I am back to work after four days off. Office was closed for Good Friday, then I went to Boston to run the marathon there. It was a great experience, but I had a rough go of the 26.2 miles.

It was quite foggy, damp and a cool 56F this morning. My arm and leg hairs were beaded with water and my helmet kept dripping. The sunny, 80F degree afternoon will be quite the change. It was good to get the legs moving again, though the quad soreness is definitely still there.

They say that getting that BQ is the work. Actually running is like the dessert...though I don't think I'd consider running 26.2 miles dessert.

What was you finishing time?

Was a wet and rainy 51F this morning. I decided against the rain jacket but wished I had it at times. No matter, its going to be a nice and sunny 62F this afternoon. Also am trying to use the "balled up paper towel in the shoe" trick to get them drier for the ride home.

Very pleasant today, upper 60's this morning, low 80's this afternoon with a tail wind. I rode the e-bike today which meant I was able to leave the house at close to 6:30 instead of 6 AM and still have plenty of time. That's always nice. :thumb:

I was expecting to ride home yesterday afternoon in rain but it didn't rain until late in the even and through the night which meant a rainy ride in to work but again, I missed it and the wetness was just water kicked up by my tires from the road. I'm wondering if my luck will hold out and I'll ride home without rain but now, I've probably jinxed that.

It was 4C/39F and damp of course so I wore my rain jacket to keep dry and because it wasn't that cold, I wore just a base layer of a long-sleeved merino shirt (a very light layer) and my buff, not on my head like a beanie but around my neck like a neck gaiter. Even dressed as light as that, with my jacket unzipped about 15cm/6" down from the top, I was still sweating a bit by the time I arrived at work. I was wearing fleece lined cycling tights with padded shorts underneath so that would have contributed to my body warmth but I don't have rain pants that I could have worn without tights underneath, just shorts. Therefore, I don't know how much more I can get rid of at these temps and in rainy, or at least wet, conditions to keep myself from sweating after only about 25 minutes of riding. In the summer, for commuting, I'd just bring a second set of jersey, shorts and socks and accept warm rain but 4C and wet might be a bit tough to go without rain protection. There's supposed to be some rain next week so maybe I'll try no tights and see how I do.

Saw two different fellows on two different days this week salmoning and I asked them both to ride on the right side of the road (a residential street with no traffic at the time). Both complied. I told my wife about these salmons and she replied, "Well, it's good they don't give you a badge or you'd be ticketing every cyclist in town". :lol:

Some guy in a white pickup pulling a big boat passed close, but worse he had a bilge pump or something going and water was gushing out the side. Like a fire hose. :mad: This was just outside of a cul-de-sac office center - he couldn't have just pumped it out at the edge of the parking lot??

That guy deserves and old stinky sandwich and some rotten eggs on his windshield.

Another rainy one like yesterday. Maybe a little colder but didn't really notice it at ~49F. The rain should stop by 9am or so I've heard. Had some excitement on the ride home yesterday. Coming up to St Nicholas and 162nd St, I heard a "thud" sound in the distance. Then cycling past 163rd St, I heard scraping and a siren from a cop car. I then saw a what I think was a Dodge Charger speeding down the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street between 162nd and 163rd. Then the car swerved off the sidewalk went across the intersection and down St Nicholas St (on my side of the street). An unmarked police car (dectective?) was right behind it from the sidewalk with the sirens on. I'm guessing that the car was stolen and the guy was trying to lose the police in a chase. I would be amazed that they didn't hit anyone since they were both going pretty fast. Another crazy day in the big bad city...

He deserves something, not vandalism but I'll bide my time and allow karma to make the balance. After all, we're (most likely) on the same road all the time and eventually a situation will arise where it comes back on him.

I was just amazed, the last thing I expected by an office during morning rush hour was to be flushed by a boat.

Due to heat and some leg cramps, I had to slow quite a bit from what I was hoping to run. I finished in 3 hours 50 minutes. Not horrible, but way off of my BQ time.

I saw the clouds and possible rain coming before I left work. I made it 10+ miles before it caught me on the last 3 of my ride home. It was warm enough though.

Nice enough ride in this morning except for one spot on the new MUP. I only occasionally take that as part of my route. They had a 10 foot or so section fenced off for repairs (hopefully correcting some drainage issues). The path around was a bit muddy due to the rain. I hopped off and walked it to prevent major mud on the bike. Instead, my shoes got a bit on them. Oh well.

33F. Pea-soup at home. Usually when that kind of fog is coming off the water, it is coming from the NE and it is all the way to work. Otherwise it comes from the NE, hits a ridge, and doesn't reach my house. Today the fog was apparently coming more from the SW so when I hit that ridge, sudden bright sun!

Good ride, a new personal record on my Strava commute segment! 19.8 average. Yay.

The last few days the weather was quite windy. But strong headwinds do not tell me if I ride my bike or not, they only suggest me what to wear on the commute.

Apart from that, a total of five more idiots I can add to the 2017 collection :notamused:

:commute: Stats:ride:2017 :saweeet:
-------------------

Near Misses: 1

Idiots met: 12



SCR FCN: 16

SCR score for today's commute:
- AM: 16+0-0 = 16
- PM: 16+0-0 = 16

SCR total score for 2017:
0

My first commute in over a week due to having my daughter's dog at the house and him liking to walk so much. I walked him instead of riding. I miss my riding. The commute was very nice with the temp at 40f degrees and its getting light so early. I am going to be able to extend my morning ride after Wednesday when the rain leaves.

Quite the rainy Sunday and Sunday night. I was watching the radar and it appeared to be about to end. I like to leave a little before 7, but waited until about 7:10 today for it to stop raining. Wet roads but no real rain on me. More may come this afternoon though. Cooler at 52F.

And it's Monday.

Out of town trips last week, great to be back on the bike since last Wednesday. Pleasant 47F, would be more pleasant if not for the driver who argued with me to in front of her at a crossing. What is with these people - no means no!

I had a very nice commute into work this morning. This was the first time in a while I rode in. Yesterday, I rode the Tour de Staten Island, a very large group ride around New York City's eternally forgotten borough. I rode with my friends Andy (@ascherer) and Weiben (@wilfried) and Andy's cow-orker Andre. We did the 50 mile route. I did the ride with insufficient sleep, and I was underdressed, so when I got home, I was chilled and fatigued. Still sore and tired, I pushed myself to ride in today, and so far, it feels like I made a good choice.

This morning, I took this shot under the George Washington Bridge. There is a children's book called The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, and it's a semi-fictional story about these two things. It's a picturesque spot, and if you zoom in, you can see two people sitting on a bench in front of the lighthouse. The lighthouse is truly small for a lighthouse, but it performed its duty for years before it was built in 1931.

https://ridewithgps.com/photos/2408315/large.jpg

44F and drizzle. I got off to a late start while wrestling with the urge to drive (justification beyond ever-increasing lateness and drizzle was to drop a kitchen sink at a scrapyard to recycle it). Nevertheless I persisted, and rode in the rain. And then remembered I need to go grocery shopping for a big bag of potatoes. Will see if I divert on a my ride home to a store for potatoes, or get home, change, and then go out again... at least, with the rain, I do have the bike w/ rack and panniers so should be able to find room for 10# of spuds, unlike Friday which was a roadbike/backpack day.


ps-> nice to see the little red lighthouse! We have a watercolor of that in the hall among our bedrooms, from the inlaws, a gift for our son. They sail around it from Long Island a time or 3 per year.

Great weather here, and I had a new problem today - the main zipper on my favorite backpack failed. Fortunately nothing was lost and I got 22 years worth of use out of it.

The lighthouse performed its duty before the lighthouse was built? hmmmm... or did you mean when the bridge was built?? :lol:

Oops. Of course that's what I meant.

Hello, this is my first post on the “How was your Commute” forum!! Totally psyched.

So, commuting to my bus driving job in north Seattle (technically, Shoreline, WA) has its ups and downs. Hilly, winding roads, aggressive motorists, and everybody and their brother is flocking here for who knows why, but it’s making things get a little gummed up traffic wise.

It’s been two years next month since I’ve commuted by bike. May 2015 was not the greatest month, endo-ing the bike and separating my clavicle due to a poorly and carelessly attached ancient Jandd pannier. The pavement really wanted to meet my left shoulder that day... my helmeted head didn't even graze, skid, or otherwise touch the cement, so there's that to be thankful for.

Breezed to work last Friday with just a hint of trepidation at a repeat shoulder-pop episode. The chances of that are slim to nil, but there’s the lingering flashbacks and occasional regret that keep me focused on ultra safety.

Considering spending a mint on a Rivendell saddlebag if I can keep consistent. That’ll be incentive for sticking to it! Or maybe spending two mints on a Magic Pie.

Nice to read everyone’s posts!

Welcome back! I'm interested in hearing how the pannier caused a crash. I had a similar situation happen a year ago with a front fender stay that got loose, strayed, and got caught in the knobby tire side treads, seizing the bike's momentum completely and sending me over the bar. Similar injury to yours.

More rain yesterday from about 10am to midnight or later. My wife rescued me from work so I didn't have to ride home in it. But back on this morning with still wet roads. I left early and hit the weights at the gym for a little bit. Still some chances of rain today, but the rest of the week looks sunny with highs in the 80s.

Welcome! 53F, totally boring, normal commute this morning... boring is good!

Upper 50's this morning.. shorts weather! Looking forward to carrying less clothes! Going to start ramping up mileage.

It's getting time of year when the rising sun in the east is a hazard for drivers (and me). There's one section of my commute where I am going straight into the sun. I worry that drivers will have a hard time seeing. It's only about a three week window where this happens. After that the sun moves further north and earlier.

Each season has it's own issues.

You're braver than me - I refuse to do that. I'll get on the sidewalk, or change my schedule, but not ride straight into the low sun.

I should have ridden to work today. The weather was threatening, but now I see I would have been just fine.

there has been an explosion of gnat-like insects on the northside of chicago over the weekend. the little bastards are all over the place.

i don't normally ride with glasses, but the fact that i've taken a gnat to the eye on each of my last 3 commuting legs has me reconsidering.