Bike to work day (BTWD) here in the DC area and it is a beautiful morning! Coffee, cupcakes, cookies, fruit, etc. Got some nice bike lights too! I used to hate BTWD because I hated the crowds on the MUP but now I go early and embrace it. Like another rider said, I try to not let the newbies and other folks on the trail bother me. We are all just trying to have fun. I saw a few parents with their kids and they were giving them instruction on MUP and bike etiquette, which was nice to see.

There was very little participation here. One Bike shop did a couple of rides over the week, but nothing specific for actual commuters.

Yea, pretty anti-climatic for me.

I read that as, "By The Way day"

Great attitude. The few MUPs here are much less crowded than you see, and none are designated as bike only. But I do see the occasional dog walker or chatty walking ladies who are oblivious to someone coming from behind. I just slow down, try to announce my presence and say, "Good morning," as I go by.

There is one guy and one woman (not together) who pass me on the MUP and always say "good morning". It makes me feel good and I respond with a good morning. I don't mind a bell or other sound, but the good morning is a nice touch. Then there is the crotchety guy who when I pass him and I give my bell a single ding, he rings his bell repeatedly as if annoyed. Now, I say hello to him.

[MENTION=39973]Allycat24[/MENTION], you reminded me there are parties today here in The City called Bike Home From Work. Maybe I should stop in on one, though I didn't ride to work today.

The Hudson River Greenway has such complex dynamics. On the bike-only portion, there are some joggers who don't bother me at all, because they keep to the extreme right and are very aware in all directions. Together, the cyclists and the good joggers make it like a human powered autobahn with strict discipline. The tourists and occasional users are the annoying ones. Some probably know they're not supposed to be there and carry an attitude, though most probably don't know. I'm really trying to let this go, because people will be people, which means we're going to be imperfect. I'm not sure why there are so many pedestrians there. Maybe the pedestrian portion is less visible, or maybe the path it takes is less convenient. And besides, just because I read all signs and markings doesn't mean others will.

In one of the multi-use portions of the path, there is a green line that is one-third of the way over. The skinny one-third is for pedestrians in both directions, and the two-thirds portion is for cyclists in both directions. Here, an easy to understand mistake is to believe that each side of the line is for cyclists. So when I'm headed south, with the pedestrian portion on my right, people pedaling north think I'm supposed to be on the other side of the line, so they come towards me in my space. My reflex is to think they're inattentive or rebellious, but I'm learning to let this go. The markings are slightly ambiguous, and even if someone wanted to be a good citizen, it's an easy mistake to make. BREATHE!

55F. Overcast, but blue skies were visible from the right angle/elevation.

I put my warmer bike clothes away earlier this week, and got them out again for today's ride. I was lucky to get out the door before it stated raining, not good weather for one of the bike to work days.

Ugh, I don't think I've done any exercise at all for over a week. Rode today, and it was nice, but tough on the hills.

There's a faint clicking noise once per pedal revolution which I have tracked down to coming from my own knee. It's not painful, but is disconcerting. Anyone else deal with that? Any stretches or exercises to alleviate it? Getting old, I guess.

I get knee clicks when going down stairs and occasionally when pedaling. Haven't worried about it or done anything to fix or prevent.

Don't ignore it. Repetitive injuries can accumulate. I recently discovered that walking with my toes out has injured me. Now I keep them pointed forward. To do it properly, they have to feel (to me) like they're pointed in. I can now walk down stairs much more easily and quickly.

I had a bike mechanic align my cleats, and that keeps my toes pointed forward. It protects the knees.

Bike to work week is over, but I rode to work anyway. We are rebels without our cars.

Friday after work I planned to meet the wife and kids for dinner at a place about 2 miles from the office. But they couldn't get there until 6:30, leaving me almost an hour and half to get there. The two mile trip turned into 18 miles plus a break on a bench by the lake.

A chilly 47F... how quickly I get soft when the weather warms. I could tell the fair weather riders this morning - they all had shorts on!

it was a bottle day this morning.

mid-50's, bright blue cloudless skies, calm winds.

perfection! not bad for a monday morning.





that might not be the best system for discerning who the fair weather riders are.

i'm a fairly hardened 4 season bike commuter in chicago (8 year under my belt) and i don't bother with tights unless the temps are under 40.

You're probably right... but this 4 season rider is a wimp!

55F and sunny. Deer standing blocking the trail when I turned to get onto it. We stared each other down and then when I went to get my phone to take a picture he stepped into the woods and jumped across the freeway offramp.

It was warm enough for shorts for me this morning, and I saw another roadie on my way in. That's 3 in 2 weeks, way more than usual.

It was a pretty day today, and I felt like taking pics on the commute home. I commute a couple/few times a week, pretty much on multi-user paths. So, here you go.

Heading out toward Sun Valley from Ketchum to add on a little hill and some scenery over the Elkhorn area.


The big bad bald one. (Bald Mountain as seen from Dollar)


Remains of the half-pipe still hanging out on Dollar. Takes a lot of snow to make that thing.


At the top.


Cruising down through Elkhorn. You can see "The Bowls" of Bald mountain peeking through.


The Big Wood River is running high and muddy! It will be a bit before fly fishing starts. This about mid-valley, mid-commute.


A little detour through the Valley Club north of Hailey. Breaks up the ride nicely, and gets me out of the headwind when there is one.


Nearing Hailey. Often a big headwind here. You can see how this used to be the railroad.


Nearly home. The northern outskirts of Hailey.


11-ish miles one way. About 500 feet elevation gain in the morning and descent in the evening. Pretty nice commuting!

Yesterday the family and I went biking along an old rail line and over a refurbished trestle. We did about 16.5 km on a mix of gravel and dirt roads. My son went behind my wife on the trail-a-bike and my daughter rode in the trailer behind me. Over all it was a nice ride, we crossed the trestle in our first km or so and then it was void of almost anyone.

I decided to try and put my clipless pedals on to help with my gimp left leg. I put the pedals on the night before and rode around the neighborhood and I had no problems getting in or out of them with either foot, I was glad that it wasn't something I forgot how to do; I am tempted to say clipless pedals are like riding a bike, you don't forget how. Anywho, it made a significant difference. Even on my short commute I am always having a tough time with foot placement and retention from just holding it there. I had a bit of tough time getting my left foot clipped in though, but once in it was great to use the leg almost as normal when riding. I didn't have any or issues from riding either, only from a callous near my small toe. So that felt like a big win for me.

The other day I went bike browsing and found a bike I would have bought immediately and begged forgivness in lieu of asking permission. It was a Ti frame the loca shop got made in china, they had several of them. It was nice looking, light, well built and the geometry was good. The only thing that stopped me was lack of braze-ons. I just couldn't do it without knowing I could put on a rack. But now I have been lusting. It was also fully built with 9 speed Sora, disc brakes, and mid level parts for $1,399, and he flat out told me it was negotiable.

Otherwise the weather is nice and the house closing is quickly approaching and we are excited to spend summer in our home, and the rest of out life there. It is a great place and hopefully, won't need anything major for years.

@sunvalleylaw - great pics! Looks like very nice route. Thanks for posting.

Yesterday at 5pm I was heading out and heard quite a few sirens and saw a couple of fire engines. They were stopping at the Target in the shopping center right by my office. There was a fire inside somehow - seems suspicious. Sprinklers kicked in and the fire fighters helped put it out, but now they have smoke and water damage.

A lot of overnight and early morning rain, but it stopped by 6am. Wet roads and a few sprinkles for the ride in, but quite pleasant overall. About 65F

[MENTION=368966]sunvalleylaw[/MENTION] holy crap! I'd never get to work or home - that's amazing!!

Warmer this morning and had to leave early - quite a few more riders than usual. I also had to stop at a ritzy downtown hotel to drop something off. Didn't really think anything of walking through the lobby in my bike clothes, until the stares started boring holes in my skull. Geez, you'd think people have never seen a middle aged guy in tights before

Tried a different route today, and loved the change of scenery - up until cars started filling up the bike lane. :/

[MENTION=368966]sunvalleylaw[/MENTION] - Add me to the list of people impressed. My commute isn't bad looking, but nothing like that.

Today was day 303. I had to swing by my church on the way to work to pick something up I'd left there. That added about 5 extra miles to the commute, so today I'll be logging about 26 miles total. I'm sitting at 419 miles so far for the month of May, so 500 miles looks completely in reach. My single-month record is 533 miles and if I keep riding hard the way I have the last few weeks I have a good shot at breaking that amount.

Thanks guys. I am pretty spoiled in terms of commute, Nearly all MUP, and not very crowded MUP at that, so no car worries. But, there is usually a thermal headwind both ways the directions and times I commute though. It is Idaho after all!

60F, sunny. Lot of traffic, vs basically none yesterday.

Looks like out by Lakewood maybe?