I am just thankful to still be here.

Another nice summer morning for a ride in. I replaced my rear brake cable for my commuter, but I am still on my MTB, as with errands this weekend, including to get the brake cable, I enjoyed riding it. I will also be doing some trail camping this weekend, so it is good to a feel for it. Recently, on monday mornings, the same fellow dressed pretty warmly with a knapsack and bags crosses in front of me as I am stopped at the same light. He is always talking to himself. It is not strange or anything, but the darkness adds an eerie feeling to it.

My legs were tired this morning after a big week of riding last week -- 102 miles commuting (including 36 on Friday), capped off by a 102-mile "century" on Sunday. I was kind of hoping it would rain today so I would have an excuse to drive, but it's clear although extremely humid. It rained overnight, and the humidity was something like 94% during my commute. Needless to say, I got just as wet from sweat as I would have if it had rained on my way to work. Tomorrow I have to drive because I have an appointment with the eye doctor, so that will be my rest day.

Dodged the rain & arrived dry. I saw a total of 3 people on 5 miles of MUP.

The beached sailboat is still there. Been over a week now.

What a fine day today, and no flats:thumb:

Schools back along with the traffic. Backup at Mundelein High was particularly long. I guess all the kids arrive by car the first day. Not one bike was visible. Wonder if bikes are banned for some reason.

Flatted on the way home Thursday, which was my last commute last week because I left from work to go out of town for the weekend. It sucked. Think I got bit 50 times by horseflies while changing the tube and remounting the tire... argh!

This morning's ride was much better, i.e., no flats. And nice and cool for this time of year. It appears I brought back a little of that mountain air from western PA! :-)

Friend told me he may have an old Trek 400 frame available for me in my size... Have to do some research on the bike, I guess, and see if I'd be interested...

Very moist and a bit breezy. A low pressure system is swirling around the region this morning. I had left my regular commuter outside in the rain without a seatcover last night allowing the saddle to absorb some of the rain that fell. I didn't want to ride the wet saddle and risk stretching the leather, so I rode my Aurora which had been in my apartment. The ride was felt quick and the cool moist air combined with the swirling breeze to keep me from sweating too much.
Can't wait for the fall weather patterns to arrive to blow this humidity out to sea!

Chilliest commute in a while at 8C/46F. It's still warm enough for shorts, but I should have had an extra layer on my head and ears.

The final puncture through the big flap hanging out of my LHT's rear tire. Last time, I ordered a replacement tire, so this time, I just put the new tire on. And, 'cause it's my birthday, rather than patch the tube (again, there were already 6 patches on that area), I put in a new one. Between the new tire and non-counterweighted tube, it was like a new bike today. This is the last week t-a-b-ing my daughter to her preschool (actually will probably be t-a-b-ing her to her final camp week next week), after that it's kindergarten and she's riding on her own.

ps->47F and gray

This summer is lingering on...

* Temperature: 105 to 108 with heat indices in excess of 110 this
afternoon... 108 to 112 with heat indices in excess of 115 Tuesday
afternoon... and 105 to 108 with heat indices in excess of 110
Wednesday afternoon.

A gorgeous day and tons of folks on bikes this morning. I fell into a small group on L Street this morning: a guy in full roadie kit with backpack; a guy in office clothes on a nice looking Masi townie bike; a girl on a MTB with suspension and knobby tires; and me. I was very impressed by MTB Girl doing 19 mph on knobbies.

Today was raining. I didn't think the ride was bad at all. I thik of it like when I was a kid, playing in the rain.) Everyone at my job said that I was crazy, but frankly -- it is the summer, and it is just rain! (I didn't ride in my work clothes, and they are drying next to me under my desk.

Humidity finally broke!!!!!! Ride in was nice till I got near the College. Traffic is very heavy now that school is in.

Ride home it was still hot but the traffic is back to its fall gridlock where I make better time on the bike for the first 2 miles then I would by car. Apparently Ford rangers are new vehicle to drive if you are a tool with your head jammed up your rear. Got buzzed on the way home. Ford drivers as a whole seem to have a higgher incidence of prick drivers. The truck that clipped me with the mirror was a Ford F250. The Truck the damn near clipped me last fall was a Ford F150 and this is not the first time a Ranger driver has buzzed me.

It was bit chilly after the rain last night/early this morning. I did not care for the downhill chill. I am back on my commuter. I am holding my breath when it comes to that local college opening up for the fall semester. The traffic on the campus goes from pleasant and mostly absent to unbelieveable back ups, people not looking, noise, smell, and everything else that makes commuting by car insane.

A beautiful morning, and I did not nearly die like yesterday. At one point there was 2 other commuters at a light with me. Odd having company.

A huge thunderstorm came up yesterday afternoon about 15 minutes before I normally leave work. Usually t-storms pass by pretty quickly, but this one lingered a while and was really pouring -- so much that the NWS issued flash flood warnings. I checked around the office and found a backup ride home with a coworker, but the rain had stopped and it started to clear by the time she was ready to leave. So, I went ahead and rode home after all. The roads were very wet and it was extremely humid, but I didn't hit any rain, however, it started up again about 15 minutes after I got home. That was lucky.

I had to drive today due to an eye doctor's appointment, which turned out to be a good choice because it was still raining this morning and might continue off-and-on all day. Sometimes you get lucky like that.

I topped 5,000 miles cycling for the year yesterday, about half of that from commuting.

Some of us MTBers have massive quads. :p Only time I've ever seen a woman going that fast around here though, she was a kitted roadie. (Roadess?)

55F for me this morning. Sunny. Light tailwind. Quite a few cyclists out and about. I passed 4 or 5. I think one was behind me but it didn't get close enough to verify. Several pretty young women out running, too.

Oh and the neighborhood wild turkeys were out wandering around when I left for work. They just froze and stared at me as I passed them.

ANother gorgeous day! But traffic was something special. 1/2 mile backups at some lights. Perhaps a mile back up across Mundelein into Libertyville. Looked like the school buses weren't running and all the kids were getting driven. (Don't get me started on why they couldn't bike or hoof it.) And just to make things interesting the main e/w route was being resurfaced. Glad I was on the bike.

At one of the lights a lady comments that's she's seen me every morning for years, and wondered how far I ride. Often wondered if the drivers would begin to recognize me.

:beer:

Last night: Road bike + glassy smooth stretch of pavement + tail wind + fire in my pants 'cuz I didn't want to be caught by the bus I just passed = 50 km/h (31 mph). A car pulled up beside me in the left lane and paced me for a while. I glanced over and the passenger seemed both impressed and amused at the same time.

Over the past several commutes, I've been thinking, "Tires feel soft, should pump them up. Don't want a pinch flat. Tires feel soft, should pump them up. Don't want a pinch flat." You see where this is going. Fortunately, I was a mere two blocks from home when it happened, so I just hoofed it the rest of the way and changed the tube after supper.

This morning: A whopping 5C/41F. Last time I checked, it was still August; I guess Edmonton didn't get the memo. I wore my cycling jacket for the first time in months.

Hey genel, I didn't know where Antioch was, but I recognize the names Mundelein and Libertyville...when I was a kid my family lived in Vernon Hills for a year. I don't remember much about the area, but I do remember it being a bit of a shock going from a small town school where there were 150 kids from K-8 to one with 300 kids in grade 3 alone. I remember the army of buses that hauled us kids around, and it's not surprising that if they weren't running, the traffic would be unbelievable. Thing is, because I took the bus and didn't pay attention once I was on, I wouldn't have had a clue how to get to my school by bike. :)

I did it!! First commute today! (does happy dance)

Weather was great, considering how nasty it's been the last few days. The route worked perfectly, and there seemed to be a tailwind... I was hitting 15MPH with loaded panniers and lights. Only got honked at once when I took the lane for a few hundred feet approaching an intersection, and even that wasn't too bad. Everything went smoothly. This is what a daily commute should be!

Day 1: I'm already hooked. Just have to sweat on the way home today.

Congrats on the first commute, FunkyStickman.

This morning's commute was pleasantly cool (68F), which was nice. The 15-20 mph headwind was not as nice. I'm looking forward to a few days of temps in the 70s and 80s for highs. I don't htink we've had it this cool since early June.

A tailwind? what is that? I get honked at all the time, but it is just cause I am hot.


Congratulations. Welcome. commuters are a pretty weird bunch, but it sneaks up on you real gradually.

Last night's ride home was memorable. Probably the heaviest thunder shower I've rode through. 30mph wind and pouring. Oh yea the lightning and thunder scared the bejesus out of me. Just needed a bar of soap and a shower curtain.

Last time that happened to me I just happened to be in front of the Garfield Tavern. Called my son with my pick up truck. nice people, even let me bring in my bike and lean it on a pool table while I had a beer and waited for my son.

Quick short commute in to work today. Passed one commuter on the way up the mountain this morning... Now I get to quote thesufferfest.com:

There are those little moments...like catching and dropping someone on the climb on the commute home...that make the whole day worthwhile.

Rain Monday and today both ways. Not much of a rain, just enough to get the roads wet and maybe reduce visibility at night. I have learned that drivers can't see as well at night when it rains so I usually let the wife pick me up at night when it rains. She insists and after being hit one night on the way home during a heavy downpour I have to yield to her just to keep the peace. I used to see the rain as a challenge but not any more, especially at night. It was just spitting and it was nice and cool, I really enjoyed to change. Other then the rain nothing remarkable on either day.

Yep, drivers in heavy downpours just don't seem to see us, even when we are all lit up and flashing.

Another good ride in, once again a bit chilly on the downhills, at least the first one. I love the summer mornings, and remember them fondly, once they are gone.

Another super-fantastic day on the road. After six months off, I'm starting to get my road legs back. The minutes are melting off the commute. It really is surprising how much time you can shave off a 20 mile trip when getting back into some semblance of shape. The jersey is still a little over-stuffed, but the wheels are spinning faster now.

The bridge over church road on the Chester Valley Trail is under construction. Again. It's a real PITA lifing the bike over and around all the blockade stuff.

It's supposed to rain at some point today. Let's hope it's after the trip home; I wore the sandles, not real shoes today, and it's just not quite warm enough to make rain on the toes comfortable.