm one of the few people that got to do an individual bike time trial right down Pennsylvania Ave.

Anyway, congrats to her on making the Olympics. Good luck!

[Ron Alford]

Anyone have a link to the schematics for the Greenbelt roundabout?

It looks like they left the turn ramps in place. If so, this installation is probably a net loss for cyclists.

[freewheel]

This was not what I had in mind when I googled "bare bottoms."

[washcycle]

More on Minnesota Avenue:

http://www.thewashcycle.com/2009/06/minnesota-avenue-great-street-presentation.html

[Greenbelt]

@Ron -- the head of the Greenbelt planning board assured me that even though the slip lanes remain, speeds should be lowered and sightlines better. We'll see.

[oboe]

re: Evelyn Stevens

It's not about the bike. Of course, it's not about the training or the desire either.

It's all about the genes.

[Jacques]

Re: BeerBikes -- we took a Pedal Pub for a couple of hours in Minneapolis and St. Paul a few years ago, and it was great fun. They've since expanded to Chicago.

DC would actually be a great city for something like this, given the relatively flat downtown, and the high numbers of twenty- and thirty-somethings looking for fun.

[Michael Roy]

@oboe

You need the genes, but you gotta train hard and have the desire. Evie gave up a good Wall Street job and has worked hard to get where she is. Good article re her here: http://dartmouthalumnimagazine.com/breaking-away/