Nice warm temps, 0C/32F but that does havoc to the bit of snow on the ground, it has gotten soft and my legs feel like I was pushing 300Watts for the whole ride as my wheels had to plow through the remaining snow.

Similar temps on the way home but it is dropping overnight to a low of -13C/9F so back to "normal" tomorrow.

I guys!

Still alive! the last 18 mo were very rough. Bad professionals decisions ( 6 different jobs in 18 months) and a divorce.
My new jobs ( since mid august ) is very nice, I stopped looking for salary and I found peace of mind at work (with a big salary drop!!!). I stopped commuting by bike for 10 of those 18 months. The new job is 38kms away from my home ( which will eventually change location since I'm divorcing) It's too far for me in my present physical and psychological condition but I can park the car in the church's parking lot of a an in between village and that give me a 25.1 kms trip (one way).
I did it 3-4 times a week before the snow started (no more winter bike for me for a while).

So anyway I'm starting feel a lot better.

Just want to say that I was very very touched (sincerely) that you guys remembered me.

I still follow my favorite threads once or twice a week and I'll post more often when the spring comes

Happy holidays to you all

Marc Simard

Hey Marc: Glad to know you're still around and sorry to hear of your troubles, I hope things turn around for you. Looking forward to hearing more in the spring (meh, 38km each way is no big deal!! :lol: ).

I took yesterday off and also saw Star Wars The Last Jedi with the wife. It was ok but was pretty long. My rear end starts to hurt in the seat if I don't move in the chair a bit. :( I think some scenes could have been deleted like Luke filling up his water bottle on the island. :rolleyes: Not the best but also not the worst.

Rode in today. Was pleasantly surprised with a warm and balmy ~49F this morning. Saw a tiny bit a rain on the drive but felt none on the bike. I felt a little over dressed but thought it would be cooler. Oh well...

:lol:

[MENTION=297562]dramiscram[/MENTION], that's rough. I divorced my first wife long ago. I knew it was the beginning of things getting better, but the transition was the worst hell in my life. My life has improved in huge ways since then. Good luck to you.

Thank goodness for google translate! Today was mirror of yesterday - 42F, wet, foggy, 10mph headwind. I had a flat last night (in the back of course) and pulled out what looked like a chunk of glass. Turns out it was a piece of road salt - big sucker! Yay winter...

Patchy dense fog this morning was just dense fog, the whole way in. I spent half the ride trying to wipe my glasses clear. Had all the lights going like it was night time, and had to navigate traffic by sound as much as by sight. Do you know how hard it is to see a gray car without lights in a dense fog?!?


All that fog made me wonder, how are we going to get 2-3" of rain the next few days if there's no wind to bring a front through? Sure, it was dripping, but it's hard to get a good accumulation from fog falling out of the sky.


Interesting part was the single chokepoint on my ride. It's never a problem, since all the traffic means everybody goes slowly, so I can easily make a left turn and merge. Except this morning; traffic was so light all the cagers were flying, and I had to wait to hit a good gap!

Same for me, except she divorced me. It does get better, lots better with time.

It may not have been 2 weeks since my last commute, but with the better weather today I decided to ride and was reminded how quickly atrophy can set in. Again.

The rule of thumb I used to use was double the days off to get back in shape. So a week off might take two weeks to tune yourself back up. Not sure how true that is. Also wouldn't apply for overtraining (or overreaching). I've been a little inconsistent with my cyclecommuting as of late and have felt a little out of it. Its all good and you will get back into that "great feeling" soon. ;)

As long as the weather holds up!

I left early and did an extra loop and I'm at 999 miles for the year. @#$%!!!!

Edit: wife has told me I must ride tomorrow to beat 1000. This will ruin the symmetry of the final accounting but it will put me over the target level. Accountant vs poet

I wimped out on a today's rain. It isn't raining heavily, but is supposed to continue all day long. My wife was awake and offered to bring me in and pick me up after (one car family). I agreed and had time for a stop at Dunkin Donuts for an egg croissant and dessert.

In my defense, I did go for a run in the drizzle before deciding to bail on the bike ride.

Well normal temps are back (sigh), 31F. Only one more day of commuting for 2017

Started out in the rain, waived my wife's offer to drive me. Worked out well, since the rain stopped a couple miles into the ride and my knee warmers were almost dry by the time I got to work!


Carolina wrens must be having a convention. I haven't heard many songbirds this month (blue jays and mockers excepted), but right as I back the bike out of the garage a wren sounded off almost overhead. A couple more (well, not a couple, two more that weren't a couple) were singing before I hit downtown, and another one on the far side. Good to hear near the shortest day of the year!

NE wind this morning.. always rough ride in. Last night sucked though. The light rail won again, I've fallen 4 times and 3 of those are do to the light rail. Whoever thought to put the preferred bike trail and the light rail in the same block.. I have some ideas for that person. They could of went a block over easily. 90 degree approach only!!

[MENTION=297562]dramiscram[/MENTION] Marc I am sorry to hear about the rough patch and I hope that it starts to smooth out and get better. I hope this holiday season brings some peace and relaxation.

Thanks a lot. It's already a lot better.

For my last ride this year I dusted off Dad’s Paramount and I’m glad I did. There’s just something about this bike that makes it feel like a direct connection from foot to tire tread, and make it a pleasure. I can’t figure out the secret ingredient because so much of it doesn’t suit me. Some magic interaction of 1976-premium frame and wheel set...

Back on the bike after wimping out yesterday. I would have been fine biking home as the rain stopped before 5. It did rain all day though.

Schools are out for the holiday and thus traffic was light this morning. I must have had a tailwind in some parts too as I had a couple of faster miles and averaged 16.5mph. I'm normally happy if I get 16mph. A comfortable 45F was warm enough that I just wore shorts.

Last commute of the year, so I'd better make it a memorable one. Tomorrow I'm taking my wife to see her family over Christmas and I won't be back to work until after the 1st.

Weather was 22F with a 30 mph north wind which drove the windchill down. Of course, that's the direction I was heading this morning. They are predicting up to 3" of snow by the end of the day, which was supposed to start coming down about 4 AM. When I left for work there was a dusting on the ground and you could see occasional flakes in the air. Unless things pick up significantly in the next few hours I think we'll be well short of the prediction.

Today's accomplishments:

• With today's commute I didn't drive to work a single time in 2017.
• Currently at 433 consecutive days ridden to work.
• 189 miles ridden in December, which is a new December record for me (previous was 179.5.) December mileage is lower than other months because we always travel the last week or two in December, and often weather causes me to take more direct routes and run fewer errands via bicycle.
• 3462 total commuting miles for 2017. Down a little bit from the last two years, but still 3.5k miles I didn't put on my truck.

Today's challenges:

• My wife was unusually chatty this morning, wanting to discuss details about our travel. As a result, I was late getting out the door.
• I had prepped and prepared the winter bike, expecting snow today. Slow, slow ride,
• Got three blocks from home and could sense something wasn't quite right. Then it occurred to me I'd forgotten to put my helmet on. Rode back home and grabbed it.
• While I was in the garage grabbing my helmet I heard a clatter. A gust of wind came strong enough to knock my bike off its kickstand. No damage, thankfully.
• Between getting out the door late, the vicious headwind and the studded tires, I was 15 minutes late to work. So my hopes of leaving a bit early tonight are probably dashed.

Weather report said "cloudy" but the out-the-window weather report was fog. Turns out the out-the-door weather report was something like "slowly falling mist" or "precipitating fog." Pretty aggravating because I kept needing to wipe the droplets off my glasses.


It's supposed to clear up later today -- I may take off a few hours early to celebrate, the long way home.



I've done that twice this year already. Once was the first day I wore a skull cap, the second was the day I needed the balaclava. Something about "there's already something on my head" let me out the door without the helmet. The strange thing is, the last couple of days have been warm but wet, so I put on a cycling cap for the bill to try to keep my glasses clear. With the cap it felt like I needed the helmet on top, so no problem remembering it.

Happy solstice! My last rides of the year too. I didn't think I'd make it to 4,000 this year but just checked, 4,029... woohoo...

24F, sunny. Usually I try to see what is the least amount of clothing I can get away with, today I just loaded up, a mid-weight shirt over a light weight one, and a fleece hat under my helmet instead of the usual baseball hat...