Low 60sF and a little damp, with a gnarly headwind howling off Lake Champlain. I saw exactly one cyclist, going the other way, a cutie I see every day. They're saying 30MPH winds possible this afternoon. At my back.


Yesterday I had to school another cyclist. Bottom of a hill, there's a stop sign. Car in front of me stops. I stop behind car. Car has right turn signal blinking.

Idiot cyclist comes up from behind, passes both of us on the left, and just swings through the right turn next to the car that has already started the turn. Cyclist is in the oncoming lane for a while because the driver isn't giving him any quarter. Fine by me.

So that all sorts out and the car turns into a parking lot. I whipped up behind the cyclist and sucked his wheel until he realized I was back there, then I dropped him like a bad habit.

Rode my backup bike to work just for the heck of it today. At this point my backup bike is a 1973 Schwinn Varsity townie that weighs about 40 lb. before adding the Wald rear baskets. I ran about 1.5 mph slower on the Varsity, maybe an extra 20 minutes on the commute. Still, it was nice. The upright riding position is relaxed and comfortable and when you're that relaxed you just don't feel like you need to rush.

I wanted to ride something more unique than my mid-90s commuter hybrid today because after work I plan to take part in the Critical Mass ride. Now I just hope the thunderstorms hold off (or alternately that they hit early in the afternoon and move on).

As far as car-free days go: Some guy started a Car Free Fridays FW facebook page, so at least as far as he is concerned every Friday is car-free. It was a combination of that facebook page and the one for Fort Worth Critical Mass that encouraged me to ride today, in spite of the predicted thunderstorms. I'm sure they'll tweet me in my hospital bed if I get struck by lightning.

Man I hate those kind of brain dead manoeuvres. Good on yer for dropping the hammer on him.

Yeah. Washcycle's blog has been all over the story. It's truly tragic, and the driver's story is highly doubtful in my mind. Seems to be looking like the po-po are gonna let the driver off, though. Should we be surprised? :shrug:

Good rides home last night and to work this morning. I'm glad the hat wave/Indian summer will be breaking this weekend and we'll be back to more seasonable weather by Sunday. This 75 degrees in the morning stuff is for the birds... of July and August!

Starting to think about the build for an LHT. I've finally decided to build up on an LHT frame myself with my trekking bars and the components I have/will have replaced on my hybrid w/ a few changes and slowly upgrade from there if I'm so inclined. Time to write my letter to Santa; I see a $430 frame purchase coming up at the end of the year.

4C/39F, calm and clear. Woohoo! Shorts weather! Lots of other cyclists out these days.

Good commute in this morning, but I was almost late to my first class. 68F and sunny with winds from the S @ 10mph. The first guy I talked to was one of the motorists who I spoke to at a light on Wed morning who also owns a recumbent. He was waiting in a parking lot by his car and asked if I had wanted to exchange phone numbers so we could go riding together sometime. I had left my house early in case I happened to see him today, so I pulled in and we talked for a bit. I was getting ready to leave, and a bicyclist close by got my attention. He was riding a SS and had a lot of questions about my bike. I didn't want to be rude, so I talked with him for a bit. After we said our good-byes, I really had to book it to the campus with about 6 miles to cover in less than 30 mins. Traffic was very heavy and the stop lights were not co-operating very well, but I did make it in time.

Another day, another sword-wielding maniac.

Otherwise, 54F and gray.

Harrowing. Fridays seem to bring out the worst in drivers.

Tough. Couldn't stay awake until I got buzzed by a garbage truck. That kept my eyes open. I only wished it kept my nose shut.

An oncoming driver actually dimmed his brights as I approached. This is the first time that has EVER happened.

Do you happen to have that link?

Good commute home this afternoon at 86F and sunny with winds from the S @ 15mph. I stopped at my church, which is right on the way because I saw my friend's car there. She was setting up for Sunday school and I talked with her for a bit. When I got back on my bike to finish the commute it was like a had a power boost, especially going up the hills.

Here ya go. Understand that it is for Fort Worth people, but have at it.

Hot, sunny and verrrrrrrry windy. Also, what is it about Fridays that encourages drivers to forget about their turn signals? About half a dozen drivers today made turns at intersections without signalling. Irritating.

Same thing here. It's frustrating when I have to stop due to their laziness. Oh well.
Also, I was almost hit by a white Toyota Sequoia who didn't respect the rule of stopping before turning right on a red. He then proceeded to floor it...

Overall, though, I had a great ride, even despite those things.

I had a great ride home yesterday. Rode from the westside where I work to downtown (about 12 miles), did the Critical Mass ride in Fort Worth, then rode home in the evening. Predicted thundershowers waited until overnight, so the weather for riding was awesome.

Nice out this morning 55f, rode in on my bike "naked" with just a couple things in a backpack, man i felt like a roadie

Catching up: Friday I rode in to work around 11am, temp mid 80's and rode home at 8pm, temp 80. Not much to report just a cold beer at the end of the road and the week.

Pouring rain this morning, and turning to sheeting at times. This was a 5 light morning, as I needed to keep track of the street run off, and drains that might not be draining too well. The warmth of the morning made the trip better. I brought my bike inside, as they are calling for more rain the next two days. I tried out my new clipless boots, and they were a bit warm for this weather, but I wanted to see how well they dry, my shoes usually stay wet all day.

Light rain this morning. I took the cargo bike since I had to carry some extra stuff and wanted the security of the disc brake. Smooth ride in. Saw a few other cyclists without any lights on their bikes. I don't think they realize how invisible they are.

Last Friday afternoon, I got hit by a car in the bike lane where it bears left between a lane of traffic and a riht turn lane. I looked behind me and had plenty of room, began moving left to follow the lane, and a guy swerved around from another lane of traffic and hit my fork. Luckily it was just a tap and I didn't go over. The driver clearly thought I was at fault. He glared at me through his closed window and continued on his way. The bike is fine, but I imagine he had a nice scratch on his front bumper. Glad I was on the sturdy Kona Ute, and not my little folding bike.

Here's to hoping for an uneventful week...

52F, sunny, no wind. Lots of squirrels scampering around. Caught & passed one very slow-moving cyclist on the MUP. He was the only cyclist I saw.

Beautiful morning with a little chill (42 f). Time to pull out the long sleeves. Good to still see other bike commuters on the trails. Rabbits seem to be everywhere this time of year. I've come close to hitting several of them as they make suicidal dashes across the trail right in front of me. Maybe its my light that throws them? Keeps me awake!

Rode to work this morning, the weather has finally dropped out of the 80's! Was an awesome cool ride, it was in the 60's!!!! I almost felt chilly. The bike was fully loaded, and due to the cool weather, there was a stiff northern wind... it was a middle-chainring kind of day.

Temps were in the mid 40's for the first time this year so I broke out the tights, jacket, and full fingered gloves.

7C/45F, a little breezy. Felt hot after the chilling temperatures we had last week. I wore a windbreaker, but regretted it later. Absolutely beautiful sunrise this morning, but I can't share it with you because I busted my camera trying to take pictures in the rain one day.

63F and MUGGY