Today was the first day with my new panniers and safety vest. I can already see that I need to organize better. :p The new vest was WILDLY VISIBLE in the pre-dawn twilight. The weather was fairly nice. Temp was right at 32F/0C with a 20mph head wind. :( The wind is to increase to 40mph this afternoon. At least it will be at my back. :D

Cloudy today, but thin clouds with the sun shinning through. Got denser as the ride progressed and is fully gray now. Not too cold, low 40s was fairly comfortable in my usual winter clothes. Had to stop and walk my bike under this bridge where they are doing road work. At some point they are going to widen the bridge and the trail will probably be closed there for a while.

For the record this is now officially the latest in the year I have ever commuted. The latest previously was Dec. 12th, so another milestone reached.

Today was an absolutely gorgeous sunrise: mist rising from the American River, the snowcapped Sierras in the distance.

I can't imagine why anybody would rather drive a car to work....

Finally was able to ride to work again. Last week was a washout for me, the back roads I take to cross I95 were only slightly more than 1 lane wide until Friday. I had forgotten just how much work it is to ride through snow and slush, and how much like a tank my MTB seems. My speed was pathetic but I felt like I was sprinting the whole way. And I loved it, until my headlight gave out. Then I was just happy that I also have a helmet light. Maybe there is time to send a wire to Santa.

technically it wasn't a ride to/from work but I had my wife drop me off waay south of town so I could surf the 30 knot tailwaind home last night; but halfway the wind switched to a headwind and then it started to rain. :( I put on my gloves and balaclava, downshifted to granny gear, and it was great! I'm getting just as nutty as the rest of you guys. :D

Travis

I loved the ride home! At one point, I felt like pushing it was making my heart beat really good, made me feel like...I don't know, it was awesome! The harder I pushed, the better I felt.

Do I ride for the rush?

:D

(I think I feel even better when I'm chillin' after the ride, eatin' and relaxin'...before dinner, me, my wife and my 8 year-old got into the bed together, my daughter making cat's cradles and other string-things with her fingers, and my wife was warming my cold tootsies while we listened to a new jazz CD...Ahhh...life's good...)

:beer:

Not sure how cold it was this AM but I hit a small patch of black ice about 1/2 mile from work, the Centurion drifted sideways a bit but didn't dump me. By lunch time, it was 42F & the streets were drying out so rode home, switched bikes & rode back in the sun on my Motobecane Grand Jubilee. Her goldtone candy red frame & bare wheels really looked swell next to the 2 muddy bikes parked by our supply room (they ride farther than we do & really need a bath). It's supposed to rain again starting tonight so I prepped the Centurion for tomorrow's ride when I got home. Don

Today will be my last day pulling the trailer! My wife comes home from Paris this afternoon, and my week of playing single dad will be over. The six mile stretch from my daughter's school has been a real workout and I feel it has already expanded my physical capacity.

There is still a little snow and ice left from Sunday's snowstorm. It's been fun to hit an ice patch and hear the crackle of the carbide studs go silent.

Paul

Instead of commuting via bike today, I'm walking my dog to work with me :)

Hi Folks,

Great ride in this beautiful frosty morning. Now I keep the bikes in the shed (at our new house) I have a useful indicator: If the padlocks are frozen solid, I know to be careful on the ride in!

The first couple of days with new Conti Gatorskin tires(700x23) are a real pleaseure too. They ride so much better than the Hutchinson Kevlar tires they replaced.

Cheers,

Ed

I wimped out this morning due to the HIGH WIND WARNING today. Already seeing wind gusts over 45mph. Not that I haven't ridden in this kind of wind before.. Just wimped out. :(

My lighting system is well and truly messed up. I think there is a problem in the wiring harness. I couldn't really ride to work today with no lights to come home with, so I drove and after work drove down to Providence to get a new NiteRider Digital Evolution. This is one problem that seems to be fixed by throwing money at it. Hope to be on the road again Thursday, when it will be raining, unlike beautiful sunshine today. Arghh!!

Another frosty morning ride today. The weather is beautiful at the moment - I love the cold, crisp mornings. My dear wife, however, hails from sunny California and does not share this enjoyment in quite the same way!

Cheers,

Ed

Ahhh! "Love conquers all" :D

I enjoy reading every one of the commute reports here.

I'm born/raised/live in SoCal also, and often wish I was elsewhere enjoying the change of the seasons...

Another windy morning, even though the temp was 46 deg, the 25mph winds seem to make it feel colder. Can't wait for these winds to die down, I'd rather take the sub-40 degree temps than the high winds.

Nice commute this morning, 10F/-12C, light flurries, freshly plowed roads, it was quite beautiful. We don't have to worry about not having a white Christmas, we've got plenty. It's been fun seeing the many houses decorated with lights, it makes for a real festive commute.

Beautiful morning in Denver. Thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I think it's time for a new chain and cassette on the trusty old steed, and the headset and front hub are on the way out too. Perhaps this time I can talk myself into a new bike instead... :)

Wow what a grand morning. The temp was nearly 40F/4.5C. Perfect temp for my short ride to work. The sun was still behind the Highwood Mountains and lit up the high wind blow wisps of clouds. The winds were only around 20MPH/32KPH. Expecting gusts over 60MPH/96.5KMH for the ride home. When its warm, the wind is blowing. Just a fact of winter life here on the front range. Happy Holidays!

somebody swore at me today. I was riding on the sidewalk just a little bit faster than walking pace because it was icy and i didn't want to get hit by a car screaming down the icy hill we were on. I passed this woman (who was walking) and she told me to "get in the road, you ****ing idiot" or some such thing.

it is safe to ride at jogging pace on a sidewalk!

Well, I hate to be the devils advacate but in allot of places it's illegal to ride on the side walk, period... sorry. Check your local laws. It was still inappropriate for her to yell obscenities at you.

I get yelled at for riding in the street.
They shout: "Get out of my way, and get back on the sidewalk!" :rolleyes:

Yup, you cannot win - so just ignore the rude people and ride away smiling! :)

Stunning morning today, the sky was partially cloudy and the clouds were in this textured patina with deep blue highlights. This cleared up further as I rode reveal a half moon high in the sky. Truly glorious. I think the world would be a better place if people look up more :) Colder though of course, but the sun kept me warm enough that I unzipped the windbreaker half way through. At the construction zone I was warned that there would be periodic 1/2 hour closings at the bridge throughout the day tomorrow. So it's either driving or biking the long way around. There are other days of closure coming up as well. I like the long way, but I'm just not getting out of the apt early enough these days, so we shall see.

Same thing down here in Oly town, some fog low but bright stars above. About 35F at 6 AM but since it was a sunny 48F at noon with dry roads, I rode back to work on my Bianchi Trofeo. We still have a lot of Winter to go but I'm already looking forward to Spring. Don

More frosty landscapes today. As I'm now addicted to the scenic route to work, I enjoyed a magical view just before descending into a small village on route. A layer of fog was nestling in the hollow, with just a church tower and a couple of houses on higher ground poking through into the low sunshine.... Beautiful.

Cheers,

Ed

Rode yesterday with lots of 'snow fog' in the morning and rain on the way home. Despite all this, it is nice to see all the holiday lights. Life is good.

Nice ride this morning. A little more cloud cover than yesterday which made for a rather gray atmosphere. The temperature was 17F/-8C. Winds were light at 15MPH/27KMH. The forcast all the way through Christmas is calling for continued dry and above normal temps. The drought continues!

Took advantage of some large, frozen areas to explore the response of my Nokian W106 on the front tire. Found that I could slide the rear wheel out about 30 degrees and easily recover. It really is amazing how much the studs have expanded my envelope. Fun!

Paul

A fox crossed in front of me on the American River bike trail this morning. That's never happened before.

Beautiful sunny day today, and not super cold either which is kinda weird for clear days this time of year. Anyway I took the detour route to avoid the closed section of the trail which added a mere mile to my commute. However it was a nicely hilly mile, especially compared to the trails near absolute flatness. Pretty fun actually, warm in the sun and with the extra effort with the pure blue skies it almost felt like summer.