[QUOTE=Itsjustb;6853770]

Etiquette question: there are several stretches of my route where I take the lane when riding alone (narrow lanes with curbs and gutter pans, right turn only lanes, etc.). I know one of the major complaints from drivers is when cyclists ride 2 (or more) abreast. But if I was taking the lane anyway, should it matter that sometimes he rides alongside me? I'd be taking the full lane anyway.
QUOTE]

Shouldn't make a difference of course cuz you're in the same position regardless of whether there's one rider or two. Having said that though, I'm sure some knuckleheaded driver will take offense because you guys are "hogging" his/her road..."Don't you cyclists know how to share the road? "

Nice and cool, misty again. More cars than usual on the streets along my route, mostly apparently trying to get to the US Open (shiny Lexuses with USGA license frames). Saw a big beautiful snake on the lagoon path. I think it was a king snake - brownish red & yellow bands - probably about 4 feet long. Tried to take a picture but it moved off into the bushes before I could get my phone out.

This morning I hit a car!

Coming into a (rare, in my city) roundabout, I slowed to accommodate a car already in the circle.

Good thing -- because as she was leaving the roundabout, the motorist ... stops. Dead stop.

I tried to stop, too, but skidded into the rear bumper from an angle. In the slow-motion view that you get during an accident, I saw the front tire of my bike squeeze flat ... followed by flattening of the rim itself!

I had no idea it could do that.

Rim popped right back, no damage done. No damage to the car, either, or to me -- just got a black mark on my knee from when it hit my right handlebar.

Driver appeared befuddled. Indicated (through the rolled-up windows -- she wouldn't lower them) that she wanted to go to the gas station and was in the wrong lane ... so she just stopped.

Good thing I was, one, going slowly, and, two, not driving a truck!

I pay close attention, but she caught me by surprise. I don't tailgate cars, but because she was in the circle and I was coming in from a side street, I got closer than I should have.

It is hard to share the road with an unpredictable "stop anywhere" driver.

pretty much perfect - a little break form the grinding wind.

Severe thunderstorm warnings. Left work early, road was decently 'empty' too.

We only have tornado watches here... Haven't left yet, but the sky keeps getting darker..... And it's moving in from the direction I'm heading...

Not bad, I guess. Moderate head wind going in. Vicious tail wind coming back. Flat tire about a mile or two from home. Decided to walk, wasn't sure I could get the tire off and didn't feel like wasting a CO2 cartridge when I was close enough to walk. Good thing I did, I still can't get the tire off... :)

70F, Absolutly no wind, mostly sunny. Decided to add 3 miles, that felt great so I added another 3... Then I figured I better get home before I would have to deal with a ration of $#!^ from my wife! 21 miles in all.

I was considering switching from my messenger back to rack and panniers, but I think you've just cured me of that itch! :)

I got stung today, too. 3 miles into the 15 mile ride, a bee I never saw hit me in the neck below my right ear - guess he got a bit rattled by the helmet strap, and laid into me as I was reaching up to brush the unknown nuisance from my neck. Unknown no longer...

Rides were great today... Had to drive the last couple days due to commitments with family, so have been missing it. Weather FINALLY cooled down yesterday afternoon - went from 90 to 70 in about 15 minutes - and the winds chilled out a bit, too. 70 and slightly breezy for the ride in this morning (it's been 80+ at 6:30 a.m. the last couple weeks) and 90 with a mild headwind on the way home. A bit warm, but a far cry better than the 98 from last week...

1000 pages of commutes!

Working from home this morning. May venture in later.

I still recommend the panniers. When it's near 100F and humid, you're gonna sweat just looking at the thermometer.

I switched from backpack to rack for that reason.
But last commute was 104F and I am seriously considering a hydration pack... Which means going back to a backpack :S

The commute was excellent this morning. It was a cool 54 degrees here in kentucky. Barely broke a sweat on my 5 mile commute :)

It was so hot on the way home yesterday I saw a mirage....A cute, little hispanic girl wearing tight jeans and a crop top carrying a 6 pack of beer while walking along the side of the road. All I could do was croak "Beer" in her direction as I pedaled by. She gave me a big smile. I know it must have really happened though cuz if it were really an hallucination she would have been carrying a nice porter or stout instead of Bud light.

The ride in this AM was sweaty, but uneventful. Nice sunrise, and a bit of a Northerly headwind which will be ushering in some cooler air...only supposed to get to 94 today...Brrrrrr

It rained when I woke up, and rained when I started my ride, 500 m from home it stopped. Is it because I was born on a Sunday ... ? ;)

I'm courious how it'll be tonight on the way home, the town's full of drunk soccer fans...

C u guys tomorrow

Wow! One thousand pages. I feel like I need to report something special. Well, I did my first 100F+ ride of the summer yesterday. The temperature actually peaked at 101F during my afternoon commute, but it wasn't nearly as bad as I expected. I had driven on Monday because forecasters said it would hit 102, but it only reached 100 that day. Tuesday the high was supposed to be 98, so I rode and it got even hotter. Maybe I'm getting used to the heat, or perhaps it didn't feel so bad because the humidity was lower. After I got home, my wife and I went kayaking for an hour, which was a nice way to cool off, although the temp was still in the high 90s. Our hot spell is supposed to ease off today, with a high in the mid-90s but it is much more humid and we may get some thunderstorms. Happy 1000, "How was the commuter today?" posters!

1000 pages is great ! I almost didn't notice it till I read last few posts, and thats when the light went ding !!! Be safe, be careful, and keep them legs spinning, and then keep writing to this thread how it went ;)

So anyways, today was beautiful. Around 70 degrees, clear skies, no wind, no rude drivers, traffic was a bit high, but nothing unusual. LOT of debris on the road from yesterday nights thunderstorms here. I mean I am talking about not just fallen branches here and there, or some trash here and there .. I am talking about fallen trees along the sides of the road and trash cans floating around !! Had to be a bit careful due to that. But other than that, morning was beautiful :)

nice ride home yesterday - rode with another commuter for a little while - goes the same direction I do for a portion, but I have never seen her before. Chatted about our commutes and how things are going. Let her go ahead of me at a nice downhill that I love to fly down, but resisted the urge to pass her after we had just chatted - just felt wrong - I don't know :rolleyes:

like the other two NCers above, things have cooled down a few degrees, but heat index is predicted to be 100F today. The heat hasn't really affected me at all - but then again, I drink at least 64 ounces of water while I work everyday, so I am quite hydrated :thumb:

I had good karma yesterday. The bad storms completely missed me. In fact my ride home was a little bit sunny, and the sky was beautiful with cumulus clouds.

I came across a little painter turtle on the MUP. She was soon going to be "stuck" because she was on an elevated boardwalk, and the sides were fenced. She couldn't have fit through or under the fence. I stopped, picked her up, and moved her into the woods where she'd be safe. :)

Cell phone pix:
http://home.comcast.net/~mcbrook/turtle_1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~mcbrook/turtle_2.jpg

The ride home yesterday was brutal, had to stop in the shade at least 3 times, took about an hour to get there. This morning was much nicer, temps in the 70's and no humidity. I was tired and struggled a bit but decided to tack on a few extra miles by bypassing the 14th St. Bridge and crossing the river at the Memorial instead. I just put a computer back on the bike in order to verify my recent claim of accumulated annual mileage, it's enough of a change to re-invigorate my cycle-commuting interest after a tough few months. The ride home should be nice.

Can't pass up page 1K!

My heartiest "Well done!!" to all bike commuters new and experienced, young and near-young! :D

You do have a point there... and we'll get our fair share of triple digits over the next several months. Have to think about it some more, and see if I can find the $$ in the budget to buy a set that I like. I have some cheapo Nashbars, and they're fine except the attachment is flimsy and annoying. A nice pair of Arkel's might do the trick, but those are going to have to wait a while...

Felt great this morning. Set out with the intent of taking it easy, as I'm planning 3 consecutive days of full round trips, which I normally don't do, and I want to make sure I have enough in the tank when I'm done tomorrow, as I'll be celebrating my anniversary with DW on Friday afternoon/evening. I guess my mind was wandering, though, because about 3 miles in I realized I was pushing pretty hard, making good time, and feeling great. Resolved to take it easy once I passed the stoplight that marks the first 1/3 of the commute. Forgot about my resolution, and 10 miles in realized again that I was pushing hard and still feeling great. Oh well, not much point slowing down now. Press on, realize I'm making REALLY good time, and end up with my 3rd PR in as many weeks, knocking almost a minute off my previous best. Computer said 18.9 MPH when I got in, which is a record for me on any ride... And, I still feel great!

On my way in today I noticed about 1/3mi in that I had hit the computer's sensor and it wasn't working so I had to stop and reposition it. Other than that it was very uneventful. I did made good time today and I feel like I'm getting used to riding on the hills around here more.

Nice ride down. A bit hot. 74F, UV 9.
Not much special about it. Fairly uneventful, except for getting cut off by a taxi pulling into the bike lane right in front of me.

Down to 30 minutes for the commute! (vs 45 by public transit)

Fairly warm morning, got buzzed while riding through a construction zone (again), and then stung or bit by something that flew into my helmet later on the ride. Still couldn't wipe the smile off my face when I arrived at work, endorphins flowing. :)