Pacific Northwest - bike to work month - they won't all be like this

I just woke up after falling asleep on the couch after dinner...that was one tough commute home tonite. It felt like a long uphill climb the whole way home.

Rain starting to fall, winds increasing in strength while heading east from Bellevue. Spent most of my time hunkered down on the drops fighting headwinds constantly working to keep my line as gusts tried to push me into the street or off into the ditch. I chose a route that kept me off the busiest stretches so I took the Lake Alice road for example. Trees creaking, looking up watching out for falling branches made me forget about how steep the climb was but that (in my mind anyways) was better than getting blown into a car on hwy 202. Big raindrops started to pelt me on the snoqualmie ridge driven by wind so it felt like hail. I was soaked and tired when I finally got to my home in North Bend. Hopefully, since this stormfront came in a little quicker than expected, it'll blow out before the morning commute tomorrow. I'd sure like to get thru May with an unbroken streak of bike commutes.

Glad you made it home OK! :thumb:

Sounds just like a few of my commutes in December and January. :D

This evening's commute defnitely felt like November or December...I was glad I thought to pull out my booties and full finger gloves this morning...

Sounds like I got lucky. My usual winter riding is tailwinds home, tonight no exception. It was also barely drizzling when I left work, didn't change much on the way home. Whew!

Here's hoping everyone else got home safely. :thumb:

I took a well-timed business trip to Miami this week. Kinda sunny and hot. Hope you're jealous.


However, my "bike to work" team expects me to be on the pavement (wet or dry) by 7 a.m. Wednesday. Am going to bring some sunshine with me...

It wasn't very windy down here in Oregon, but man was the rain coming down! I have to say though, I actually enjoyed it. Plus, I just bought a new messenger bag today (Novara Buzz), so it was good weather to test its rain worthiness -- it passed with flying colors.

The REI where I work (Eugene) is currently winning the "REI bike-to-work-month challenge"! Hooray!

It wasn't very windy down here in Oregon, but man was the rain coming down! I have to say though, I actually enjoyed it. Plus, I just bought a new messenger bag today (Novara Buzz), so it was good weather to test its rain worthiness -- it passed with flying colors.

I woke up around 11.30 in the morning, thought it was not such a bad day.
A few hours later, it was pouring non-stop. It definitely stopped me from riding for the day. :(

I woke up around 11.30 in the morning, thought it was not such a bad day.

Yeah, at around 11:30 I thought it would be an OK day to make the 11 mile round trip run to REI to pick up the aforementioned messenger bag. I didn't get out of the office until around 12:30...just a light drizzle on the way there, but coming back it was starting.

I beat the rain yesterday, but just barely. A few light sprinkles were starting to fall at 4:30 when I topped out on Redmond Ridge.
The biggest issue was the wind! I've been commuting on my singlespeed, and the wind was a total butt-kicker yesterday. Heading into Redmond from Wilmot-Gateway Park on the Sam. River Trail the wind was straight into my face for 6 miles. Then it was sort of a crosswind/downhill draft as I turned to make my way up Novelty Hill.

Too bad I have a crosstown meeting this afternoon and couldn't ride to work. The weather this morning was dreadful; but just the sort of thing I love riding in (when it's warm!)

The wind yesterday was the butt kicker for me. Thi smorning rain yuck, just when am I going to be able to put away the winter gear :D

Just missed rain last night, mostly just drizzle with a gusty side-wind. This morning wind out of southwest at my back. Hit 31 mph downhill at one point which freaked me out b/c it was just too fast for road and conditions and then 22 or so with no effort at all northbound on Marginal. I left home a bit later than normal, but arrived at work a little early, thoroughly soaked. :)

This evening's commute defnitely felt like November or December...I was glad I thought to pull out my booties and full finger gloves this morning...

At least it's warmer, although in truth a real pineapple express would be even more comfy. Kills me watching the tulips, dogwoods, cherries/apples getting hammered by the wind/rain though. I'm feeling shortchanged by spring.

Yeah, at around 11:30 I thought it would be an OK day to make the 11 mile round trip run to REI to pick up the aforementioned messenger bag. I didn't get out of the office until around 12:30...just a light drizzle on the way there, but coming back it was starting.

Yeah, this rain needs to stop. :(

This morning wasn't bad. It rained on me, but at least it wasn't windy like it was on Monday and Tuesday. I really dogged it this morning, though. I was about 10 minutes longer than I usually am. Recovery from the last couple of days, I say.

The sun's supposed to come out on Friday.

I took a well-timed business trip to Miami this week. Kinda sunny and hot. Hope you're jealous.


However, my "bike to work" team expects me to be on the pavement (wet or dry) by 7 a.m. Wednesday. Am going to bring some sunshine with me...

I see you brought back the liquid variety :lol: .

East Hill

:lol:

Liquid sun was coming down hard tonite as I was slogging up the snoqualmie falls hill. A woman in a honda slows down next to me, rolls down her window and asks "do you need a ride?". "No thanks" I reply and she drives away looking very puzzled. One of the guys on my bike to work team got hit by a low flying goose today on the ride in. Strange times.

I see you brought back the liquid variety :lol: .

East Hill

Yes, I did.

Just got home - soggy ride in this morning, then got poured on for about 10 minutes right after I left work tonight. The rest of the ride home wasn't so bad. Going to go do a load of soggy laundry right now...