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Bethesda Magazine Shout Out

September 5, 2015 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Read the full article here
Bethesda Magazine PhotoThe Bethesda Babes are a free association group, with a core that includes Schaffer, Lawson and Brown as well as semiregulars and pickups, who spot the women riding or at an après-bike coffee shop. Often they’ll meet weekdays at the Bethesda Outdoor Pool to ride the Capital Crescent Trail, which they avoid on weekends, when it turns chaotic. The Babes ride three times a week, somewhere between 20 and 30 miles. Most have rediscovered riding in adulthood or are using it to rehabilitate a knee injury—or just because riding with other women is fun and frequently ends with socializing and a restorative snack. “We are a small, feisty group of seasoned riders who bike because we enjoy it,” Lawson says. “But we have had a challenge with people who were not prepared to keep up, didn’t have their own extra tubes or pump, and seemed to want to talk more than ride.”

Women are more courteous than men, they contend, and the Babes say they are highly aware of the less attractive habits of other cycling cultures. They ride with purpose but aim to be congenial. When they ride with the Wednesday Irregulars, whose members include some fast riders, they impose the “Anne Brown rule.” To wit: The leader may go out as fast as she or he wants, but is obligated to wait at any turn until the “sweeper,” or last rider, catches up. Civility also calls for discretion when nature calls, and thus Bethesda is a favorite start and finish because, as Schaffer pointedly notes, “It has places to go to the bathroom.”

The Babes are selective about which men they let ride with them. Kevin Beverly, the business executive, says he was invited a few times, and after his “tryout,” he was allowed to purchase a Babes on Bikes kit, which included a cycling jersey and shorts. “I was ceremonially given a lei,” Beverly says, “and permission to tell people that I have been lei-ed by a Babe.”

Help Police with Anne Arundel Hit-and-Run Case

March 18, 2014 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Hospitalized biker is a beloved friend of Babes on Bikes

LynnOn Saturday February 22, Lynn Kristianson headed out for a 200k bicycle ride, just as she had on so many days over the last several decades.  The day started out cold but warmed up to the 50’s, making it a perfect winter riding day.  Within 30 miles of the finish, a man driving a Honda CRV hit Lynn and her friend Maile Neale.  Maile was hit with a glancing blow of the vehicle.  Lynn was hit directly and was critically injured. The man in the car drove away leaving two people lying in the road.  Many other citizens stopped immediately to help and the paramedics from Anne Arundel County and Prince George’s County Maryland arrived quickly.  Lynn was transported by helicopter to the Shock Trauma unit at UM Baltimore Medical Center.

Since arriving at the Shock Trauma unit, Lynn has received the best care possible to save her life and bring her back to her family and friends.  Her husband Gordon has been as close to her side throughout as is possible.  Her mother Phyllis is also on vigil.

If you have any information regarding this hit-and-run case that took place in Davidsonville, Md. on Feb. 22, please contact the police.Honda

Letter to Arlington County Board

March 18, 2014 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Click here for complete/larger version of this letter.
Babes on Bikes is a group of women who enjoy bicycling and meet regularly to bike the paved trails and quiet roads in northern Virginia, Washington D.C., and Maryland. Founded in 1998, we are based in Arlington but our almost 500 members live all around the Washington, D.C. area.

We range in age from mid-20’s to mid-70’s or possibly 80s now. Many of us are stay-at-home moms, have flexible work schedules, or are retired, so we can ride during the weekdays when trails and roads are less crowded. Others can ride only on weekends and have found ride partners in the group or join us when they can take a weekday off.
Some of our most popular rides begin on the Custis trail (at Dawson Terrace or Bluemont Park) and cross the hazardous Lynn Street intersection before

  • heading over Key Bridge to the Capital Crescent trail;
  • taking the Mt. Vernon trail to Old Town Alexandria, Fort Hunt, National Harbor, or Mount Vernon; or
  • finishing the Arlington Loop, connecting the Custis, Mount Vernon, and W&OD trails.

We always compete with cars trying to turn right toward Key Bridge. Our rides begin after rush hour is over, so our experiences are probably not as severe as many cyclists find during the morning and evening commutes.
One member stated:

There is hardly a time when I cross there that I am not staring down some driver who tries to cut me off. Sometimes the driver yields and other times I am left in the middle of the intersection waiting for a break in the car traffic. … there needs to be county involvement to mediate between human-powered and engine-powered people all trying to be in the same place at the same time. Some intersections in DC give pedestrians a head start before allowing cars to turn right. Something like that might work in the Lynn St situation.

Another member reported,

“A car hit my front wheel in that crosswalk two years ago. I had the audacity to continue to ride with the Walk light on as he turned in front of me. Luckily, the only thing I got out of it was a flat tire.”

A third member wrote:

I witnessed a cyclist tapped by a car and going over in the middle of the intersection. … One time a minivan came so close in front of me that after turning my front wheel to the sharp right (and somewhat losing my balance), I had to stop myself by pushing on the vehicle. At the time I had the walk sign and was following all the rules of the road. The driver gave me the so-called middle finger as though I had done something wrong.
A fourth member (a retired APS school teacher) stated:
A couple years ago, I saw an elderly woman turn when [another rider] was already crossing there, and there was contact. There are too many things for a senior citizen to be looking at at this very busy intersection. … there are limits to the number of things one driver can take in: signs requiring drivers to decide whether bikers are persons; pedestrian signals; stoplights; walkers; bikers; cars going in 8 or 10 directions; roller bladers; and many more things in motion! Other drivers are impatient and unwilling to yield to bikes or walkers when they want to turn and may have other drivers tooting at them. … I think there needs to be a bridge like at West Street in Falls Church going over Rt. 7.

Lynn Kristianson, an Arlington County librarian, is an important member of our group. Every April she begins her season by riding a flèche, which involves biking over 240 miles in 24 hours. This is the first year she will be unable to complete a flèche. She is now fighting for her life after being struck by a hit and run driver while cycling in Anne Arundel County three weeks ago. Her accident has made all of us even more aware of the importance of safety.

We are encouraged to see that Arlington is planning to revitalize Rosslyn, but ask you to include this intersection in your plans to improve the pedestrian and bicycle safety of Rosslyn.

Please visit our web page (https://babesonbikes.org) for more information about our organization.

MS Ride The Riverside

February 27, 2013 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Babes and Babe Magnets: MS Ride the Riverside: Early June (contact Team Capt. for specific dates: bikingjenn@gmail.com)

Great support! Great fun! From National Harbor. Please join our Babes and Babe Magnets on Bikes team. Two-day ride with option to ride just one. Day 1: 30,65,100 mile options; Day 2: one route that varies in length 30-50 miles. Sag support if you cannot make the distance. Hope you’ll come out and ride! Contact bikingjenn@gmail.com if you register or have questions about the team.

Click Here to register.

Ride or Stride for Bleeding Disorders, 10/13/12

September 6, 2012 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Hi, Babes. I am writing to let you know about this year’s (October 13) bike ride to support the Hemophilia Association of the Capital Area.  The bike ride starts at Nottoway Park  in Vienna, about 2 miles off the W&OD trail and offers 25K, 25 mile, and 50 mile options out and back on the W&OD heading west.

Six Babes joined me on this ride last year, and — well, we had an adventure.  Let’s just say the weather did not cooperate:  the forecasters promised one thing and the skies and the thermometer did something entirely different.  Last year’s ride still sets the record for the coldest and wettest ride some of us have ever endured.  Under better conditions, though (and surely we deserve those this year?), the ride is a lot of fun.  Yes, it’s the trail, and we ride it all the time; but Nancy F. told me she’s never taken part in another ride where the volunteers were so directly involved in the organization, and made her feel so appreciated. The ride sponsors put on a nice picnic lunch after the ride, as well as offering water and snack stops along the way. It is a very small and family-friendly ride, if anyone is looking for a bikeathon to do with kids.

I’m devoutly hopeful that last year’s bad weather will not repeat this year.  And many of the big-hearted Babes who slogged through the cold rain last year are planning to ride again this October.  Some husbands are signing up, too.  I know there are a lot of great causes out there vying for people’s attention, so I appreciate your considering this event. Please let me know if you’re interested in joining us on October 13th!

(For anyone who’s interested in more information about the group the ride supports, read on. . . . The Hemophilia Association of the Capital Area is an organization I’ve been involved with for many years. It’s a local rather than a national group: it works to make direct and tangible improvements in the quality of life for people with bleeding disorders in DC, Virginia, and Maryland. HACA is often the first point of contact outside a hospital for a family coping with a new diagnosis of hemophilia; it is a resource for women with bleeding disorders, whose problems often go unrecognized even in hematology practices; and it offers programs ranging from summer camp for kids to support group sessions for adults. I’d be happy to talk to anyone who’s interested about HACA’s activities.)

Miriam Goldstein
hubbgold@verizon.net

Melanie Yu Finishes Lake Placid Iron Man

July 29, 2012 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Congratulations to Babe Melanie Yu for completing the Lake Placid Iron Man competition on July 22!

New Bike Route App

June 20, 2012 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Finding a bike route in Arlington and the surrounding areas is about to get easier, thanks to an app that’s in the final planning stages.
A developer, Open Plans, is working with Arlington and Washington, D.C. to devise the free bike map web and smartphone app. When finished, it will provide point-to-point directions like other trip planning apps do, but will be specifically catered to bike routes instead of motor vehicle routes. The map will also include locations of Capital Bikeshare stations, along with real time availability of bikes at each station.
Click here for more information

In Memory of Sharon Poehlein

May 10, 2012 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Sharon Poehlein

Click to view more photos of Sharon

From Beth Norcross, May 7, 2012:

It is with extraordinary sadness that I tell you of the news of the death of our dear, old friend, Sharon Poehlein. Sharon died on Friday evening after a very courageous battle with what the doctors believe was ALS. Gary, her husband of many years, was by her side, and her devoted children had been with her earlier in the day.

While many of you might not have known Sharon, to us “old Babes,” she was unforgettable. She joined the Babes shortly after we formed and was a regular and lively presence on our rides. She completed her first century (the Seagull) when she was well over 60 and was reminiscing about the “after-party,” when I last saw her on Thursday afternoon. Over the last few weeks, she never missed an opportunity to remind me that I encouraged her to get over the Assateague Bridge by saying: “Sharon Poehlein, get your sorry ass up that hill.” She would then get this wily grin on her face and say, “You know, Beth, every time you go up a hill from now on, I’m going to come back and tell you the same thing.”

She was prominently featured on the ABC news broadcast in 1999/2000 about the Babes, where she talked about how much she loved riding and loved the Babes. And we loved her, too.

I know those of you who knew Sharon join me in expressing our sadness at her passing and our gratitude in having known such a lovely spirit. Each and every time I saw Sharon in the last few weeks, despite the fact that she was living with extraordinarily difficult physical challenges, she would say: “You know, I’ve had a great life.” What a gift she gives to all of us as she passes.

Read obituaries: 1 | 2

MS Ride the Riverside

May 9, 2012 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Babes and Babe Magnets: MS Ride the Riverside: June 9 and 10

Great support! Great fun! Starting at National Harbor this year, so no need to camp. You can register for the Babes and Babe Magnets on Bikes team. 30,60,100 mile options for Day 1 and 50 miles optional day 2. Hope you’ll come out and ride! Contact Jennifer Weiss if you sign up. Click here to register.

Bike Handling Clinics

May 9, 2012 by Tara Claeys Filed Under: Babes News

Thanks to Katie Knight fromRevolution Cycles in Georgetown for sharing some bike handling and general cycling tips with the Babes!

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