Great Day for a Ride

Saturday, September 15, 2012--What could be better on a crisp, blue sky morning than riding a bike with friends, sharing coffee and stories about biking, and at the same time, initiating an ongoing fun social activity for fellow bicyclists living in the Lake Barcroft community?

Yesterday, with fourteen fellow riders, the Lake Barcroft Bike Club had it's first group ride. The weather couldn't have been any better. Riders gathered at Bluemont Park, either transporting bikes there by vehicle, or riding directly from the Lake. Bill Cook made a terrific video of the ride that you can watch here: http://vimeo.com/49546361

The route was from Bluemont Park, a short leg and over the bridge to the Washington and Old Dominion Trail (W&OD). From there we took the Four Mile Run Trail, around the loop at Reagan Airport and south on the Mount Vernon Trail, past beautiful views of the Potomac River, through the cool trees, over the wooden trail and marsh at Daingerfield Island, and over to the Buzz Bakery on Slater's Lane in Alexandria.

Here we are on  Four Mile Run Trail.  That's Allan Mostoff in red, with Jay Grossman in white to the left.

Bill Cook helps Ken Kosztarab with a flat

Phil Kemelor and David Starr chat with Jay Grossman over coffee.

 Time for a group photo. Here I am, getting caught by my camera's self timer too soon.

The group at the termination of the ride: Starting from the left: Elizabeth Berry, Phil Kemelor, David Starr, Jay Grossman, Nomi Taslitt, Larry Golfer, Ken Kastner, Eva Kosztarab, Newt Simmons, Bill Cook (not pictured: Alicia Agnese, Marcelle Miles, Allan Mostoff, and Janet Mascia).

A great fun morning for all!

Stay tuned for the announcement of our next ride. I will try to arrange for similar weather. ;-)

Moving house.... BY BIKE?!?

Recent article in the Post and a short video about using bikes to move. Forget the moving van -- get a bike trailer and a bunch of locking tie down straps.

http://tinyurl.com/9nctd3g

Interesting.

Larry

Fleeting fame

Just learned from a friend that a photo of my granddaughter Shayna and myself (taken by ?) is on the cover of the Alexandria Bikeways bike map. That's me in the red bike shirt. I could tell because Shayna has that sweatshirt and uses that exact skateboarding helmet, and I wear that shirt, use that side mirror and on close examination, there is a unique yellow reflector that I have on my helmet.

Who knew?

Hot, hot, and more hot! Waiting for a break.

This hot weather is relentless, although there will be a slight break this weekend, we are then back to high 80's and into the 90's+ with scattered rain/storms thoughout the week.  Needless to say, I haven't been out on the bike.

We have a new member: Allan Mostoff,  a long time (46 years) but former resident of Lake Barcroft. The Mostoffs are spending their time between their apartment at the Crescent (on the WO&D trail at Rt. 66 & Lee Hwy) and their home in Florida, but Allan liked the idea of our bike club and would like to join us on upcoming rides.He's also volunteered to lead group rides for the beginners and those wanting shorter rides. Stay tuned.

So, during the heat interlude, I thought I'd share what I've been doing. 

I was away for a week away with Carole at the Augusta Heritage Center Cajun/Creole music camp, at Davis and Elkins College, in the mountains of West Virginia, enjoying the cool evening air and temperate daytime temperatures.


We stayed in a fine old renovated inn called "Graceland."

Graceland Interior

Carole took guitar classes, I'm taking fiddle classes, and we both took a harmony singing class, all with the sounds of French traditional, old-time country, and virtuoso guitar playing ringing in our ears throughout the day and night.

My fiddle class

Carole and I performing the Linda Ronstadt/Anne Savoy tune "Parlez-moi d'amour" at the Student Showcase talent show.

Carole in performance with her guitar class.

Together with lessons and jamming on the porch of old Halleyhurst Hall, we attended afternoon and evening concerts and nightly dances to the sounds of many well-known recording artists in their respective genres. Click on the links here to see more about these musicians and listen to samples of their work: Cajun fiddlers David Greely of Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Jo-El Savoy, and Al Berard,  accordionists Walter Mouton, Ed Pouillard and Jesse Lege, country singer Ginny Hawker and musician husband Tracy Schwartz, guitar masters Bill Kirchen (remember Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen? Hot Rod Lincoln?), Wayne Henderson and Jack Williams, and many more traditional musicians. It was a great week.

Back to biking

Let's return to biking: for those of you still venturing out in the heat, here are some tips, below, courtesy of Bike Arlington. I'll be back with more about biking and group riding with the club soon.

Larry


Summer Biking Checklist:

• Water Bottles
• Sunscreen
• Shorts/other loose fitting or moisture wicking clothing
• Plan for extra time

Hot Weather Tips

• Drink up. Fluid intake keeps you cool from the inside and replaces what you lose in perspiration and breathing. Sip throughout the day and take in extra fluids during and after your ride. If your ride is short, water is best, but if you ride longer than 30 minutes, reach for a drink containing electrolytes, such as a sports drink or coconut water.
• Dress light. Wearing shorts, short sleeves and light wicking clothing will help. If you happen to be wearing long pants, try rolling up the pant leg a few inches. For button down shirts, roll up the sleeves and unfasten a top button or two.
• Take a load off. Get that bag off your back and use a basket or rear panniers. Your ride will be easier and your back and shoulder area will catch more breeze.
• Take your time. Slow down and keep your exertion level low, especially on uphills where effort can be high and breeze can be low. You will get there in almost the same time – just drier!
• Allow time for cooling off. Perspiration continues even after you finish your bike trip, in fact it can be even worse without the natural breeze of biking . After your ride, find a cool place and take it easy for a few minutes. That will help the sweating subside.
• Pat down. Use paper towels in the bathroom or take a small towel along to pat yourself down and dry off with after your ride.

Since we know everyone loves infographics, and because we want to make remembering our hot weather biking tips as easy as possible, we have teamed up with goDCgo to create this bright infographic with our advice on keeping cool on your bike during those scorching days.

(click to enlarge)

Whew! What a week. Trees down, houses and vehicles damaged, power outages for four days, a fridge and freezer full of food getting dumped out, incredibly hot weather -- haven't seen that combination for a while.

How I long for that cool morning weather Bill Cook and I had on our inaugural ride two weeks ago. Looks like this string of 90+ days has no end in sight, so no plans as yet for a group ride.

I'll be away at Cajun Music Camp in Elkins, West Virginia for a week, taking fiddle classes to extend my fiddle playing abilities, joined by Carole who'll be taking guitar classes, with both of us taking harmony singing classes, and dancing away every evening to Cajun and Zydeco sounds.  On my return, I hope the weather will have eased up and the group can get together for a ride (with more participants hopefully.)

I did ride yesterday not quite one mile, in the 4th of July parade, deciding that our "Lake Barcroft Bike Club" deserved recognition. It was a last minute decision, so I donned my full riding gear, made a sign for the club, slung it around my neck,   and took my position as the last participant in the parade -- a one man show representing the club. Carole was there to document my participation. See the two photos here:

 

I'm still interested in hearing from someone to help lead shorter rides for newer and/or less experienced riders or for those who just want a shorter ride. Let me know if you can help.

More Thoughts on the LB Bike Club; Music Notes

Bill Cook and I initiated the Lake Barcroft Bike Club's 2012 riding season with out 19.6 mile round trip first ride to the Buzz Bakery in Alexandria, Virginia, just described in my last post. 


Many folks contacted me before the ride about the short notice for this ride,  but also expressed their willingness to join another ride, so I will be planning one soon. Many others expressed interest in riding but also reiterated their request for a shorter ride to get them back in the swing of biking, so I'll be setting that up as well. 


It does look like weekends are a better time for most riders, so I'll be setting up the next rides on a Sunday morning. With the coming heat wave, however, I may hold off for few weeks. 


In the meantime, Carole and I will be attending the Cajun/Creole Music Camp at the Augusta Heritage Days being held at Davis and Elkins College in Elkins, West Virginia, for a week in July, so it's likely that with the heat and our music camp getaway, there won't be any club rides before that.


If you are unfamiliar with Cajun music, here's a link telling you all about it, written by one of Cajun music's stars, Ann Savoy.  A sample of the music can be found in this video, here. 


Carole and I are big fans and go to the local Cajun and Zydeco dances held at Glen Echo's Spanish Ballroom and Bumper Car Pavillion in Cabin John, Maryland and at a new venue here in Virginia, the Artisphere in downtown Rosslyn, Virginia.  Zydeco music is a relatively new genre of world music, having come about as a style of its own in only the mid-1900s. It is a derivative of "La-La" music (the shared music of the Cajuns and the Creoles), as well as blues, jure' (syncopated a cappella religious songs), and in more recent years, zydeco has taken many cues from R&B and even hip-hop, proving that it's a constantly evolving genre. Here's a sample of Zydeco music and dancing here. For info on these musical events, have a look at this site. 


Please let me know what you'd like to do and when, and if you're interested in leading a ride. Leave a comment in the "Comments" box below.


Larry

Lake Barcroft Bike Club: Inaugural Ride (no snakes!)

LAKE BARCROFT --  The Lake Barcroft Bike Club kicked off its inaugural ride on a beautiful cool blue sky morning with club organizer Larry Golfer and club member Bill Cook taking to the pedals from Beach 5. Rider Cook on his unique titanium frame Barcroft recumbent and Golfer on his Specialized Sequoia Elite, headed up the Beachway hill and over to the Washington and Old Dominion trail on a lightly trafficked Glen Carlin to Manchester route. The riders kept a brisk but easy pace down the trail,  encountering the usual suspects --  pedestrians oblivious to their surroundings while deep into their earbudded music mixes and morning news broadcasts, mothers and nannies with their stroller babies, groups of seniors on their morning promenade, the spandex bike crowd speeding by -- and fortunately for all, no snakes.

Break time for mobile call 

The trails were in fine condition, smooth and quick. The views included Four Mile Run, exposing its sandbars and driftwood, shallowed by the lack of rain, the Potomac River's wide open vistas and  lightly choppy waters and the primordial swamps and shallows of Daingerfield Island.


Following the short excursion into some light traffic, the ride into Alexandria led to  Buzz Bakery and coffee, croissants and great conversation.

Bill taking the lane

Buzz Bakery

Stoked by great coffee and carbs, the riders headed back and arrived in Lake Barcroft an hour later, exhilarated by the ride and luckily, back in the air conditioned comfort of home before the day's heat hit. 

Bill on the recumbent at Crossroads and Stoneybrae

Stay tuned for more ride announcements and the upcoming adventures of the Lake Barcroft Bike Club.

If you'd like to leave a comment, enter it in the box below or email me at lgolfer2@gmail.com.


Larry