It's getting frosty here... the mid weight gear has been needed in the am.

40F and wet.

Awesome. My times have come down quite a bit, too. from 40-ish (and up minutes) for my seven miles to occasional sub-30 minute runs. Today, I was back closer to 45, though, with a 25-30 mph headwind. Three words sum up my commute today:

Remnants of Ida

'nuff said. Can't wait to ride home, though. The wind's supposed to still be out of the north and still in the 25-30 mph range, so I may not have to pedal much. In fact, I was contemplating a sail-like contraption... LOL :rolleyes:

My ride home yesterday: 90 F and dry.

This is how we roll in AZ: opposite the rest of the country. Cycle season picks up in December. :)

Last Friday on my way home from work, Mrs. Roadrage and her SUV decided she had enough of me clogging up her streets and nearly pulled a Dr. Christopher Thomas on me. Coming down off the red-light at the bottom of the 32nd St. I-10 overpass, I'm in front of the line. The light turns green - I start pedaling. She lays down the horn thick, gets up on my ass and proceeds to gun it and pass me (I'm taking the right lane through a very busy intersection at rush hour - I'm also going about the speed of traffic, 22 mph). I'm making eye contact with her the whole time and giving her the universal nod of "I see what you're trying to do, don't mess with me".

Then what does she do? The obviously brilliant motorist pulls left, floors it, passes me and then pulls quickly back into the right lane only feet ahead of me. She must have not been looking what was ahead of both of us as she was flailing her arms wildly and throwing pobscenities - apparently telling me from behind a tinted and closed window how I should be on the sidewalk or something (I can only assume). While she's pantomiming this, she slams on her brakes to stop behind an already stopped bus that I was already preparing to pass on the left. If it had been a few seconds later I would have smacked right into the rear or her SUV. She sure showed me!

This is overcome by me through the understanding of right of way. I pull to the left lane, hammering to get around both the bus AND Mrs. Roadrage. After all, at that point she was stopped and definitely was an obstruction in the road and slower traffic. Plus, I just wanted to get away from that nutcase. Eventually she was able to use the might of her impressive and overpowered engine to rev-it-up and pull around the bus. She sped on toward her destination (a red light about half a mile down the road). Unfortunately I didn't get the opportunity to get taught more of a lesson by her. The light turned green before I could catch up with her or catch the license plate. (How will I ever learn to ride correctly now without her guidance?)

Anyone in Phoenix or Tempe sees a rather large woman in a black SUV (possibly a 90's Blazer) with slightly cracked paintjob down 32nd street/University harassing law-abiding cyclists, get the plate and report her - she's going to kill someone, maybe me. Very likely an employee at the University of Phoenix (I work there in a low stress role) and the majority of enrollment counselors take their job dis-satisfaction out on the road. And the management wonders why more people don't ride to work. ;)

:thumb:! Headwind is just another way of training....like adding weight...lets keep it up to make the 7 miles in 25...

It was supposed to rain but it turned out to be a really nice ride in. A great day for my 1 year anniversary of cycle commuting.

Today may be the day for that - what with a 30 mph tailwind in the forecast. This should be fun!!! I'm gonna have to hammer it as best as I can in the dark that will be my ride home to see if I can do it. Stopwatch at the ready! :D

24 degrees and warm
 

It was 24 degrees this AM, but I was warm in my used EBAY riding gear. The last 2 years I quit when the mercury hit 39. I did splurge on a pair of cold weather cycling shoes though. However, nearing 58, I'm having a ball at 10-12 miles hour. Come on winter!!!:)

I enjoyed your read cellery and feel for ya. today was like being in London this morning ...misting. This afernoon was totally different..North West wind to push me home..took full advantage of that.

~25F or so. No wind. Some frost here & there. Not bad.

I was trying to get a picture of some geese and some guy went by on a light-looking bike with bullhorns. Black clothing except for a hunter orange cap on his head. I finished up with the phone, packed it up, put my gloves back on, and tried to catch the guy. He was cooking along. I'd reel him in a bit, but then he'd sprint. I can't "sprint" with a 35 pound MTB. ;) Eventually he vanished. Guess he went another way.

Some guy in a car yelled at me: "FASTER! FASTER! GO FASTER!" :p Was a friend & co-worker of mine. I followed him in to a parking lot and I rode with him as he walked to our office building.

TGIF

40F, downpour. Would be stunned if any of my gear is dry by the time I head home in ~10 hrs.

Mid 40's and mid to high 60's most of the week. The weather Hardy ^^^^^ complained about got us in the south On Tuesday. Real gully washer all day that just didn't let up so I drove in. Mom's rain gage only measures 6 inches and it was full by lunch. We are only something like 18 inches OVER normal for the year after a 4-5 year drought.

Little bit of left over and windy Wednesday. Wife needed the truck and my van was in pieces form an unfinished repair on Sundays so she drove me in. The other three days were wonderful. Chilly in the morning and just right in the afternoon. :thumb:

Bummed that I need to finish up the van this morning and not going to get a morning ride in but with luck I may get it in later today or defiantly tomorrow.

My lesson learned from today's commute, don't ride your road bike (mid-seventies Raliegh) at
15 mph+ onto a rocky dirt path in the dark with just a walmart headlight. As it turns out rocky dirt paths have rocks on them(who knew) and if I run into a rock about the size of my fist, the tire and tube go kaboom. So today ended up being walk my bike to work day. I hadn't planned on hiking 7 mile to day but I guess that's was my stupidity tax for hod rodding in the dark. On a bright note, it couldn't be a nicer day here today.

Chris

Nice thing about riding in the dark yesterday, both ways, was I had no idea how much slush was falling from the sky. All I knew was it was wet.

back on after driving for three days due to the gross weather and very high winds...raining this morning but felt awesome anyway! someone tried to run me off the road when i took a lane to make a left turn, despite the fact that i was traveling at speed...could have whacked their hood but kept rolling on, no confrontation. had a 5 or so year old girl say that me riding my bike to work was cool. misty ride home, very nice, loving my p7.

slush Friday and hard frost yesterday turns my thoughts to studded tires, but now the forecast doesn't look to go below 35ish for the next week or so...

I had the Gods' own tailwind. :p Low 40sF, with the sun coming up and bathing the Adirondacks in light. Saw one person on a bike: A woman zipping downhill past where I was waiting at a red light for the road she was on. She was all decked out with panniers and commuter gear.

Warm ride in for November, 48 F ( 8 C ). The fallen leaves are closer to the curb now, so less pushing
the envelope with cars. Yesterday was the first day of sunshine in 4 days, and more is expected today.

Nice ride in at 5am. About 48degrees. had to shlep a 10lb "find" to work, but worth it. (posted it to the "found" thread below)

Nice ride in today. Loving that it is mid november and riding in shorts at 6am.

Wet without rain here, 75F, lots of head wind.

Left the house at 8:07 punched in at 8:37!!! late 7 minutes. Tried to push mysfelf staying on 4th gear all the time! it was HARD! passed a couple of busses....i felt faster than normal, but still got here in 30 minutes...oh well...good commute overall..

48F and raining

also, there was apparently a murder on the main drag 2 blocks from our house this morning, so its traffic was diverted one block in, toward our house. So when my 8 yr old and I rode against that flow to his school, on the sidewalk like we usually do, I rode back with the flow (but faster than it) on the sidewalk again rather than bombing down the center of the usually vacant narrow street. This time I didn't have to worry about cars jumping out of driveways or sidestreets because they were all blocked in by the diverted traffic.

My wife/carpoolmate wasn't feeling well this morning, so I go an unexpected bike/train commute today.

Upper forties and sunny. But felt even warmer unfortunately, since seeing a temp in the 40s, I reflexively donned my base layer tights under my athletic shorts - could have done w/o the tights. I certainly won't be wearing them on the way home tonight. I'm glad it was dry coming in after the deluge that was the remains of Ida last week. Looking forward to a nide ride home, expecting temps in the 60s.

My drivetrain reminded me this AM that I hadn't relubed it after all the rain last week, though, so I'll have to take a few minutes to do a quick clean and lube job tonight...

45 and sunny, calm, today in Vermont. I decided to pump up my tires this morning after procrastinating all last week, was surprised to find that tires I normally keep at 110 were down to 60.

Vermont? Eh? Where? :)

(I ride Colchester-to-Burlington along the lake. Big heavy dualie MTB.)

Nice ride today (definitely into bonus days). I rode to work after dropping off my Kia at the dealership. Last Friday, the transmission was replaced at 80,000 miles at no charge to me (100,000 mile warranty). Suddenly the car now has a tie rod issue. I guess this would be the week to get all of this done while the weather cooperates. The service manager could not believe I would cycle. They do provide free shuttle service but that takes the challenge out it. Hope everyone else had a nice cycle day.

5:00 pm got out of work in a rainy afternoon...no one in my workplace understood why i was so cheerfull about riding under such nasty conditions! lol :D

i went out .... weird thing happened! at least 6 people took photos from the cars!! cars slowing down on my lap, and when i look, they are taking a pic with the cell phone!! lol not sure if i should worry about this, found it funny for now.

very very wet, one car splashed on my shoes...and another stupid driver accelerated way too fast honking the horn (i know they live around here :D, hope to find them soon enough!)

it was cool, felt how drivers were left confused at my cycling routine.

LETS KEEP IT UP GUYS!

Last week, just down the street from where I work, a child on a bike crossing a 6 lane highway through a red light got hit by three cars and dragged along the road because he had no lights, no reflectors and crossed an intersection through a red light into oncomming traffic. I've been mulling over that tragedy on my ride so the experience I had on my commute home was that much more meaningful.

I was going through a dark section of road on a fairly busy side street when in the lights of the cars I could see 3 young people, preteens, riding the wrong way down the street, completely devoid of reflector, light or helmet. As I went past, I called out to them as nicely as possible, "Hey, you guys gotta get some lights!". I continued down the street, when a quick shadow passed in front of me - it was one of the kids, a boy, maybe 11 or 12 years old, on a tiny beat up bmx bike, fixed gear, no brakes. I saw him look back at me as he past and assumed he was just asserting his coolness to his friends by smoking the old head with two headlights, taillight, reflective ansi vest, reflective panniers, stickers, etc... To my horror, he proceded instead to wail past me and turn onto a very dangerous, busy road that has no shoulder and blind corners. I guess whatever maternal instinct I have surfaced, because I flipped it into high gear and started to chase him down. I decided that I was not going to let this kid go through what I call, -the log flume- by himself. Its a busy street with no shoulder that twists and turns before finally ascending this steep narrow train bridge. On the other side, a screaming downhill screeches to a halt just before a 6 lane highway. I caught up to him and rode the log flume about 2 feet behind him and slightly to the left to sheild him from traffic, illuminate him from behind, as well as light his path. Once he realized I was on his wheel, he started to gun it. After the log flume, he found a chance to get to the other side of the road (the wrong side) and I called out to him across rush-hour traffic, "Hey, you are going to get yourself killed! I'm following you so you don't get hit, why don't you come back and ride in my lights? I'll ride with you to your house!"

Surprisingly, he said "okay". I honestly think he was a little afraid of the whole situation. I put my arm out to slow down traffic and he crossed back over. We rode alot slower since I identified that I wasn't some crazy nutjob chasing him down on my bike. Once we turned into his residential neighborhood, I introduced myself, told him that I rode my bike everywhere too. We talked for a bit, and I gently admonished him for not having lights, reflectors and a helmet. Once we arrived at his (huge) house, I asked him to hang on, which I detached my 1-watt planet bike LED headlight. I secured it to his bike and showed him the blinking and steady modes. He seem genuinely surprised that I would give up my headlight but thanked me. I reminded him about the helmet and reflective elements, said goodnight, and got on my way home. I don't know if I saved his life, but I did get someone's baby home safely and I feel darn good about that.

I have decided that I would like to carry spare blinkies around to hand out; there are far too many invisible kids on bicycles around here.