I was tired but I slogged in to work. Good weather for it, I just didn't sleep enough.

A couple of casual Sunday-only riders irked me when they each failed to acknowledge a "How's it going." In all fairness, the second one was minor compared to the first who snuck up behind me, ignored the "Hey, how's it going," and maybe even gave the "Oh, shut up, Fred" eyeroll. The guy then rode like a rookie, startling drivers as he blew through a stop sign along the double-yellow.

60 degrees and rainy...but I still added 10 miles to my commute...it was a nice ride too. Tomorrow is supposed to be 40 degrees and plenty of sun...and the best part is I'm off work until Wed...so tomorrow is a riding day!!!

Commuting again--yay! Back to work again--#&^*#&%)@*#*!

Textbook ride this AM--upper 30sF/about 3C or so. The little traffic I see on the arterial usually catch me up in clumps of 5 or 6 cars at once (the first one seemed like an armada in my mirror this morning). Today I happened to catch 'em just at the most inopportune times--at on and off ramps and right-turn-only lanes. Fortunately no one had been to work to get P-O'ed yet.

And this mangy little dog keeps popping its head out of the basket in the back!
Gulch.JPG

Rainy. It was a slow ride home because I couldn't see well. My glasses either got water droplets or fog or both on them. That and my rim brakes weren't exactly confidence inspiring...

My recent rides have been between 45 and 52 minutes long, today took 62 (for the same route).

This morning was the first time I was ever a little worried about my safety when riding in the winter. Last night there was some freezing rain (or something like that), and there was a glaze of ice on everything. I've never really had a problem with ice before since I usually just ride on busy streets where the ice melts quickly due to the traffic and the ridiculous amounts of salt. I live on a side street and when I pushed down on the crank trying to get into the saddle, the rear wheel just spun and the bike didn't go anywhere! I don't think that's ever happened to me before. now I understand why people use studded tires.

I wound up walking the bike to a busier street and conditions seemed better there. Nevertheless I was a little anxious about hitting some ice. I basically stayed in the right tire track the whole way (normally there's enough room on the right to stay out of the way of traffic). I wasn't about to tempt fate by riding through the slushy-icy mix on the right. Eventually on that road, a bike lane appears, but I had to stay out of that too since it was covered. I didn't get any abuse from motorists though, which was nice.

Rode Thursday, Friday, Saturday...3 for 3 this year and then...

My freaking disk went in my back on Sunday and to top it off we had freezing rain and as I hobbled out to take out the garbage I fell down our brick steps outside...

I'm so PO'd, my back had been good for 7 months, now I'll be out of commission for at least a week!

Great commute to start the new year since I was off work since last Wednesday. The temperature was milder here this morning (about 55 F) than it was just about the entire months of November and December. The roads were still wet from showers yesterday, but no rain or fog -- despite a weather forecast that had called for heavy fog.

Got my computer bike all ready to go over the long weekend -- recharged the batteries, washed it, lubed the chain. I also finally seem to have found a way to mount my Dinotte tail-light so it won't rotate out of position, using some hose clamps to secure the PVC pipe it is strapped on.

Frustrating commute this morning. The conditions were fine and I felt good (despite having been up since 3 am), with decent energy. However, I had just mounted my new Conti Top Touring tires this weekend and this was my first ride. Even though they were the same size as my Sport Contacts (700 x 28), they were remarkably heavy and cushy by comparison. It felt like I was riding on flats, in fact, I kept looking down to make sure that I wasn't losing air. I was pedalling through sand, it was like I was always overgeared. In addition, the bike handled like a tank, slow turn-in, wandering, hard to keep a line, and, I felt significant gyroscopic force as I leaned into a turn. I just hope the: increased tread, all weather usability, durability, and enhanced puncture protection make up for the slowness and poor handling. I bought them to get through the Winter, if they do that well I'll be happy.

Oh yeah, saw a ton of cyclists this morning-very unusual. I was in a line of about 7 at one point, and this was before 6 am. I'll be curious to see if this lasts. My guess; New Year's resolutions. I don't begrudge them, in fact, I hope they keep it up. We'll see...

Good uneventful ride this morning, though I did pull the bike off the rack to find a flat rear tire. That confirms my suspicion that I have a slow leak back there (hadn't ridden this bike since the Friday before Christmas).

I got a new (used) bike for Christmas, a 2006 Scattante (see attached photo). It has very well-tuned Dura-Ace brakes and Ultegra geartrain, which made me realize just how craptastic the brakes and components on my commuter are.

Also, I finished 2008 3.8 miles short of 2k miles on the commuter. D'oh! Missed it by that much.

A good commute today. I think I've broken the "I can't do it" mentality that keeps me from riding everyday. I intend to start now. Expect to hear from me again with my complaining about wimping out.

Switching back to my upright bike has made a difference. I feel safer in the one area that really bothered me. I can turn and look so much easier on the upright. Yes, the recumbent is more comfortable, but the upright is more comfortable than it used to be.

Maybe I'll have to change my tagline.

Congrats on the new bike! I ordered a new frame for my commuter bike as a Christmas-Birthday present, but it probably won't arrive until mid-January at the earliest. It's a Bob Jackson touring frame, and I ordered it directly from England. It will be nice riding on a bike that actually designed for the kind of riding I'm doing on it.

Cold and rainy. My buddy called me at 6:30 to cancel our training ride. He'd rather ride his trainer in his garage. I'd rather ride outside, so I switched to the fendered fixed gear and rode anyway.

cold rainy slushy this am but I didn't ride, one more day working at home then back to the ratrace tomorrow. Nice and sunny out right now (though <40F I am sure). This whole 3 wk winter thing has made me inseparable from my long underwear. Not sure how that will change my dressing for the commute (and work once I get there). I did go for just a fun ride yesterday w/ a friend. Bike lanes and road shoulders total glacial moraine of sand put down for the last weeks of snow follies.

Cold in Denver, my legs are pretty beat after two weeks of Christmas vacation out of state. Gotta start working off all that egg nog

I was riding the same stuff this morning with studded tires and I still feared for my safety. It was easier to bike than walk with the slipperyness, but that doesn't mean I had good traction. I saw someone 'walking' down the hill by my house sliding on their bum.

My main mistake was deciding to take the MUP (Minuteman). Solid ice. At least it's good practice.

On the way home tonight a minivan swooped in front of me just as I was about to turn off to the right and just stopped. He could have gone left, right, or straight, so I assumed he was just confused about which way he was going. I waited.... and waited. He still didn't move. There wasn't a lot of room on the right for me to squeeze by, and I didn't want to cut in front of him by going around him on his left.

Another car pulls up behind me and stops because this minivan is in the way. We wait some more. Still no movement. The new car honks his horn. No response. He goes into the oncoming lane to get around him, and I follow suit (enough with this waiting). As I get to the driver's window, I gives me a look and creeps forward slowly through the intersection. I cut behind him and go right as I was planning all along.

The only thing I can think of is that the guy was upset at me for taking the lane and slowing him down so he tried to do the same to me. I had taken the lane for all of about maybe 300 feet. Why do people have to be such arseholes? That got me in a bad mood for the rest of my ride.

The temp was about 30 something and it was a pleasure to lose some of the cold weather gear. I wore light gloves, a light hood, and no shoe covers. I had a 4 day break, give or take a couple errands, so I was primed to ride to work, which does not mean I wanted to be at work, it just means I wanted to ride.

So today was the second day of my elongated commute home from work. I usually do 13 miles a day, with the new route home I'll be doing 17.5.

I like the long route better. I see more cyclists, and there's actual bike lanes. Always a bonus.

Coldest it has been in a while...32 F...foggy too, it was kinda eerie on the way home...

After climbing out of the parking lot coming home, I realized that my bit of extra cable on the front derailer was rubbing my rear tire while on the large chainring (got smushed by the lock at work, I guess). After a mile or so I almost always catch a light at a fairly main intersection--three lanes; left is left-only, center is left/through traffic (straight onto the U of MD campus), and right is through/right-only.

I'm third in line at the light in the center lane (I take a left here onto a spacious bike lane that runs along a two-lane divided arterial) and have my left foot down whilst noodling the cable out a little when this dolt driving a commuter bus pulls up behind me but angling into the right lane--effectively blocking both right and center lanes behind me.

I give him my best WTF!? look as he starts babbling about how I'm not supposed to be "out here" in the middle of the road. Still taken aback and somewhat irritated, I asked him if he knew anything about state law. Nodding emphatically, he said, "Oh yeah, I know the law." (professional driver and all that, I guess)

I said, "Well, you better read it again."

He replied, "But you ain't got no motor--no way you can keep up!"

"I don't have to!"

After a comical 'yes you do, no I don't sequence,' I finally said, "Well, when you get a badge come talk to me."

After that one, getting buzzed by a bonehead in a BMW was small potatoes. Sheesh! I love commuting, but the behavior and competence of some motorists often leaves me worried about the future of our society...

A little rainy today (and cold for N. Ca). Finally got to test out my new fenders though. It was great having the protection. Hard to believe that with all the lights I own, I forgot to pack the front light.

It rained all the way in and drizzled all the way home. And I don't have any rain gear. But I'm still happy I rode. (Can you tell I'm a newbie?)

That was YOU!!???