Had a thunderstorm roll through last night bringing in some cool weather this morning: 75°F and 89% humidity. Went to bed late last night; sister-in-law came to visit. Moving kinda slow this morning, not really tired, just not the usual pep. Decided to ride anyways (keeping a promise to myself). Ride was much slower paced; took me about 80-85 minutes to ride the 16 miles. Made a quick stop at the bank for some cash then at the coffee shop for a lemon bar for a quick sugar fix. Legs feel worn. :(

rode the Wally World MTB in today for kicks. It was a slow and relaxing commute this morning. Geared way down for the hills and coasted down the other sides. Took about 35 minutes to cover 8 miles. This bike has no rack(no panniers), no lights, no computer, nothing... its bare bones bike. I need to do that more often.

Nice, uneventful ride. Cool and low humidity. Another week or so and I will have to switch back to my sunglasses with the interchangeable lens since it is getting darker in the mornings.

vtjim - get a road bike! I recently did and am glad I did!

I've gotten so used to the heat that today felt very chilly on the way in, it was somewhere in the 50's.

It made me think I should start saving some some heavy duty winter gloves and start preparations for a winter bike building project.

In other news, the conversion I was SUPPOSED to have done last weekend I SHOULD be able to get done this weekend. That is, the conversion to bullhorns. Hopefully the can do the whole thing Saturday and I will have the bike back for the group ride sunday.

Cape Cod Rail Trail
 

Been on vacation since last Friday. My ride home Friday was fine but I got another flat and had to take all my laundry out to change the tube so I built a custom front rack just for tools. After some exploring in Maine with the family I finally got on my bike to road test the new rack. Naturally I didn't get a flat. I only get those when it is INCONVENIENT!!!! AGH!

Anyway, I had the best time running the entire length of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, twice, and then some. I went from the very beginning and well past the very end, about 55 miles RT? I stopped for about an hour to jump in the ocean and rest before the return leg. What a nice bike path! There were some congested areas but I flew for most of it. I used all my commuting gear, meaning lights, bags and flag. Good thing too, because I was flying and the bright shirt and lights, etc helps people provided an opening in advance of my blur. I'm afraid two tots new to cycling lost it and fell when they saw me. I must have been like a UFO or something. Sorry kids, I'll go slower around you next time. Although the only that would have helped them was if I went stealth so that all they heard was the swoosh of air! I was courteous and announced "passing" and yes I slowed down, those kids just didn't stand a chance and I suspect those were not their first falls or their last. I passed with plenty of room. Still feel a little bad.

I did the whole trip (55?) miles in less than 3 hrs, so that's almost an average of 20 mph. Pretty good for an old Schwinn with wobbly wheels! Longest ride I ever took. Monday morning's 17 miles is going to be a breeze. I'm a bit toasted though, so I'll stay off the bike I think until then. Gonna go for 5 days next week, thunderstorms and all ...

cg1985 - You wearing any gloves now? Got fingers? What's the winter project? Something to do or something to ride?

Yesterday's ride home was a gift from the god's. A tailwind in my direction! My first tailwind ever! In 2 years of riding, that is the first time the wind has ever blown in that direction that time of day. So I dropped the hammer and got home in 45 min. Made excellent time on the flats and the momentum carried me up the hills pretty well.

I'm paying for it today,though. Feel good but no strength. Wind is still blowing in that direction so that was a fight. Early in the commute I had an incident which I go into in my Public Service Announcement thread. But all is good and the remainder of the ride was laid back and uneventful. Hopefully the wind is still when I leave.

Where is the "Public Service Announcement thread" located?

sorry.. link: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=451723

Yesterday, <2mile total, today, normal ride. 1st pre-schooler trailer day since Monday.

great commute yesterday, great this morning - about to leave for home. Nothing exciting happens to me on my commutes. Oh, I did wash my bike yesterday after a build up of two years of road grime. that was exciting...:rolleyes:

Well I had a tougher than usual ride today and had to ask my ride buddy to go ahead without having me slow him down. He was streching at our office when I finally wheezed in. Turns out I had a simulated hill climb most of the way in (about 7 of my 11miles) thanks to pinching of the brake pad against my front wheel. Man I felt like a dork!! A fitter dork than I felt riding in, but one nevertheless.

Nice morning, though I didn't leave the house till late & it got HOT on the home stretch. Rode the trail through the canyon again. I am really starting to appreciate the skills that go into mountain biking and trail riding - you've got to be really fit & really alert to do that well. Very interesting how different the strategies are.

Wound up late to work, but oh well, they'll get their 8 hours - I'm staying late tonight and then the husband is picking me up for a night on the town!

Nice morning ride.

Afternoon I was sluggish, I got burned by a roadie, fell off my bike at a stop light, and got a cigarette thrown at me.:mad:

Going to see Pineapple Express tonight, it had better be funny.

flatted on the way in this morning. Had to use my limp-home pump. Come to think of it, I should add some more air now, before I head out.

Somebody is a yellow corvette went by me, slowed down to a crawl, and revved the engine, as if to say "Oh, yeah, biker? I've got a V8!" (that takes 94 octane, you boring showboat...) I made it to work with a half hour to kill, so I went to Wal-Mart to cool off and look at DVDs. (I didn't bring my bike inside- I had already parked it in the storage room at work next door). On the ride home tonight, I pulled over to make sure my Superflash was superflashing- it was, but someone in a passing car yelled out, "Ha! I thought you were a cop!"

The Falmouth Road Race takes place this Sunday, so I'm sure cars are going to be everywhere tomorrow. I'll be scooting by cars trying to make left turns, flattening hills, and making my wayyy the only way I know how...

I haven't posted in a bit but tonight was weird.

First of all, I saw two foxes, one really close. I thought it was a dog and tensed up, got ready to outrun it, but it flinched and ducked down in the grass eyeing me nervously until I left. Not a dog.

I was almost home, at the Cherry Creek trail. I noticed some puddles, and some sand on the path. Ok, maybe it rained harder in Denver than in Arvada. But... the creek was so high! I was all amazed by that for a while, and the puddles I was having to ride through were getting a bit bigger. Bigger to the point I had to slow way down and stand on my pedals, and I had to decide my line ahead of time because of course I couldn't see the path. Farther south, I had to start pedaling through the puddles. It was really weird and disorienting because it was so dark, and the water was moving pretty quick. I was actually sort of lost, not that I thought I had made a wrong turn or anything but everything just looked wrong. I had a choice at Arapahoe to exit or keep going. I kept going. I didn't want to take the extra time, or use the sidewalks on Speer, because I was just so close. I saw the trail underwater again ahead of me but it didn't look any bigger than the other spots. (I don't know what gave me that idea.) I started riding through, and the water was running fast. The water on the path was no longer overflow, it was part of the current. It was up to my ankles when I was pedalling. Someone yelled at me from above. I slowed down and answered, wondering if it was a cop, but it was just some drunk guy being drunk so I didn't stop since I didn't want to lose my momentum or concentration. But the path turns at some point in there, and I ended up with my front wheel falling off the path and getting stuck on a rock. I hopped off without falling but I had lost the path so I had to wade through until it dried up. The water was up to my knees, and still moving really quick. Nothing like unexpectedly strong water to get the adrenaline pumping (which is why I'm still awake.)

I exited at the next available spot and rode home, kind of shaky. like I said, weird commute.

It is not helpful to have my mind play back Real TV videos of people getting carried away in a foot of rushing floodwater when riding through running water.

Yeah, riding in Denver was a treat today! Capital Hill flooded and I saw a tree caught on one of the bridges on Cherry Creek on my way home tonight and the creek is still really high! Water over the bottom bracket most everywhere Downtown.
Best part of tonight? Being passed by a kayak on a city street....

in case no one else does, I caught the reference:)

COOL!

I missed most the fun sitting in Arvada all night (no rain, only sprinkled), sounds like it was a mess... in the fun way!

riding through running water
 

robinthehippie - Objectively, from the outside looking in, you were foolish. A 7 yr old girl was killed 2 days ago in NH when her Dad tried to cross a bridge over a swollen creek. The creek had turned to a river and washed the suv and 4 passengers 100 feet away. Rescuers were able to resuscitate the boy but not the girl. The parents survived. When they say don't walk or drive through running water they mean it and they mean it for a reason. That father who will bury his daughter soon, will never do it again. That could have been your last ride. I know when you are there you can't think objectively, so don't. Just follow the rule without making a judgment call on your own. It's a lesson for us all really, me included. And I hope I can do the right thing when I am faced with the same situation.

Glad you are OK to tell us the story.

Short answer: I know, it was a mistake... thanks.

Longer answer: By the time I realized the water was running and not a standing pool like the others I'd crossed, I was in the middle of it and too scared to try to turn myself around and go back. Now I have a scary but in this case mostly harmless experience to look back on next time I see big pools on the path and have to decide whether to exit and take the streets, which will be a good reminder.

Today wasn't a commute but seeing as I was feeling a bit more confident after my long delayed visit to the orthopeic. I went out for a 7 mile ride today. Compared to the short ride I did last weekend I can tell my knee is healing but I know I'm not 100% just yet.

Still it was a great ride and I even hit 25 mph for about a mile without a lot of pushing or experiencing any pain. The time off has given my quads some time to heal as well which has added some horsepower. They want to go go go but I know better now, I'll be fighting that temptation to push it.

Afterwards my knee felt a little sore but I did my usual combo of stretching, ice, & then icy hot and the soreness went away. I'm going to do at least one commute to work by bicycle next week and build from there. In a month or so I think my knee will be completely healed. :)

Well, today I was on my way home and - SSSSST!- my rear tire went flat. Luckily, I was within a comfortable walking distance to my humble abode, nothing in the fridge, basic cable, and dial-up internet... I'm now in the market for kevlar tires. Biketiresdirect.com's warehouse caught fire on 8/03, and they're not accepting orders until further notice.