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Health & Fitness

Greenbelt Bike Riding and Commuting Videos

This video shows some highlights of commuting from Greenbelt to DC -- it's from Bike to Work day last May.

This is my first attempt to blog here at Greenbelt Patch.  My favorite subject is bike riding in and around the area, and especially bike commuting to DC.

A few years ago, I got inspired to start bike commuting to the Greenbelt Metro. I eventually got to commuting year-round in all weather. But it wasn’t a very long ride. I never imagined that I could commute all the way from Greenbelt to downtown DC. I’m just not the type of rider who is comfortable riding on high-traffic roads, and it didn’t seem like there was any other way.

But last August (2010), I ran in to an old friend at REI in College Park. He mentioned offhand that he had been riding from Takoma Park to DC on this new trail called the MBT that ran along the Red Line toward Union Station. I didn’t think much more about it at the moment.

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However, that night I had an epiphany. I literally woke up in the middle of the night, got out my laptop, and started Google to look at bike trails and possible routes. For me anyway, the MBT was the missing link. The new trail in DC meant that I could ride all the way from my house in Greenbelt to work downtown without having to ride on major roads. It was a revelation!

The next day, I called in late and scouted the route. Got lost a couple times but eventually found a way to get from my house to the Anacostia Tributary Trails, across NE DC on residential streets, and down the MBT to downtown without riding in traffic.

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The first few weeks were rough. A 16 mile ride downtown is a big change from a 2 or 3 mile ride to the Metro. It helped that last September’s weather was perfect – dry and not too hot.

After a few months, I really noticed some changes. I’ve done light jogging and riding for years. But 30+ miles a day, 150+ miles a week makes a big difference. Since last August, I’ve lost 15 pounds and moved some others around – I’m truly riding my butt off!

The commute takes me about 65-70 minutes. I’ve slowed down a little as my miles have gone up and I’ve wised up to the risks that can come with higher speeds. Last winter, when the days started getting dark early, I only went one way – waited until 7pm and took the Metro home on days when I couldn’t get off work early. (This winter I’m planning to invest in bright lights for nighttime trail riding.)

According to my bike computer today, I have over 4,200 miles since January commuting alone. That doesn’t count a couple of weeks that I commuted on my old mountain bike when it snowed, but it does include some utility rides around Greenbelt on the commuter bike too, so it’s probably roughly accurate.

Every day I see something that makes it interesting. Wildlife, people, people carrying crazy things on their bikes (including large pets on their laps!)—that shirtless helmetless dude with the earbuds on a (brakeless) fixed-gear bike trying to cross under East-West Highway at high speed and almost ending up in the river. Then there was the guy carrying two live chickens on the NE Branch Trail last week.  There are more and more bikes in DC all the time. Never a dull moment, that’s for sure.

I’m still learning how to be a better rider and still pretty dependent on my local bike shop for repairs and tune ups. I never thought I’d be a gadget freak, but I’ve managed to accumulate all sorts of accessories and lights for my bike.

What’s amazing is how much fun every minute of the commute is, even after a year. It's fun even when it’s hot—even when it’s wet—even in snow, up to a point. Bad weather isn’t really bad if you’re expecting it and have good gear, and you’ve got a hot (or cold, depending on the season) shower waiting at the end of the ride.

People wonder why I’m so calm and happy most of the time at work. Everybody else arrives at work scowling about traffic or Metro or the weather or something. I just feel lucky I can start and end each work day with some fresh air and a great ride.

I'll post some more videos with more specific sections of my commuting route, and other recreational or utility rides around Greenbelt.  I'm still working on getting the videos set to music so they're not quite so dull!  But the attached video gives the basic idea of what it's like out there from the bike's point of view.

Please let me know if you'd like me to make a video of your favorite biking route in the Greenbelt or College Park area -- I'll try to comply.  For now, my rough edited videos are available for the browsing on Vimeo or YouTube.  Or, if you don't have the links handy, just search for Greenbelt Bike Videos and they should come up.  -Jeff

Download the movie

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