Clarendon

UnitedHealthCare Team Makes Strong Showing at Armed Forces Cycling Classic

By Chris Teale
1/20

The UnitedHealthCare professional cycling team made a strong showing at the Armed Forces Cycling Classic this past weekend throughout Arlington.

The team took home two second-placed finishes and one first-place finish in the showpiece Clarendon and Crystal Cups for men and women.

Carlos Alzate Escobar took first in the men’s Clarendon Cup on Saturday for UHC, ahead of John Murphy of Holowesko Citadel in second and Adam Myerson of Team Skyline in third.

In the women’s Clarendon Cup, Cuban Olympic cyclist Marlies Mejias Garcia took first for Weber Shimano, beating Kendall Ryan of TIBCO-SVB into second and Lizzie Williams of Hagens Berman-Supermint into third.

The following day, UnitedHealthCare finished second in both the men’s and women’s Crystal Cups in Crystal City. Laura Van Gilder took first in the women’s race for Mellow Mushroom Cycling, ahead of UHC’s Laurette Hanson in second and Ingrid Drexel Clouthier of TIBCO-SVB in third.

Tyler Magner took victory in the men’s Crystal Cup for Holowesko Citadel, ahead of UHC’s Sebastian Haedo in second and Brandon Feheery of The Crit Life in third.

In addition to the competitive races, the Challenge Ride offered a closed course to cycling enthusiasts of all abilities in and around the Pentagon, Crystal City and the Air Force Memorial, while young riders could also test themselves in a kid’s race. The races closed roads across various neighborhoods throughout the weekend.

Below are the top 10 in each of the four main races, with teams indicated in parentheses:

Women’s Clarendon Cup

  1. Marlies Mejias Garcia (Weber Shimano)
  2. Kendall Ryan (TIBCO-SVB)
  3. Lizzie Williams (Hagens Bergman Supermint)
  4. Rushlee Buchanan (UnitedHealthCare)
  5. Ingrid Drexel Clouthier (TIBCO-SVB)
  6. Laura Jorgenson (Mellow Mushroom Cycling)
  7. Janelle Cole (United HealthCare)
  8. Laura Stephens (TIBCO-SVB)
  9. Diana Penuela (United HealthCare)
  10. Colleen Gulick (Pickle Juice Pro Cycling Team)

Men’s Clarendon Cup

  1. Carlos Alzate Escobar (UnitedHealthCare)
  2. John Murphy (Holowesko Citadel Racing Team)
  3. Adam Myerson (Team Skyline)
  4. Rafael Meran (Dave Jordan Racing)
  5. Sean McElroy (Chainheart)
  6. Carlos Brenes Mata (Team Somerville Bicycle Shop)
  7. Brandon Feheery (The Crit Life)
  8. Jake Keough (Team Skyline)
  9. Sam Rosenholtz (CCB Velotooler Cycling Team)
  10. Ben Renkema (Palmetto State Medical)

Women’s Crystal Cup

  1. Laura Van Gilder (Mellow Mushroom Cycling)
  2. Laurette Hanson (UnitedHealthCare)
  3. Ingrid Drexel Clouthier (TIBCO-SVB)
  4. Marlies,Mejias Garcia (Weber Shimano)
  5. Lizzie Williams (Hagens Bergman Supermint)
  6. Colleen Gulick (Pickle Juice Pro Cycling Team)
  7. Diana Penuela (UnitedHealthCare)
  8. Tina Pic (Papa Johns)
  9. Brianna Walle (TIBCO-SVB)
  10. Kyrstin Bluhm (Fearless Femme Racing)

Men’s Crystal Cup

  1. Ty Magner (Holowesko Citadel Racing Team)
  2. Sebastian Haedo (UnitedHealthCare)
  3. Brandon Feheery (The Crit Life)
  4. Thomas Humphreys (Battley Harley-Davidson / Local)
  5. Jake Keough (Team Skyline)
  6. Brendan Rhim (Holowesko Citadel Racing Team)
  7. Patrick Raines (Hearts Racing Club)
  8. Matt McLoone (Battley Harley-Davidson / Local)
  9. Scottie Weiss (SeaSucker)
  10. Adrian Hegyvary (United HealthCare)

Flickr pool photos by users Eric Schweik and Michael Coffman. Additional photos courtesy Rena Schild and via Facebook.

ACPD Officer Rescues Kitten From Car Engine

By ARLnow.com

(Updated at 12:05 p.m.) An Arlington County Police officer rescued a kitten over the weekend.

The officer found the kitten in the engine compartment of a car in Clarendon and was able to coax her out and hold her until animal control arrived.

That earned her kudos from the Animal Welfare League of Arlington’s Facebook account. Via AWLA:

Thank you to Officer Ernesto from The Arlington County Police Department for saving this little kitten! Officer Ernesto found this little kitten (now named Grease Monkey) in a car engine in Clarendon. She was able to coax the kitten out and hold on to her until Animal Control arrived. Thank you Officer Ernesto!

The rescue happened early Saturday morning, after Officer Ernesto saw people peering into the hood of a car, at the corner of 12th Street N. and N. Garfield Street, and stopped to help.

“At approximately 2:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 10, Officer Ernesto was on routine patrol when she observed a group of individuals at the intersection of 12th Street at Garfield Street using lights to look into the hood of a vehicle,” an ACPD spokeswoman said. “Officer Ernesto stopped to assist what she believed was a disabled vehicle and later determined there was kitten stuck inside.”

Preparations Underway For Armed Forces Cycling Classic

By Chris Teale
1/5

The streets of Arlington are being readied ahead of this weekend’s Armed Forces Cycling Classic, the arrival of thousands of competing bicyclists, support teams and spectators.

Races will take place Saturday and Sunday for amateurs and professionals alike, with police set to close roads across various neighborhoods to accommodate the festivities.

And in preparation, as of Friday afternoon crews have begun putting out traffic cones, tents and barriers for the competition, which begins early Saturday morning.

Saturday is the Clarendon Cup, which brings with it numerous road closures in Clarendon, while Sunday is the Crystal Cup in Crystal City, again with more closures in that neighborhood.

The Capital Weather Gang anticipates heat and humidity will descend on the area this weekend, so riders and spectators should be careful and stay hydrated.

Arlington Bars Will Be Showing the Comey Hearing, Too

By ARLnow.com

D.C. isn’t the only wonky place with bars and restaurants opening early, offering specials and putting today’s James Comey testimony on the TVs. Some in Arlington are also getting in on the action.

The most hotly-anticipated Senate Intelligence Committee hearing in recent memory is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Though the lack of a spectacular new revelation in Comey’s prepared remarks may be tamping down the enthusiasm a bit, many are still eager to hear what Comey has to say about President Trump — and, on Twitter, vice versa.

Here in Arlington, Liberty Tavern will be opening early, at 10 a.m., and putting the hearing on its five large TVs.

“We will serve free covfefe! And White Russians and Stoli and grapefruits during the hearing will be $5,”a rep for the Clarendon restaurant once visited by President Obama told ARLnow.com. “Lastly, we’ll offer all of our 12-inch wood-oven specialty pizzas for $10, including our popular brunch pizza that features our homemade breakfast sausage, house cured bacon, fried eggs, tomatoes, cheddar and sage.”

Also hosting hearing watchers is Ballston watering hole A-Town Bar and Grill, which will open at 10 a.m. and put the proceedings on its many TVs.

In Courthouse, Ireland’s Four Courts will be open for lunch and have hearing coverage on its TVs with the volume on. The pub will also offer lunch specials during the hearing.

UPDATED: Why Is There a Stick of Deodorant on Top of This Clarendon Bus Stop?

By ARLnow.com
1/4

Update on 6/27/17 — A bottle of Listerine mouthwash has joined the deodorant on top of the bus stop.

Earlier: Every once in awhile, a mystery captivates a community.

Today, those who work in the office building at 3100 Clarendon Blvd (including ARLnow.com’s staff) are wondering: under what circumstances did this stick of Old Spice High Endurance deodorant get on top of this bus stop?

The deodorant has been there, across from the Clarendon Metro plaza, for at least a week. Neither rain nor wind has knocked it from its perch. It’s unclear if anyone will ever remove it.

Some locals who spoke to ARLnow.com had theories as to how the deodorant got up there.

“People get drunk on the weekends, that would be my best guess,” said a man who works at a local bar.

“I assume somebody just threw it and didn’t expect it to land up there,” said another passerby.

“I ride this bus every day. I would’ve never looked up there, even though I’m tall I can’t see up there,” said a man waiting at the bus stop, who was previously unaware of the deodorant’s presence. “Maybe somebody was upset with the deodorant’s performance and threw it up there out of anger. Or, more often than not, people throw things up there to see how often they stay up there.”

The windows on the second floor of 3100 Clarendon Blvd — home to the MakeOffices coworking space and dozens of companies — do not open, thus making it unlikely that it was tossed from an office. There is a rooftop patio on the third floor, but it would have been difficult to get a stick of deodorant to land and stay on the angled bus stop roof from that height.

Have any other guesses? Let us know in the comments.

Clarendon Aromatherapy Store Cosmic Energy Closed

By Brooke Giles
1/3

An aromatherapy store in Clarendon has shuttered after 20 years in business.

Cosmic Energy at 1114 N. Irving Street provided a “one-stop-shopping” experience for metaphysical and aromatherapy products. Those products included oils, incense, sacred herbs, teas, body care products and more.

Although the business’ website is still operational, the building is empty and there is a for rent sign in its window. Cosmic Energy’s phone number is no longer in service and instead directs callers to similar stores nearby.

Riders Shake Off Health Issues to Compete Again at Armed Forces Cycling Classic

By Katherine Berko
1/4

The 20th Armed Forces Cycling Classic will take place in Arlington this weekend, and one of its former champions is set to get back in the saddle.

Jake Keough, a three-time winner of the Crystal Cup race, will be cycling in it for the first time since he was forced into retirement three years ago due to an irregular heartbeat.

“After being a professional for 10-plus years, I began to have heart arrhythmias…I had major complications,” Keough wrote in an email.

Keough will be cycling with Team Skyline, run by the acclaimed bicyclist Ryan DeWald. DeWald, like Keough, suffers from another chronic medical condition: Type 1 diabetes. Both were diagnosed in 2014 and took time away.

“I got thin. I got sick. I didn’t know what was wrong with me,” DeWald said. “I missed one weekend of racing then I got back on my bike, I got on insulin, I re-sorted out how to race my bike on insulin. I worked with some of the best doctors in the world.”

When DeWald re-entered the cycling realm after his brief hiatus, he made an immediate impact. In 2015, he was ranked third nationally as a Category One rider, out of 1,475 cyclists.

Despite that impressive statistic, DeWald remembers when everybody told him to stop biking. He refused to take their advice.

“I had nothing to lose so I just kept racing the bike. Now, I’m turning more into an inspirational athlete with dynamic speaking skills,” DeWald said.

He hopes to eventually transfer out of bike racing and take on more leadership roles.

DeWald started the foundation, Winning the Race with Diabetes, to help people manage Type 1 diabetes while also engaging in athletic lifestyles. In addition to running Team Skyline, he runs a team bike shop in Reading, Penn.

While DeWald was getting back on his bike, Keough underwent cardiac ablation surgery. The procedure caused him to go into cardiac arrest.

“I was told by the best sports cardiologists in the world that I could never be an athlete again and that I should live a sedentary life,” Keough wrote.

Yet, Keough persisted. He takes medication to keep his heart rate low and has a sprinter plate on his chest.

“I’m back racing on my own terms and trying not to let my health issues dictate how I live my life,” Keough wrote.

“I think he’s taking his life into his own hands every time he sprints…I think he’s a few steps away from winning a big one,” DeWald said of his teammate. And after years apart, the men rekindled their friendship via social media this past winter.

“He was telling me about what happened to him, he asked me about my condition and we started comparing notes,” DeWald said.

Shortly thereafter, Keough joined DeWald’s team. Team Skyline rides about 15,000 miles per year and races 50-60 events annually.

This weekend’s race will not be Keough’s first since leaving retirement. However, he remains surprised by his recent success.

“I didn’t really plan on making a comeback. But, after racing Speed Week this spring and finishing fifth at Athens Twilight and fourth overall, I realized I could still be a factor at the top level of the sport I love,” Keough wrote.

Skyline is hopeful for this weekend. Keough’s youngest brother, Luke Keough, will also be participating this weekend, on a different team.

“Obviously, as a former winner, the goal is to get back to the top step. But, more importantly, it’s to have a blast,” Keough wrote.

“We’re going to try to win,” DeWald said. “Jake has just got to beat his brother [in the race]. How hard can it be to beat your younger brother?”

The Armed Forces Cycling Classic consists of two days of races: the Clarendon Cup on Saturday, in Clarendon, and the Crystal Cup and non-competitive Challenge Ride on Sunday, in Crystal City. The pro-am races, along with corresponding kids races and the Challenge Ride, are open to spectators.

Cars Crash in Front of Delhi Club in Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

A collision in Clarendon led to two cars hopping the curb in front of Delhi Club restaurant Sunday afternoon.

The crash happened at the intersection of Clarendon Blvd and N. Highland Street. The cars then rolled onto the sidewalk in front of the restaurant, which is across from the Clarendon Metro station.

By one report, the at least one of the cars struck the building, but no serious damage was evident. No word on whether there were any injuries.

Courtesy photo

Tattoo Studio Coming to Clarendon

By Katherine Berko
1/3

A tattoo studio plans to open in Clarendon this month.

Lady Octopus Tattoos, set to move into 3240 Wilson Blvd, is owned by tattoo artist Gilda Acosta. According to the business’ Instagram account, potential clients can begin booking appointments this weekend. Those interested can also sign up for updates on its website.

The studio will be open from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesdays through Sundays. It will be closed on Mondays.

The studio will be in the same building as the Portico Church and Arlington Premier Realty, among other businesses.

Acosta attributes her creativity to her childhood, which she spent filling blank pages with illustrations.  She holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from the Corcoran College of Art and Design. Following her schooling, Acosta began a three-year apprenticeship with the tattoo artist Fatty of Fatty’s Tattoos & Piercings.

“Her interest in the natural world is evident in her depictions of oceanic and botanical life as well as her figurative work, which has been a main interest since her earliest encounters with pencil and paper. Her work is as influenced by humor, music, and everyday situations as by themes of gender and sexuality, dreams and the subconscious, spirituality and the occult,” says Acosta’s website.

Hat tip to Bill C.

‘All American Bar Crawl’ Returning to Clarendon

By ARLnow.com

(Updated on 6/2/17) Arlington’s first major bar crawl of the year is scheduled for the weekend before the Fourth of July.

The All American Bar Crawl is set to take place Saturday, July 1 from 1-9 p.m. in Clarendon. It offers revelers access to local bars, food and drink specials, party favors, a raffle and a “signature patriotic mug.”

Among the participating restaurants listed on the event’s website are Mister Days, Bracket Room, Whitlow’s, Clarendon Grill, Oz and Whitlow’s Rooftop.

Early bird online registration is $15.

“The All American Bar Crawl celebrates America’s birthday a few days early!” says the website. “Rock your red, white and blue and get ready for a day full of Star Spangled shenanigans and bar-hopping in Clarendon with thousands of your closest friends.”

The last major bar crawl in Arlington happened this past Halloween. Organizers skipped the usual St. Patrick’s Day crawl this year.

In June 2014 a naked man led police on a chase through Clarendon during that year’s All American Bar Crawl. A month later the Arlington County Board passed new regulations that required crawl organizers to pay for a stepped-up police presence at the events. Both attendance and arrests dropped at subsequent bar crawls.

Morning Notes

By ARLnow.com

High School Proposals on the Table in June — A pair of proposals for adding high school seats are on the table at Arlington School Board meetings next month. The board is expected to approve a $3.6 million construction contract for adding 300 seats to Wakefield High School, while Superintendent Patrick Murphy will recommend the board approve a “hybrid” option for adding another 1,300 seats, with 600 seats at the Education Center site near Washington-Lee and 700 at the Arlington Career Center. Despite the added capacity, Murphy expects that it will eventually be necessary to build a new 2,200 seat comprehensive high school to keep up with rising enrollment. [InsideNova, InsideNova]

Marriott’s Longest-Standing Employee Is in Crystal City — Cecil Exum, a 79-year-old omelette maker at the Crystal Gateway Marriott, is Marriott’s longest-standing employee. He’s been with the company for 61 years, since the Marriott family ran a “Hot Shoppes” root beer stand and opened its first hotel, the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington. [Washington Post]

POTUS at ANC on Memorial Day — “President Donald Trump honored those who lost their lives serving the nation as he participated in a solemn wreath-laying ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery Monday and told emotional stories of just a few who perished.” [Daily Mail]

Cars Towed During Clarendon Memorial Day Ceremony — Some veterans attending the annual Memorial Day ceremony at the war memorial in Clarendon reportedly had their cars towed from a bank parking lot nearby. Del. Patrick Hope (D) tweeted photos of the cars being towed and called it “disgusting.” He directed the tweet at Del. Tim Hugo (R), the sponsor of the bill (now law) that blocked Arlington County from enforcing a “second signature” requirement for certain trespass tows. [Twitter]

Photo courtesy Peter Golkin

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