great ride except i almost got clipped by a car making a quick uturn coming from a parked space on my right.

WTH? Was this national wheelsuck a skinny guy with overflowing panniers day?
No one has wheelsucked me for many a month. I pass one guy on my SS and a few miles turn around to discover him on my wheel. Later I had it happen again and noticed when I saw the other rider's shadow. I sat up and slowed way down while drinking my water. No free rides! :p
Anyhow, apparently a skinny guy riding a SS with huge panniers on a windy day attracts lazy riders. I suppose it would be a compliment that I can ride fast enough with a SS or just plain irritating for me on an anti social day.

Mr. Chekov, arm the photon snot rockets. :lol:

I was fresh out. *pouts*
That morning was a different story. Must have used up my daily allowance. lol

awesome ride both ways. I still need to re-dish my wheel after putting that single cog on. I'm to tired (lazy) to do it tonight. I will be dreaming about Honjo fenders and leather saddles tonight...

Oh man, i rocked it on the way home. i modified my route to take advantage of a 20kph wind from the west. one of the funnest commutes of the year.

Beautiful stars this morning. Crisp and clear. A less than energetic ride into work though.

Good Morning!
 

32° F this morning here in CT. Crystal clear sky at 5:30 AM. Saw a shooting star (meteor). Traffic was well behaved (for the most part!). Can it get any better than this?

Dark and quiet as always. It was damp from the rain last night. I like the new route I found. Less potholes.
Ernest

Felt very lazy this morning and was tempted to drive, but that would have been shameful given the weather. We're in that ideal weather period right now in NC -- not too hot, and not too cold. Not sure how long it will stay, but I'll enjoy it while it lasts. It's supposed to be cold and rainy on Thursday and perhaps Friday, so I need to make hay while the sun shines.

Donating plasma today so no riding until tomorrow but there was frost on the car this morning, I was so wishing to take the bike and avoid scraping.

The stretch of road I complained about being tore up last week, over a mile of it and busted a tube on it is done and slick as a goat's ***. Beautiful ride. I keep thinking the great weather will end soon but just nice day after nice day.

For the first time since this spring, I could see my breath! It was 37 degrees when I left the house. I need mittens to go over my gloves. Other than my hands and my little nose, though, I stayed warm.

Nice ride, by the way. Traffic was polite, stoplights were in my favor, and the stars were even brighter and prettier than normal. I know, they're always the same stars, but some days they just show up better.

When I got to work, one of the paramedics (who is also a bike commuter) complimented me on how well I was lit up. Score!

I left 30 minutes earlier than normal. I was ready, and didn't want to give myself any time to decide to drive.

It was 48 degrees, dark, and quiet. My new hat and gloves worked great. My long-sleeved cotton shirt over the top of my short sleeve shirt got too warm. I'm still waiting on cold-weather gear to be delivered.

The first 20 minutes of my commute were beautiful. Later, traffic started to pick up, but nobody was aggressive.

I've been at work for 15 minutes already, and haven't bothered to get coffee yet. I feel really awake.

Weirdest thing in my panniers today?
4th Annual Thoroughbreds and Redheads Weekend (2005) Bottle of Maker's Mark Bourbon

I had to work (unexpectedly) late last night; didn't get to bed until 11:00 (way past my bedtime). I did prep the bike last night for riding. It was warm, humid and rained last night. Woke up at 4:00 am, wondered if it was worth getting up, but got up anyways. Had breakfast, showered, shaved, kissed the wife good-bye. She asked if I was riding and I said yes. She told me that it's suppose to rain and possible thunder showers today. So? I've got rain gear and I laugh in the face of danger (actually, it's more like a nervous chuckle).

Took off at 6:02. Temperature was 76°, humidity 89%, dark, so I had all my lights on, including my Down Low Glow (first time riding with it and it ROCKS! :thumb:). Nice easy ride to work. Passed a bike ninja riding a roadie with wire basket panniers and got passed by some ninja geezer on a hybrid. :wtf: :lol: Total ride time was 47 minutes, averaging 12.7 mph. Not my fastest time, but I was in no hurry. Overall, a beautiful and pleasant ride. :D

Other than I left late, again, the ride was great.

I've been using the iPod with one earbud in and it's really made my rides faster (approximately 30 minutes for 6 1/2 miles as opposed to 35-38 minutes for 6 1/2 miles).

I hit my first majorette milestone : 500 commuting miles since August 15th. I know it's not much compared to some of ya'll, but it's a bit of a big deal for me. :) I shall be having a beer tonight to celebrate.

Not good. I overslept this morning and my legs were completely gone from training last night. I definitely had a lot temptation to bring the car, but I toughed it out and rode the bike instead. This was unlucky number 13 for me, as far as total number of commutes.

Edit: I saw 2 cycle commuters yesterday. That was the most I've ever seen in one day. They were dressed in normal clothes, one riding on the sidewalk, the other on the street against traffic.

Wet, but still fun!

It was good to get back in the saddle again after yesterday's rain. I find I'm using high gears more often, even on hills, and that my commute is becoming a series of sprints instead of a plodding pace.

So i turned onto hwy 625 and there in the distance was another cyclist. Easy to spot a blinky in pitch black. Then as i make my way, another cyclist turns in front of me. 3 cyclists on hwy625! ... suddently i don't feel so special. Actually it's pretty cool to see other cyclists, and it also make you feel safer.

felt really strong today, the hills all seemed flatter and shorter. the wind was non-existant. caught most of the lights green. I made lousy time. go figure. :wtf:

+1 :thumb: I (almost) never see another bicyclist on the road. The ones I do are either on a side street or just resting. First time I passed, and was passed by, another bicyclist on my commute.

Cold cold cold this morning. We get to the car and it's coated with ice, and then realize that we had put the scrapers in storage.

Riding into work (bike-car today) the drivetrain is making weird clicking noises. I cleaned the chain and teeth the other day, so I'm guessing there's a problem with the bottom bracket.

It started out nice, with the sunrise creating little pink and purple tufts of cloud ahead of us, and no wind to speak of. My first warning sign was that there was a car going by at our first stop sign. Instead of a dab-and-go, we had to wait. Weird. Next stop sign, same thing. Hmmmm. Next one - clear. After that, we got stuck behind cars everywhere. I even had a 3-light delay at one point, because some idiot was blocking two lanes of traffic and I couldn't sneak out and around. If you miss that first series of lights, you're screwed.

Wicked cold and couldn't find my beanie, today. At an intersection w/ two other commuters, one of whom commented on my pace when he caught up to me at a stop after I dropped him. Yelled at and almost got hit when a d-bag in a white SUV merged into my lane from a turning lane without signaling. He saw me after I started yelling, though, stupid prick.