Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Mmm...Mmm...Tasty!

No, not Quiznos.

I had to work late last night, so I had my first night ride home since winter. I was actually looking forward to it, but that quickly changed. Part of my ride is along the river, which apparently has quite a lot of insect activity after dark. For about 7 of the 12 miles I rode there was nothing short of a constant barrage of swarm after swarm of flying critters bouncing off my glasses, getting sucked up my nostrils, sticking to my sweat, etc.

Winter night riding is nice. Summer time, along the river, not so much.

Stop being so picky, those were free protein snacks you just passed up :lol:

I'd still rather have a bunch of bugs in the mouth instead of in my eyes.

A few summers ago in Madison my commute spent three miles or so on a MUP that ran immediately next to a large marsh. For a while I seriously debated wearing a surgical mask or something for that portion, but I eventually just figured out exactly how little I could open my mouth to minimize bug entry while providing adequate oxygen flow. Forget breathing through the nose; I wasn't interested in doing a line of gnats every evening. And yeah, sweaty, bug-covered arms are disgusting.

Bugs, ahhh...they're a fine meal! :twitchy:

This is why I've got the big ol' Sam Elliott cookie duster. It's like a baleen, and the faster I ride the more I can eat.

I ate a bug last night while jogging. I sounded like I was dying trying to hack it back up while running.

What's a "Sam Elliot cookie duster"? I can usually figure out abbreviations and turns of phrase but this one has me flummoxed. I'm still working MUP, too.

We don't have gnats - we have f***-ing gnats.

I used to ride the MUP by the river with one eye shut just to keep it bug free. I wear one contact lens and I would keep that eye shut which kind of compromised my "distance" vision but it was easier to fish bugs out. WalMart had safety glasses for about $4 so I got those instead. Of course, they just fog up with the humidity down there.

Isn't it amazing how the gnats "know" just how high off the ground cyclist's eyes are so they pick that altitude to hover at ?

Yep, pretty disgusting to have those plastered all over you at the end of the ride.

MUP = Multi User Path. Where cyclists end up ceding right of way to pedestrians, skateboarders, skaters, horses, dogs, kids, strollers. But hopefully no motorized vehicles.

What's a "Sam Elliot cookie duster"? I can usually figure out abbreviations and turns of phrase but this one has me flummoxed. I'm still working MUP, too.

Sam Elliott is an actor, and one of his trademark features is his tremendous moustache.

Cookie duster, beer strainer, etc.

I know the feeling. We get them here on the Santa Ana River Trail around dusk and continues until around midnight. However, that's only in the areas that have a lot of vegetation around it. Judging from the other responses, they are everywhere.