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A weird omen this morning. A turkey carcass on the MUP, clearly a gruesome kill from the dawn hours. Still gory, not picked by the vultures yet. I'm not informed enough to tell if it was coyotes or a cougar. Those seem most likely but we also have eagles and bobcats, who knows? You could see its leg bones, you could see the trail of blood smears where it was dragged across the MUP. And... an egg. An intact egg that had not been eaten, sitting right in its guts. So strange.
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[MENTION=190611]joeyduck[/MENTION], lovely pictures, beautiful family. The pictures show how I imagine the Canadian Rockies to look.
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Yesterday I kind of have a chill after work evening. Left the office around 5:30 and rode to the gym. Worked out chest and triceps (first time doing that before a ride home... underestimated the impact of "propping" myself on the bars for the ride). After my work out, hit the massage chair. By then, it was close to 7pm, so I rode to Chipotle for dinner and sat out on their patio and enjoyed the sunset. Then rode home for a cool evening 12 mille ride, going past my neighborhood to pick up a few groceries before heading home.
But HERE is the fun part... I'm on a sidewalk/bike path by a stretch of woods. It's pitch black out side and I have my headlight on. I hear something on my left and looked over (scared the crap out of me), but find a deer pacing me in the grass next to the path. She kept pace right next to me for about 75 feet before she turned left and ran into the woods. It was SO COOL! |
Raining and a east wind... at least I remember another pair of undies! Don't mind the rain but that driving rain isn't that fun!
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Originally Posted by esmith2039
(Post 19475303)
Raining and a east wind... at least I remember another pair of undies! Don't mind the rain but that driving rain isn't that fun!
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Comfortably cool, -3C/27F, clear and sunny, which was a bit of a problem at 7:30am as I was riding east directly into the sun as it was coming up over the horizon. I was concerned that I might not be seen by cars behind me, blinded by the sun (a cousin's son, a few years ago, killed a girl who was hitchhiking right at the edge of the road and because she was walking forward, she didn't see his truck approaching too close and he couldn't see her at the edge of the highway as he was blinded by the low evening sun). To this day, he won't travel that section of the highway but will make a detour.
Rain, possibly freezing rain, tomorrow. |
Originally Posted by tlester
(Post 19475317)
Speaking of... Does anyone have any recommendation for rain gear for hot climates? We (Floridians) are about to hit the hot and rainy season. I need something super light weight, breathable (is that possible), and can stow easily.
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Slightly cooler this morning so I wore a long sleeve shirt and light gloves. One impatient driver blew his horn at me. He was upset for having to slow down for like 10-15 seconds until a curve straightened out.
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Originally Posted by jrickards
(Post 19475359)
The problem with rain gear in warm weather is that, for some of us (me), I get too warm inside it and I'm just as wet, so I don't bother with rain gear in the summer. However, I do carry work clothes in a waterproof bag so it doesn't matter if my cycling clothes are wet. I wear my rain gear in the fall and spring when rain can be really cold at times but really, it is only a jacket, overmitts and helmet cover, I don't worry about my legs unless it is close to freezing (below 5C/40F) and then I might reconsider riding altogether.
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Originally Posted by tlester
(Post 19475369)
Yeah... that makes sense. It'll easily be 90+ degrees while it's pouring rain here. The rain will actually feel like a relief. And I do have waterproof panniers. So, I'll have dry clothes when I get to work.
I was on a charity ride last fall, my shoes were outside my tent but under the fly, well, that is, until they fell over and outside of the fly. My dew-soaked shoes, at 7C/45F, were not fun to start the ride in but the day was dry and became very warm within an hour or two so it wasn't a problem for long. |
Originally Posted by tlester
(Post 19475317)
Speaking of... Does anyone have any recommendation for rain gear for hot climates? We (Floridians) are about to hit the hot and rainy season. I need something super light weight, breathable (is that possible), and can stow easily.
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Allergies got worse and worse yesterday, so I left a little early to ride home. Constant nasal drip sucks. As does the idiot passing me on a blind hill. Otherwise nice day for a ride.
I thought I felt better this AM and took the e-bike to work. Got to work, still feel gross. :( |
For shoes, get a small fan under your desk (if possible) and let it blow on the shoes all day. Should be nearly dry in the afternoon.
I actually hope for a rain shower on those hot summer days riding home from work. Always feels nice. |
Rain day, sun day, rain day, sun day... whoever said variety is the spice of life didn't commute by bike. Today is a sun day, 45F - tomorrow another rain day
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Originally Posted by tlester
(Post 19475317)
Speaking of... Does anyone have any recommendation for rain gear for hot climates? We (Floridians) are about to hit the hot and rainy season. I need something super light weight, breathable (is that possible), and can stow easily.
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Uneventful.
A year or more ago I bought some Cannondale panniers from [MENTION=109949]wrk101[/MENTION] which have a logo that matches my head tube, a logo Cannondale only used for a couple of years in the late 90's. Since I finally put a rack on the bike, I can finally use them. Today was the first outing of the left side - right side unneeded and left at home. I was doing math in my head about changing my gearing from a big road triple and 12-27, to a hybrid triple and 11-34. Should work. |
Awesome day for a ride, clear and warm enough for me to start loose. Someone had bumped my KOM on a segment I had made up, that covers the main part of my commute (I called it My Evening Commute), so I decided to try to get it back. Alas, I failed by 23 seconds although I did best my prior recorded effort. My first breathing-hard lactic acid buildup commute of the year, and it felt out of shape :o But I'll get there by Summer.
ps, in case you peeked it's not actually 19.7 mph as Strava thinks but rather slower in reality. I must have wandered a lot when I first recorded it making Strava think it's a longer distance. |
I had the bike packed and I was ready to roll. I heard a strange sound and looked to see what was wrong. It was a flat tire. I did not change the flat tire at 5:30am in the dark and cold (33f degrees). So I put the bike on the car and drove to work. I have plans to get the bike fixed today. I am not the best tire changer so I am going to have someone fix it for me.
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Nothing on the radar, but it looks like it is about to start raining. I made it in dry just fine.
I have one stretch of road that is slightly uphill and some flat. Occasionally I'll try to average 20mph for one mile of that. Today I managed to average 22mph for a mile. Probably one of my fastest for there. |
Another coolish morning but bright and sunny, -4C/25F with a headwind so it felt cooler but I put lobster-style overmitts over my wool gloves and I was fine. I went a different route to explore a path that I occasionally take but it is on the north side of a rise in some woods and the path was still covered with snow so I continued on the clear dirt road instead.
Earlier in the ride, I was on the road and a city bus was approaching me but very, very slowly. As I got closer, I noticed two Canada geese slowly walking down the road in the middle of the bus's lane so I moved over closer to the centre of the road, which got the geese going and they flew off, the driver thanked me. When I returned to my side of the road, I saw a dead white rabbit on the edge of the grass, awww. Although it isn't much, I have ridden 75km this March and with the 9km ride home today and tomorrow's cycling, I'll have exceeded last year's record for March of 84km. I'm currently sitting at 152km for the year. April is #30DaysOfBiking and April 1 is Saturday so I will be out daily for the next 90 days: #30DaysOfBiking in April, the 30x30 David Suzuki challenge in May and then June is Ontario's official Bike Month so I'll try to ride as many days as possible in that month too. Have a great day people, the weather is getting better and better for cycling. |
I was NOT feelin' it this morning, turned out to be a nice ride. Another confirmation of my motto, always ride even if I don't want to! The bonus was I missed the morning thunderstorms
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Originally Posted by arsprod
(Post 19477593)
I was NOT feelin' it this morning, turned out to be a nice ride. Another confirmation of my motto, always ride even if I don't want to! The bonus was I missed the morning thunderstorms
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Originally Posted by KCBikeCommuter
(Post 19477619)
I probably should have taken your advice, but wound up driving. The streets were wet this morning, but I could have made it to work without getting rained on. They are still calling for rain this afternoon, but at less than a 50% chance... I probably should have commuted today.
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Got up early with the intention of taking the long way to work and tacking on an extra 10 miles or so. It was dark, so it wasn't until I rolled the bike out the garage that I noticed it was still drizzling and the roads were wet. Last night the weather said the rain was supposed to stop by 3 AM.
Decided I wasn't motivated enough to tack on extra mileage in the rain. Went back inside and snoozed for 1/2 hour, then I got up and took the direct 8 mile route to work. Most of the drizzle had stopped by then and it was just wet roads. |
Was really nice and sunny today. Although still a little cold at 39F. I was off the bike for the last two days (vacation and WFH). I hear that we are supposed to get 1.2 inches of rain tomorrow and a monsoon. :( So may not ride tomorrow. Will see when I get up and check the weather...
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I was thinking I ought to ride into work, but I feel like I'm not sleeping well, even though the hours of sleep are OK. Riding today would have helped me wake up or would have added to my malaise; I'm not sure which. Also, I have an appointment this evening in midtown and would have to lock my bike up outside. That would probably be OK but I'm hesitant to do that much any more with bike theft being as bad as it is. Crime has gone way down in most US cities, but bike theft is as bad as ever in NYC and Boston and a few other places. It must be because bike thieves are some of the stupidest criminals.
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Dry, 40F. Took the roadbike, left the coat at home. Awesome ride. Very nice to not be shackled by rack/panniers.
It seemed like blinding sun but basically it was thinner clouds to the east and no clouds to the west. This is what passes for sunny and no clouds around here. |
I spent yesterday out on Long Island, planting the garden, so my wife can keep herself busy pulling weeds all summer :lol:. This morning at 5 AM I got on my folding bike under a dark sky full of bright stars and rode to the train station, like every day except that this was not my usual station. I got on the train to NYC, and promptly fell asleep. It was still dark.
Waking up on the train is always a disorienting experience, especially if you're not even sure what train you're on. I woke up just a minute or two before my train disappeared into the tunnel into Manhattan. I opened my eyes to find the whole Manhattan skyline laid out in front of me, illuminated by the sun rising behind me, and it was staggeringly beautiful. I'm not a New Yorker, and I don't love this place like many of its citizens, but wow, what a view. |
I've had a great couple of days. Tuesday after work I rode to the gym, then from the gym I had to go by my eye dr. to pick up my new sunglasses. It was about 7 miles out of my way. I get there with a few minutes to spare... they closed early. :-(
However... it was still a good ride because my alternate route took me past some nice scenery. https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3792/3...499836bf_c.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2916/3...4f20aafc_c.jpg After three days of a lot of miles (for me), I decided to work from home on Wednesday, but still stuck to my "no-car week" goal. I went out in the afternoon and road to the eye dr. and finally got my new shades and then road to the pool. About 8 miles. Swam some laps then fell asleep in the sun by the pool (sorry northern folks). https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3946/3...bee6e5d0_c.jpgUntitled by Thomas Lester, on Flickr https://c1.staticflickr.com/4/3941/3...90d5c906_c.jpg I the road back out to get some dinner and put in another 10 miles or so for the night. https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2825/3...7020154d_c.jpg Today was a great ride into the office. Beautiful weather... has been all week. I'm trying to enjoy as much of it as I can before it starts to feel like we are colliding with the sun. This weekend will be the toughest part of my no-car week as I'm on the outskirts of town... technically... in another county. So, for entertainment this week, I'll be putting in 20-30 mile rides each way (if I go to the movies, the mall... or my favorite bike shop's annual customer appreciation sale). |
Fantastic! No gators in any of those waterbodies?
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