Commuting - Very long commute club: week 31

Like everyone in the NE, another day of I don't know how many in a row, of rain. Also, a constant 25 mph wind gusting as high as 60!!! :eek: Really these conditions are just unreasonable.

I hate riding in cold rain more than any other weather condition. I would rather ride when it's 20 below than in cold rain. And when you add this kind of wind, well, it's just miserable.

I have a Pearl Izumi rain jacket that works pretty good, and I wear lycra bike shorts with tights over them when it's raining. I get my butt wet, but the liner in the shorts wicks the water off the sensitive areas and I stay warm. My feet get soaked, which I hate, no matter what I have tried - booties to baggies. On my bent, this situation has improved since I don't get all that spray off the road on my feet. However, this is compensated for with my face and head. My face is now upturned because of the reclined position I ride in. I wear a ball cap under my helmet and eye protection in the rain but the rain pelts my face and then runs down my neck into my clothes :mad: Wait, I have a neckcloth somewhere I should get out and try. Still, riding 20 mph into a 15 mph wind in the rain HURTS on the face. Haven't expereinced sleet or hail yet, I'm sure it will be devine.

Anyone care to share their tricks and tips when riding in the rain/sleet/hail?

Mars:

When the wet stuff comes out and it is cool out, I use a rain jacket, rain pants and light booties. The rain pains go over the booties, so I do not get that wet foot feeling. As for rain gear, I usually buy the cheap stuff, as this type of clothing gets trashed pretty easily. Last week I commuted in heavy rain and was comfortable the whole ride. For a bent in the rain I would suggest a downhill helmet with a visor and use Cat Crap or other type of anti fog treatment.

My legs should be sore tomorrow, as I did 113 miles on Saturday with two major climbs and undulating terrain for most of the remaining ride. The first major climb was 4-6%, but 7 miles long up Rte 211 to cross Skyline Drive. The wind was so bad that when I was coming down the other side of rte 211, I usually hit 48-49 mph. If I pedalled the downhill I could manage 38mph and if I stopped pedaling my speed would decrease to 29. That is right I was losing 9 mph by going downhill. The second climb was shorter 2.8 miles but started off at 4-5% and constantly gets steeper as you go up and the climb peaks out at 11%. It was a long day in the saddle, as I had 85 miles of a head or cross/head wind.

May everyone's week commuting be better than my ride on Saturday.

What a beautiful commute in this morning as there was a huge full moon in the horizon. The sunrise over the monuments was also stellar. The legs were sore as expected. Hope everyone has a great day.

The temp was 65F on Friday for the ride in but only 45F this morning--quite a shock.

Took a different route to work and it's my favorite so far.

Pretty cool seeing the 'moonset' to my right and sunrise to my left.

It was a little nippy in DC this morning, but it was nice to ride without rain in the clear fall sunshine. Of course the first sunny day as the leaves start to fall reminds me of all the places where you get blinded by the low angle sun. It might not be too long before some type of pants or tights are going to be needed. I'm looking forward to a week of clear weather and good rides.

This morning was certainly the coldest day since March or so - lower 40's, but the air was crisp, the sky was clear and the full moon lit up all but the darkest sections of the parkway. I got a mile and had to put on my full gloves - my fingers were freezing! I must be getting wimpy in my old age.

Now the sun is out, temps are in the 60s and I am looking forward to a great ride home!

I am pissed off.

I've popped 3 spokes in 5 days, my bb and cranks are all screwy and i had to drive today because the bike is in the hospital...

GAH!

This means no brooks for me. No money...

Otherwise, yesterday was nice.

Figures, the wind kicked up to like 15 mph and the clouds were rolling in for the ride home. Not a bad ride, but a tailwind would have been appreciated after a long day. Some roadie was riding the bike path next to me, working real hard to drop me. I was tempted to jump over to the path and catch his wheel, we were both doing about 18 and I was tempted to take a rest from the wind....but noooo, I had to kick it up to 20, then 25, then 30 and drop him, as the path went up...and the road went down. I love it when a plan comes together. Dude, if ya want to play roadie games, at least get on the road.

Some guy in a dump truck comes up from behind and honks at me with that big ole air horn. I gave him room, then he moved right to turn at the light and I came up next to him in the left thru lane. I gave him a look, he gave me a look, I said 'howdy', he nodded. Then he says 'ya know you'd be safer on the bike path over there'. Now I could have replied with some lecture about how we have a right to the road, blah, blah, blah...but nobody likes a lecture, especially during rush hour. So I just smiled and said 'naaa, who wants to live forever anyway - I been trying to commit suicide by bike for nearly 40 years and ain't got it right yet' He got a laugh out of that...which IMHO is much better than having a pissed off guy driving a dump truck that can squoosh me like a bug. ;)

My electric bike needs some work (skipping gears and the throttle doesn't completely turn off) so I rode my Trek hybrid home from work today. I'm sorry to report that I HATED it! It took me an hour and 50 minutes to go 14.2 miles when it usually takes me an hour and 20 to do 17.5! (I took the shortcut to avoid two big hills coming up out low-water crossings.) That just shows you the hills I have to deal with. My inclinometer says the little ones are about 6 percent and the big ones are 10 to 15%. Dang, I missed my motor! This was no fun at all!

So my husband got an electric bike just like mine and I'm thinking about riding it back tomorrow. I'll have to move the rack over but it's a seat-mounted rack. There's less climbing going to work than coming home but still about a dozen big hills -- it's either that or hitch a ride. :(

Yes, I've made progress, believe it or not with those times, but I ride because it's usually fun and good exercise. It's bad enough that my "fast" time takes four times as long as driving my car but almost six times???!!!

Okay, my whine is over. :)

How is it that my commutes in and out yesterday and then in this morning have all had 15-20 mph headwinds. Instead of complaining about now though, I extoll the virtues as having had a great workout.

Longhorn, I can sympathsize with bike illnesses. I always hate it when my bike needs shop time. Hang in there and I'm sure with more work you'll be able to do better on the hills. Especially since things should be cooling off for you a little bit. I always find I ride better in cool weather.

Once again a nippy morning, but very nice for riding. I talked with a young woman last night on the trail who was new to the area so I tried to talk up all the good points of the trail. Hopefully there is another convert. I seemed to be dogging it this morning, I'll have to try a little harder going home.

My inclinometer says the little ones are about 6 percent and the big ones are 10 to 15%.


Going downhill's got to be a lot of fun though.

Going downhill's got to be a lot of fun though.

You're right about that! Especially when I'm headed to work because there are more downhills than uphills in that direction. The only problem with that leg is that my campus is on top of a hill so the worst climb is at the very end. I've only been able to make that one by zigzagging (a cul-de-sac connects to the parking lot but there is a barrier for cars so there is no traffic for me :) ) even with the electric bike.

Thanks for the encouragement, as always, MDNewbie! I was really hoping (even afraid!) that my trip on the Trek would be so great that I could commute without the bike (afraid because maybe it was a waste of money. ;) ) So I guess the good (bad?) news is that until I get a lot stronger, the electric bike is the only way I'm making this commute. But it's still a good workout and after yesterday, I'm inspired to make even more a workout out of it, knowing it could be worse! :)

Like everyone in the NE, another day of I don't know how many in a row, of rain. Also, a constant 25 mph wind gusting as high as 60!!! :eek: Really these conditions are just unreasonable.

I hate riding in cold rain more than any other weather condition. I would rather ride when it's 20 below than in cold rain. And when you add this kind of wind, well, it's just miserable.

? You guys make me feel like a wuss- I don't think I rode to work last week at all- with the forecasts in NH. of rain , falling objects, locusts- I'm just not ready for that kind of abuse yet. All the power to you!(Of course it wasn't as bad as they made it out to be either, which hurt more)

Had an awesome commute this morning. Started out with the intention of setting a new best time, and did. Average speed 30.0km/h - new record for me. I think back to my first results 10 months ago - 18km/h average!!!

Figures, the wind kicked up to like 15 mph and the clouds were rolling in for the ride home. Not a bad ride, but a tailwind would have been appreciated after a long day. Some roadie was riding the bike path next to me, working real hard to drop me. I was tempted to jump over to the path and catch his wheel, we were both doing about 18 and I was tempted to take a rest from the wind....but noooo, I had to kick it up to 20, then 25, then 30 and drop him, as the path went up...and the road went down. I love it when a plan comes together. Dude, if ya want to play roadie games, at least get on the road.

Some guy in a dump truck comes up from behind and honks at me with that big ole air horn. I gave him room, then he moved right to turn at the light and I came up next to him in the left thru lane. I gave him a look, he gave me a look, I said 'howdy', he nodded. Then he says 'ya know you'd be safer on the bike path over there'. Now I could have replied with some lecture about how we have a right to the road, blah, blah, blah...but nobody likes a lecture, especially during rush hour. So I just smiled and said 'naaa, who wants to live forever anyway - I been trying to commit suicide by bike for nearly 40 years and ain't got it right yet' He got a laugh out of that...which IMHO is much better than having a pissed off guy driving a dump truck that can squoosh me like a bug. ;)

Now THAT was an awesome ride! Great comeback to dumptruck boy as well....

Speaking of comebacks, that was a great smackdown you gave to "Firemanbob" on the other forum :D .

Rainy and cold commutes today. Put on my gloves for the first time this season. :(
It's only going to get worse as the earth continues to tilt the Northern Hemishpere away form the sun. Enjoy the comming summer Ozzies!

I bought some "Cat Crap" for my sunglasses/eye protection. It's supposed to get your glasses from fogging up. And it worked!! I just LOVE it when things actually work! If you have fogging problems, I officially endorse this product. And it only cost a few bucks.

My inclinometer says the little ones are about 6 percent and the big ones are 10 to 15%.

Those are some serious hills there Longhorn. You know, in cowboy movies, the herd always panics during a thunderstorm and stampedes towards a nearby cliff. I always pictured Texas as flat, so wondered where the cliff would be. Is that the cliff that you are now riding up?

Some guy in a dump truck comes up from behind and honks at me with that big ole air horn. I gave him room, then he moved right to turn at the light and I came up next to him in the left thru lane. I gave him a look, he gave me a look, I said 'howdy', he nodded. Then he says 'ya know you'd be safer on the bike path over there'. Now I could have replied with some lecture about how we have a right to the road, blah, blah, blah...but nobody likes a lecture, especially during rush hour. So I just smiled and said 'naaa, who wants to live forever anyway - I been trying to commit suicide by bike for nearly 40 years and ain't got it right yet' He got a laugh out of that...which IMHO is much better than having a pissed off guy driving a dump truck that can squoosh me like a bug. ;)

LOL, good one. You did more positive advocacy for the rights of cyclists in that interaction than any CM ride I've ever seen.

Hey Jur, and other fellow Aussie commuters, how did you go last Sunday in the round the bay? Did ya get a jersey? I did but I heard they ran out, as well as running out of lunches :eek:

I was on my Surly LHT tourer/commuter and I hung with the fastest pacelines I could find, even did my fair share of pulling up front at 45 - 47km/h, we were FLYING!!! :D Sure, my heart rate was redlining but I wasn't about to let some dinky little LCD display tell me what to do :p

Some of the reactions from those serious roadie/racers were priceless, like 'what the f***? where the f*** did you come from?' and my favorite 'good pull, well done, who do you race for?' and ofcourse I said 'the VLC club' :D which naturally drew some blank stares :p

The only incident was one paceline that fortunately I was on the tail end when all of a sudden everyone braked hard, I saw a bike fly above head height as I swung wide, the whole team except for one went into the big pileup of bikes and bodies. I didn't even want to look back because I didn't want it to psyche me out. Anyhow, I was out in the breeze and had to get down on the aerobars and hold 46km/h to bridge the 100meter gap to another paceline ahead.... only just made it without my heart exploding.

That was the first leg, the second leg was just cruising and socialising.


My stats for the first 101km leg...

First 15km - average 21km/hr
Next 86km - average 39km/hr
average heart rate for the whole leg - 169bpm (my max is 188)

And for the whole 210km...

Average speed - 31km/h
Average HR - 156bpm
Muesli bars consumed - 19
Power gels consumed (they were giving them away!) - 12
Water consumed - 9 litres
Magpie attacks - 11
Attractive ladies perved at - 4 (then stopped counting :o )

Hey Jur, and other fellow Aussie commuters, how did you go last Sunday in the round the bay? Did ya get a jersey? I did but I heard they ran out, as well as running out of lunches :eek:

I was on my Surly LHT tourer/commuter and I hung with the fastest pacelines I could find, even did my fair share of pulling up front at 45 - 47km/h, we were FLYING!!! :D Sure, my heart rate was redlining but I wasn't about to let some dinky little LCD display tell me what to do :p
My stats for the first 101km leg...

First 15km - average 21km/hr
Next 86km - average 39km/hr
average heart rate for the whole leg - 169bpm (my max is 188)

And for the whole 210km...

Average speed - 31km/h
Average HR - 156bpm
Muesli bars consumed - 19
Power gels consumed (they were giving them away!) - 12
Water consumed - 9 litres
Magpie attacks - 11
Attractive ladies perved at - 4 (then stopped counting :o )
I was with just one mate, we just cruised. The total average for the first (to Sorrento) leg was just on 30km/h. I arrived there right on 9am. Waited ages for the ferry. Witnessed one dude's bike almost fall into the briny on the jetty, he had to go down and rescue his helmet which fell into the water. You can imagine all the cheering and taunting. ;)

Average for the day: 28km/h
HR - probably not above 140
Water - 6 bottles, of my own 'jurade'
muesli bars - 6
bananas - 5
gels - 4, then I felt a bit heavy, didn't take em with enough water

Witnessed no magpies. Those 3 cable ties on my helmet probably made them fall off their perch with laughter. The ties got many comments and questions and even more strange looks.

One thing I found a bit strange was the few hill climbs - I absolutely blew by everybody and felt comfy doing it. My commute has made me quite fit for hills.

I actually looked out for your Surly! You were obviously waaaaaaay ahead.

I got my jersey couple days before.

The most striking thing was the number of older riders, who made similar pace to ours, and faster. I discovered Age Is No Excuse. There was even this one OLD guy with a withered leg pedalling very briskly along, and another old chap with his grey son leaving me in their dust.

I may have had my best commute ever this morning. Temperature around 50 with clear sunshine and no wind. Everything seemed to fall into place. The bike was running smoothly and the miles rolled by, nobody did anything stupid on the MUP and I was able to pass the peds smoothly. Last night I picked up a pair of dark blue long underwear bottoms and used them as tights this morning under the shorts which was the perfect amount of coverage for the temp. I also picked up a small thermos and brought coffee with me. What an incredibly civilizing experience it is to sip coffee on a cold morning while waiting at intersections or riding down quiet sections of trail! And to top it all off as I crossed over the canal I looked down and there were four deer browsing for breakfast. I don't think I've had a nicer ride. I hope everyone else fared as well.

I had two deer cross the road right in front of me this morning. They were real close and it was dark so I didn't see them until I was almost on top of them.

Apples are my new nemesis. The trees along the path are depositing them strategically where my wheels want to be. Better keep ahold of those handlebars, cause tagging one of those puppys in the pre-dawn darkness sure gives me a shake.

It was breezy this morning, so there were lots of leaves coming down. When the sun got up and hit this yellow and red shower that I was whisking through, it was just beautiful. Like something out of a movie.

As I unhooked my bike from its storage hook to go to work, I saw the rear wheel was flat... This morning later in the bike path I saw a bunch of blackberry vines had been strewn over the path, that must have been where I picked up the thorn. :mad: Vandals.

Some of the reactions from those serious roadie/racers were priceless, like 'what the f***? where the f*** did you come from?' and my favorite 'good pull, well done, who do you race for?' and ofcourse I said 'the VLC club' :D which naturally drew some blank stares :p


OMG!! Did you Really!!??!! That is great! hahahaha!

You and your fellow aussies racked up some serious numbers there! Nice going.

Those are some serious hills there Longhorn. You know, in cowboy movies, the herd always panics during a thunderstorm and stampedes towards a nearby cliff. I always pictured Texas as flat, so wondered where the cliff would be. Is that the cliff that you are now riding up?

Thanks for the laugh, Mars. Yes, there are parts of Texas that are pretty flat but I'm in the Texas Hill Country and it's hard to find a flat section. I always have to chuckle when advice is given on this board to do some hill training -- "go find a hill." :D But I chuckle even more when the advice is to do sprints on a flat section.

Anyway, y'all would be so proud of me! You know how just when you're thinking how great your ride is, something goes wrong? (I was waiting for the bad news about your ride, MarylandNewbie -- I'm glad it stayed great!) Well, I was riding the electric bike home today and about ten miles into the ride (around seven miles from home) my motor died. I've had thermal cutouts before but this time, it didn't come back on and I knew it wasn't going to because it made a "bogged down" sound before it died. So I called my husband and he wasn't all that far away but he had to pick up all his tools and drive over. I told him I'd keep riding and walk up the hills if I had to until he caught up with me. Remember, this bike weighs 76 pounds and that doesn't include the pannier with my huge laptop in it. And it only has seven speeds. But I rode and rode and rode. I had to walk the steepest hill coming up out of a low-water crossing and I had to stop and rest a couple of times but I kept riding. I even STOOD UP to get up one hill and I have never been able to do that before. But I had no choice as I had run out of gears and didn't have enough power while sitting.

Mr. Longhorn finally caught up to me about half a mile from home so I told him I'd see him there and rode the rest of the way. I guarantee you, I could not have done that a few months ago. So even though I'm a little P.O.'d that my bike isn't working (it's still under warranty, though) I'm proud of myself for making it home. It only took me TWO HOURS! :)

Since we got an electric bike for Mr. L. last weekend, I'm riding it tomorrow. I considered riding my Trek but after today's workout, I definitely need a recovery ride. And after I ride tomorrow, it will be the first time ever that I have ridden seven consecutive days -- my total will be 115 miles! And I'm thinking about riding into Dripping Springs for my hair appointment Friday, which will be another 30 miles.

I'm just amazed that even after a day like today, I can't wait to ride again. I think I've turned a corner! :)

Here my mate and I on our flat bar racers are cycling around the bay on Sunday! For the first time ever in full cycling gear, jersey, knicks etc. Not really visible are the 3 cable ties on helmet to deter magpies. I'm the chap nearest the camera.

http://tinyurl.com/8552d

Longhorn! Congrats!! I foresee in the near future you may be selling your electric bikes. :)

I had two deer cross the road right in front of me this morning. They were real close and it was dark so I didn't see them until I was almost on top of them.

Apples are my new nemesis. The trees along the path are depositing them strategically where my wheels want to be. Better keep ahold of those handlebars, cause tagging one of those puppys in the pre-dawn darkness sure gives me a shake.

Deer are my boogey man this time of year. When it gets time for the rut, darn bucks and does both are a bit nuts and more unpredictable than usual. Out in the country, the start of gun hunting season is usually good for cyclists, the deer tend to be more skittish about loitering in the open or getting in the open at all. But, they ain't allowed hunting anywhere near the parkway I ride to work in years, so no relief for me.

The darn road apples aren't much of a problem if I am out in the lane, but when I have to yield to let folks pass, that's when the fun begins. I just slow down and tilt my light a little farther down and pay real close attention - I'd hate to hit one of them big ones and become someone's hood ornament.

I often think, 'why don't I just ride the path this morning', but there are more road apples, wet leaves and reduced visibility on the curves, just as exposed to deer, with less room to manuever and the occasional jogger or worse, someone riding with no lights. I feel safer on the road. Least drivers are a bit more predictable than deer....just a little. ;)

Longhorn, congrats and condolences all rolled into one. Isn't it great to find that you actually have the strength and fitness to do hills. I know I'm always amazed when I find that I can do a hill or ride in heavy traffic that I know 6 months ago would have been impossible.

My rides have been pleasantly uneventful. My front fender finally broke away from the bracket last night. No dramatic crashes or anything, it just dragged on the tire for the last 1/2 mile of the ride. It's been cracking for a while, but I didn't have time to make a repair. So I took it off last night and tonight will have to fix it, since tomorrow its supposed to rain. Why repair it instead of replace a $25 fender set -- well because my wife wants me to keep some of these "bike accoutrements" (as she calls them) on my Christmas list. And since I will need to spend some money before Christmas on cold weather gear, I guess it makes sense. Hopefully, that will be my only problem for a while.

P.S. Still loving riding with coffee in the thermos. I'm almost looking forward to really cold weather to experiment with it.

Well we're back in the saddle again after about 3 weeks off due to moving. However, we moved much closer to work, so we will be able to ride all the time - as opposed to the 2 or 3 times a week before. It's only 9 miles, so I'll have to ad some mileage once I'm back in shape to make it a VLC. Then again, if I ride every day, my weekly mileage will be greater than before. It will definitely be a VLC for my wife. But don't expect her to post here. She thinks we're all BIG TIME geeks.

Anyway, I rode home last night. It took me 40 minutes. It's slightly uphill with one moderate climb about a mile long. Like I said, I'm out of shape. The single speed don't lie. I passed a mountain biker just before the climb. We had a pleasant but short exchange while I cruised on by. I wasn't racing him - well, not intentionally - I was just trying to stay on top of my gear approaching the climb.

My wife and I pedaled into work this morning. It's good that it's slightly downhill on the way in. I was able to do it in my street clothes without breakin a sweat. She know's it's gonna hurt on the way home. And it's gonna be a challenge for me to lug my single that slow. (I'm gonna have to rebuild my 1x9 speed cruiser for when we ride together.) But we're both psyched to be going 'car-less' during the week!

Sorry for being so long-winded. But it's great to be back. Take it easy everyone.

DanO

Had to don the leg warmers this morning and even wear my jacket. The jacket was still a bit too warm for my taste, so I guess I'll just have to toughen up until the ride warms me up, least till the temps get down a few more degrees (low 40s this morning).

Saw another guy going in the opposite direction on the parkway this morning. No lights, little, if any reflective gear - but he had a helmet on! I wouldn't have seen him at all cept for the car that almost swerved into me, trying to avoid him at the last second. I had to dive for the shoulder. I am utterly amazed, lately it seems I see more people riding in the dark with no lights than those with. WTF is up with that?

On the bright side, the wind was way down today. That's the great thing about wind is that it makes you appreciate when it ain't around. ;)

Okay, okay, I'm back after all. Can't stay off the damn bike. :D

Actually, I only did a half-commute today -- nine miles instead of the usual twenty. I had to bring my car in to get something fixed, and I biked to work from there. It's just as well, since I'm getting over a week-long cold and haven't been in any shape to ride the whole distance. It was beautiful in Boston West this morning -- trees are golden, it's sunny -- but as soon as I turned west into the headwind, ugh! Felt like icepicks in my sinuses. Maybe I'll be healthy next week.

On the positive side, it looks like I already have the gear for fall riding! I do a lot of winter hiking and climbing and skiing and stuff, so I just threw on a pair of XC ski tights over my bike shorts, pulled on a Marmot microfleece wind shirt over my jersey, and I was good to go. Worked great. The ski tights even have a special windproof layer built into the fronts of the thighs, while being thin and porous everywhere else -- perfect! They've even got reflective stripes on the ankles.

The only problem was my nice, cool, well-ventilated shoes. That was a frickin' COLD ride! My toes were still numb at the end of the nine miles...

P.S. Longhorn, you rock. :) Pedaling a 70-pounder through the hill country, good Lord...

Anyway, y'all would be so proud of me! I rode and rode and rode. I had to walk the steepest hill coming up out of a low-water crossing and I had to stop and rest a couple of times but I kept riding. I even STOOD UP to get up one hill and I have never been able to do that before. But I had no choice as I had run out of gears and didn't have enough power while sitting.

Mr. Longhorn finally caught up to me about half a mile from home so I told him I'd see him there and rode the rest of the way. I guarantee you, I could not have done that a few months ago. So even though I'm a little P.O.'d that my bike isn't working (it's still under warranty, though) I'm proud of myself for making it home. It only took me TWO HOURS! :)


I would like to join the others in offering my sincere congratulations for your epic ride. A true VLCer and a ride that should go into the VLC hall of fame. You know, that is not a bad idea! Maybe, when the VLC becomes the XCC, we should nominate some rides and people for the 2005 VLC hall of fame. What do you think?

I had two deer cross the road right in front of me this morning. They were real close and it was dark so I didn't see them until I was almost on top of them.

Apples are my new nemesis. The trees along the path are depositing them strategically where my wheels want to be. Better keep ahold of those handlebars, cause tagging one of those puppys in the pre-dawn darkness sure gives me a shake.

It was breezy this morning, so there were lots of leaves coming down. When the sun got up and hit this yellow and red shower that I was whisking through, it was just beautiful. Like something out of a movie.

Twigs and branches are mine. It has been howling wind here for the last couple of weeks and there are twigs all over the place. Sometimes, when I hit them, they flip up and catch in my spokes. so far, they have all just broken off, but it may be just a matter of time before one of them doesn't break and I do an endo. :eek:

My only natural nemesis (other than that gravitational constant) is rain soaked bamboo that bends over across the trail. On more than one occasion I have run into bamboo and gotten a face full of water and leaves. I have some fear of walnuts which fall on various parts of the trail. So far it is a small task to avoid them on the ground I don't know what it will be like when they are falling off by the bushel in a good wind. I guess that's what helmets are for!

Mars -- we could certainly have VLC awards. I nominate Longhorn for the True Grit Award -- for sheer tenacity on her commute. Seems kind of appropriate for someone from Texas.

Time to get off of here and get to a list of minor bike repairs. Good riding tomorrow everyone.

I was with just one mate, we just cruised. The total average for the first (to Sorrento) leg was just on 30km/h. I arrived there right on 9am. Waited ages for the ferry. Witnessed one dude's bike almost fall into the briny on the jetty, he had to go down and rescue his helmet which fell into the water. You can imagine all the cheering and taunting. ;)

Average for the day: 28km/h
HR - probably not above 140
Water - 6 bottles, of my own 'jurade'
muesli bars - 6
bananas - 5
gels - 4, then I felt a bit heavy, didn't take em with enough water

Witnessed no magpies. Those 3 cable ties on my helmet probably made them fall off their perch with laughter. The ties got many comments and questions and even more strange looks.

One thing I found a bit strange was the few hill climbs - I absolutely blew by everybody and felt comfy doing it. My commute has made me quite fit for hills.

I actually looked out for your Surly! You were obviously waaaaaaay ahead.

I got my jersey couple days before.

The most striking thing was the number of older riders, who made similar pace to ours, and faster. I discovered Age Is No Excuse. There was even this one OLD guy with a withered leg pedalling very briskly along, and another old chap with his grey son leaving me in their dust.Well done to you - I had a great day, averaging about 30Kmh, but was cruising in some big fast packs! Was just awesome. Saw no big stacks. Down to Sorrento by 8:15, but a much slower leg home, as my knees were killing me. Need to look at my foot position I guess, and maybe adjust, or maybe it was the fact my training had me doing 90Km rides up to it, and my knees weren't ready for it. I went for a trundle on Tuesday, but felt so good, I did a 40Km/ 32Km/h ride.........

Mars -- we could certainly have VLC awards. I nominate Longhorn for the True Grit Award -- for sheer tenacity on her commute. Seems kind of appropriate for someone from Texas.


:o I appreciate the kind words and support of my fellow VLCers but, really, I'm sure my ride would only qualify in the Longhorn Hall of Fame (and I certainly don't mean the University of Texas. ;) ) It was a big deal for me and I'm proud that I didn't give up but I don't mean to sound like it was akin to riding a century or climbing the Blue Ridge Parkway. :)

Your comments sure did make my day and I appreciate it! :beer:

Mr. Longhorn moved my seatpost with attached saddle and rack over to his electric bike (aka my back-up bike :D ) and I had a fantastic ride back to work today. At first I considered taking a shorter route since this bike hasn't been tested that much and I was afraid of another malfunction. But it occurred to me that I proved yesterday that I could keep riding without a motor and going to work is less climbing anyway so I went for it and had an absolute blast! It's amazing how willing I am to push myself when I know I have a motor to "get my back."

Thanks again to the best group on these boards!

Mrs. Longhorn, don't sell yourself short, you've come a remarkably long way since you joined the VLC and now you showed unusual tenacity. I like that. :)


To the Aussie riders in Sydney, if you're doing the 88km Sydney to the Gong MS ride in a few weeks time and want to join me for a bit of a training ride this Sunday morning I will be hitting the F4 freeway at the Wallgrove Rd. intersection at about 5.30AM and will head west up to Springwood, back down to Penrith and then back up to Springwood, then back down and home via Wallgrove Rd again. PM me if you want to make it a team effort :D

I would, but i'm pretty sure i'd die...

Hi everyone, i have been commuting every day, but have been so busy i have't had time to add my reports, but i've been reading your posts with great interest, and as has been said previously, respect to you Mrs Longhorn!!
I missed the monday commute actually as i rode 100 miles on sunday night to go and see a band play ina town up in the hills (Fish/Marillion if anyone remembers/knows of them!!).
Its been a wet and windy week as is normal at this time of year, and I have been encountering lots of branches and sticks in the road (not t mention wet leaves on fast corners!!), which in the pitch dark can be very dangerous unless you have a decent halogen lamp on the front.
Great to be back, have a great weekend all. Dave.

Unmotivated, but still here. :)

Longhorn, I aggree with the others that you should not sell yourseld short. I only ask one question, a year ago today, did you think that you would be able to do the ride on a dead electric bike?

For the Aussies, I am hoping that you are enjoying your spring and soon to be summer. We in the soon to be frozen northern hemisphere will be happy to hear your heat stories.

Has not been a good week for me as I was changing my lightbulb in my cheap performance light and the wiring broke (light was over 3 years old). There is no way that I could re-attach the wires given the limited space. At least on the bright side (and I do mean bright side), I found a good deal on a Light & Motion ARC HID on Ebay. It will be nice going from 10W Halogen to 13.5W HID.

Hopefully I will be up and commuting next week. I will also post the experience riding in excess of 3 times the amount light that my old light produced.

Tibike -- you missed riding this morning in the cold rain? You missed a good one. I tried to convince myself that my tenacity was making the cagers envious as I rode through puddles, car tire spray and the rain, but I don't think I succeeded.

Somehow we need to foster in the public a heroic, stalwart image of bikers who ride through rain and snow. We need to move the public from seeing us as objects of pity to objects of reverence as superior beings. Anyway just a mini-rant as my clothes dry out.

Longhorn, I aggree with the others that you should not sell yourself short. I only ask one question, a year ago today, did you think that you would be able to do the ride on a dead electric bike?

LOL! A year ago, I hadn't even thought of riding a bike, let alone an e-bike. I just started riding in March and I got the e-bike in June. So your point is well taken and thanks! :)

We need to move the public from seeing us as objects of pity to objects of reverence as superior beings.

You mean they don't!?!?!?! :eek:

I thought that people were honking at me and signaling "you're number one" (though with a funny finger) in homage to the heroic and superior Mars.... Huh. Disappointing.

Mars: You will always be my hero :)

Newbie: Definitely missed the rain this morning, but I missed the ride more.....

In sticking with the theme ... Mars, you are the wind beneath my feet.

Why is it that riding around France in the middle of summer on closed roads with thousands of dollars of corporate support, SAG vehicles and groupies earns such admiration while carrying your own gear on the bike through city streets and trails with unconscious or aggressive drivers day in and day out in the middle of winter earns so few accolades? Its just another sign of the weird way we view activities. For instance, climbers who lug thousands of pounds of food and gear up into the Himalayas and spend months trying to conquer a mountain receive almost no notice, while somebody wearing running shorts and a tank top who drives up to the base of a 500 foot cliff and climbs it in less than an hour is worthy of coverage on an extreme sports show? 'Tis a strange world indeed.

:) Tbikefor and Maryland, you guys are psychos! haha!

Another rainy commute home. I was never wetter, even while swimming. Extreme commute #1.

Nature - 1. Home-made booties - 0. I hope my shoes are dry before Monday morning.

Some dickhead had polluted the creek with his old engine oil.