A 7-8 mile ride isn't likely to do you any real harm, at least if you're riding at a decent clip. Even when it's 100F, grab a big swig of cold water before you leave, put ice water in your bottle, and take off.


Real thunder and lightning is a good reason to delay leaving work. It's funny, though, how many times I can commute two ways on a "rainy" day and stay dry. Leave 15 minutes early or 20 minutes late and you can often miss the storms. Day-long rains are possible, day-long thunderstorms are pretty rare -- like one or two a year.


Ice and lightning are my no-go's. If we're going to play bumper cars, I want 3,500 pounds on my side.