I once rode up to a drive-thru ATM while a security guard was reloading it. It suddenly occured to me that I was wearing a face mask, and I had a Zefal HPX frame pump strapped under my top tube. I quickly made a point of telling the guard that I was unarmed!!!

My favorite hardcore story was when I was in college and I went out on a day when the wind chill was zero. I missed a turn (it was a new route), and ended up doing 50 miles that day. I had to stop at a convenience store and cook my water bottles in their microwave for a minute to thaw them out. Ah, to be young and stupid again... as opposed to middle-aged and stupid like I currently am. :)

Man did you ever jyxn me! I didn't bother to look at the news at 3:00am today. I ride over the top of this hill (in full gear) to see a state police road block. Then 4 State Troopers surrounded me. I'm like WTF. :eek: I say to myself oh great! I left my ID at home and I got bear spray hanging off my pack. They let me go after running my name. While sitting in the black and white all I could think of was this thread. OH THE JOY!!! The news story.

Sunoco robbed
Gunman accosts clerk, flees with cash
By DAN HEATH, Staff Writer
PLATTSBURGH — Reportedly brandishing a handgun, a robber held up the Sandri Sunoco Convenience Store on Route 3 early Sunday morning.

No one was injured; the man fled with an undisclosed amount of cash.

In a press release, police reported the robber entered the store at 543 Upper Cornelia St. (next door to Jreck Subs) and demanded the contents of the cash register.

The clerk behind the counter at the time told police the man held what appeared to be a handgun.

The man is described as a white male, between 5 feet 10 inches and 6 feet tall, with a husky build and wearing a hooded sweatshirt.

The investigation of the robbery continued Sunday night. Anyone with any information about the incident is asked to call the New York State Police in Plattsburgh at 563-3761.

No additional details were available from police Sunday. The manager of the store did not return calls.

The link http://www.pressrepublican.com/Archive/2005/01_2005/011720051.htm

Chewa wrote:

"I think my wife thinks I'm a candidate for a Darwin award."

Sometimes my wife expresses her admiration for my riding through the winter and, at other times, she gives me the "Darwin" look.
Kinda hard to explain, but I think chewa has seen it. :)

My ears nearly fell off this morning.

No snow, but 20 F with some crazy ***** windchill. Let me put it this way: there's a steep hill that I normally hit 30 mph on without pedaling. Today I was maxing out at 12 mph pedaling like crazy, that's how strong the wind was. It shot up under my hat and froze my head.

Does that make me badass? Er... probably not, but it hurt ;)

I go to mostly utilitarian riding in the winter. The wind chills are something crazy here even with the protection of the buildings on campus, and the roads are always wet/slushy/icy. Mountain biking is not an option with my current setup, so I ride my brakeless street fix everywhere I need to go with the exception of the grocery, when I usually have too much stuff to carry. Once it warms up about 10 more degrees, I'll consider some recreational rides.

I felt like a badass this morning riding in with the temps hovering right at zero, which is about as cold as it gets in Pittsburgh.

I enjoyed the looks I got when I walked into the office building and headed over to get a cup of tea.

Someone asked me if I was cold and I said, "Well, once you get below 20, there's not much of a difference." (Which, in my limited experience, is true down to 2.)

Today I actually did feel like a badass. I was riding in a 35 zone on my fixed and brakeless commuter, in a 3-4 degree windchill and I was nearly keeping up with the cars for a mile of this straight shot. I have no way of knowing, but I think I was moving at about 26-27. A lot of looks ensued.

Single digits this morning, windchill like 20 below. I have to admit, I felt badass today. Especially when EVERYONE in the group that usually goes to lunch wussed out and walked half a block to the diner instead of the usual 5-6 blocks that we walk.
I walked in at the same time that the VP of the company was going out for a cup of coffee and later he came down and said, "man, you're one sick mother."

Because of this huge cold front that's blasting down from the north, everyone who commuted this week is badass! ;)

MORE WINTER! MOOOORRRE!!! :D

Only if it is dry. We roadies can't be badass unless the roads let us.

Only if it is dry. We roadies can't be badass unless the roads let us.

700x35c Nokians :)
http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/images/products/tires/Hak700x35topview.jpg

I doubt I´d be called badass as I´m not the only person in Iceland riding a bike at this time of year. (almost no one else though) but I am the only one riding with my violin on my back. :D

i couldn't take the poll, because there wasn't an option for those of us whose new year's resolution it was to ride to work once a week every week, no matter what. i'm not sure how many miles it is (7? 10? more?), but it takes me about 40 minutes from my apartment in south minneapolis to get to work in st. louis park, and it's greenway all the way.

this is probably sweeter than bad-ass, but i saw a fox the other day on my ride. that was pretty great.

lately, on the way in, while pedalling against the wind and usually optimistically under-dressed, i've taken to the following mantra:

just keep pedalling
just keep pedalling
don't worry about where you are
you'll figure it out when you get there.

i should note that i ride fixed gear, so my legs definitely feel the long commute. thus the resolution.

I doubt I´d be called badass as I´m not the only person in Iceland riding a bike at this time of year. (almost no one else though) but I am the only one riding with my violin on my back. :D

Now if it were a cello...

Here I thought I was just crazy riding in the snow.
Did get some looks today to suggest I was.

i'm not sure how many miles it is (7? 10? more?), but it takes me about 40 minutes from my apartment in south minneapolis to get to work in st. louis park, and it's greenway all the way. this is probably sweeter than bad-ass, but i saw a fox the other day on my ride. that was pretty great.

lately, on the way in, while pedalling against the wind and usually optimistically under-dressed, i've taken to the following mantra:

just keep pedalling
just keep pedalling i should note that i ride fixed gear, so my legs definitely feel the long commute.
I just went from a Trek 520, to a fixed gear mountain style bike, with studded tires. I know what you mean about the effort. I've never had to push the pedals very hard before. I still forget what I'm riding occasionally and "coast", which means that my whole body is lifted up and then pulled back down. I ride almost every day, and try to traverse lakes Hariet and Calhoun, just for the fun of it. I'm glad that you're finding the ride sweet, at least part of the time.

Even a lot of my biker coworkers think I'm crazy for riding in this relatively mild Seattle weather; even though they're far more "environmental activist" than I am. Don't quite get it...