wooohoooo.... Great ride this morning at 5am...

Last night when I got home from work (@9:30pm) there was a box on the porch... A pair of "Gator" Booties!!!

They came in handy this morning with the temp hitting about 38 degrees (F)

Felt great!

No bike commute for me today. Winds are SSW sustained at 30MPH gusting to 48MPH. I am going to error on the side of caution.

Beautiful cool morning here. At 39° it sure feels like winter is on the way. I need to work on my gear, I'm consistently dressing for weather about 5° warmer.

The ride home yesterday was hot (103) and tough! I have one of those personalities that does not let me just ride home. I have to do it faster than I did the day before. To my surprise I beat my wife home from work! I don't know exactly how much time I shaved off because I did not look at the clock when I left. I do know that I did not leave early and I got home about 10 minutes earlier than normal. WOOHOO! Thinking back I did catch a few green lights. Hmmm?

I was rather slow coming in due to a strong headwind, but had a great commute nevertheless! First of all, it didn't rain as the forecast warned me it might. So the coolth of the morning didn't bother me at all and, in fact, was actually very pleasant. And of course "early morning" = "few cars".

When I reached about the halfway point of my commute I got passed by another bike commuter. He wasn't going that much faster than I, so we had time to exchange "good morning"s as he overtook me. I must say I was surprised - I do get passed by roadies all the time but I say I move at a decent clip for a Toronto commuter. And this guy didn't even have clips and straps on his pedals and his bike looked like a 30-year-old ten-speed with flat handlebars... definitely not a roadie type. :) So I followed the guy fairly closely - not actually drafting, but not letting him drop me either. As we came to a long red light, we chatted a bit and then continued to chat as we rode abreast for the next couple of kilometers along a fairly quiet road. It turns out he commutes for about 10 km each way, and rides through the winter too! :) I told him I intend to keep riding this winter. Such a conversation never happened to me before on my commute and it sure was nice.

Then, as I arrived at the university, I met a fellow graduate student who gave me an amazed look and said that riding a bike to school was, in her opinion, "awesome". She asked me how far I ride and how long it takes and was surprised to learn that I am about as fast as public transit. :) She said she takes subway + bus to the university every day but really likes the idea of biking. She actually doesn't live so far from me, as I found out, so I suggested that she takes up bike-commuting and she and I ride together one day. She said, quite reasonably, that she is probably not ready to start commuting given the seasons, but that she'll definitely consider it in the spring. Hey, perhaps another commuter will join our ranks thanks to me! That would be really great!

Anyway, sorry for the slightly lengthy post, but I just loved the experiences so wanted to blab about them for a while.

This one post can cover yesterday also. Hot. Tuesday was perfect, then on Wed. the Santa Ana's kicked up and temps were in the 80's on the ride in with a strong wind picking up all sorts of stuff and throwing it in my face. It sucked. The ride home was super windy and hot, 90's I bet. This morning the winds were a bit less but the temps were in the 80's. There is a fire somewhere over towards the San Fernando Valley, and the smoke is blowing this way, the entire south view is covered in smoke, while the entire view to the north is a very nice shade of blue. Both days ride came in a 10 minutes or so.

Helped out another rider this morning after a crash. Approaching the wooden bridge at the outset of my ride, I noticed an oddly placed bike headlight-near or on the ground. As it was dark I had no perspective and couldn't really tell weather it was actually on the ground or just in the distance somewhere. As I approached I saw a guy collecting himself after crashing. I stopped, checked him out, helped him put his visor back on his helmet, and checked over his bike. He had hit the wood, slid into the chain handrail, and spun around 180 degrees before laying the bike down. He wasn't really injured (minor cuts, bruises) and appreciated that I stopped to help. He looked to have an all new bike and gear and I'm assuming he's a newbie to commuting (or at least this particular part of the trail), so I was more than willing to spend the few minutes with him. Many other riders and runners passed (a freak occurrance at this early hour) but none stopped to help, I guess at that point we just looked to be chatting. Any way, that's my good deed for the day. I hope it went a ways toward encouraging him to keep up the riding (if he was in fact a newbie).

Best commute ever for me! Temps of 72 degrees compared to 104 yesterday. I felt like I pedaled more and used the motor less because I felt more energetic, yet I made the 17.5 mile trip in an hour and 15 minutes, which is five minutes faster than before. And this is the first time I've commuted by bike all four days!

I even saw two cyclists going the other way on different stretches -- I usually see a cyclist about once every three or four trips but I'm seeing at least one every trip. I think fall is going to be a great time for commuting by bike! :)

I drove to work this morning...after clearing the cobwebs off my Explorer...literally!

The weather was beautiful today, cool and sunny with a light wind. The ride was splendid except for the close call.

On the way home I'm at a traffic light in a left turn lane waiting to turn onto a four lane divided road. I get the green arrow and start moving across the intersection toward the right side of the outside lane. The car behind me decides he can't wait and passes me on the right. Since this is the last thing I'm expecting and since I try to be considerate of cars behind me and get to the right side of the outside lane as quickly as possible, I almost get flattened.

Sometimes it's hard to imagine how people in cars can be such utter imbeciles. I'm coming to the point where I'm tempted to conclude that the automobile is a form of mental illness.

MMMMAAANNN!!!!!! I love the beginning of Autumn, especially when on a bicycle. A crisp 68 degree ride to work this morning, almost went back to grab a thin jacket. And I've discovered that sprinting all the time can help! What was my "stand and push" gear last week is now my "eh, I think I'll just relax on this ride" gear. I'm loving it! Can't wait till next month, though (which starts Saturday! YAY!), since the dolphins tend to come around in October so I do my beach training rides then....I love riding bikes!

:) i'm so easily entertained that i don't really mind being sick now and then, for a day or two. breaks up the routine. but this one's been ugly enough that i almost felt guilty in case i've been overdoing the bike thing and opened myself up or something. however. i did go back to work today (in my car) and found half the population is in the same state. i missed my bike something fierce this evening, and i feel like i could push over a mountain, so tomorrow it's bike or bust. i'm looking forward to it.

Less wind today ,More speed on the way to work and home .
Was a good ride to work and home . Did not see any one commuting today . But it was a little bit colder today .
Hopefully the weekend will warm up . Have a good nite .

Rain today & only got up to 60F. I'm still trying to get over a bad cold & about 1/2 mile from the finish of my afternoon commute home, I flatted very suddenly. The rear wheel was "thumping" every rotation & I just thought it was the tube bunched up or something but when I had walked it home & went to hang the bike I saw a 2 inch drywall screw sticking out of the tread! I'll check it out this weekend & see how much damage it did. Don

a day of firsts for me. first commute in the rain and holy **** did i get wet, the race blades worked great as fenders, but i need something for my feet and something for my head. and the second first was the ****ing freezing ride home. 45 degrees, not nice, not nice at all.

but that aside the rides were magnificent. cold, crisp, screaming excitement, chirping birds, and splashing in puddles.

The rain stayed away but I really thought I'd be caught in it. My ride was 6am to 6.50 - dark the whole time and wind in my face, but enjoyable all the same. Looking forward to the clocks going back for a bit of brightness in the morning, but that makes it so dark in the traffic going home.

Lorcán.

Looks like it will be another great day for riding. Lovely weather to end September with. End of September??? :eek: It was early June just last week!! :o
At least the morning low isn't as cool as the weather guessers had predicted - only 59F (15C). They were predicting 51F (11C).

Last night I stayed extra late at work so I could test out my new lights on the ride home. I got the Viewpoint dual setup up front and the single for the helmet. Last night it was just the duals. I felt like a little kid with a new toy on the way home. Very cool! Lights work well. Very bright, easy to use. I kinda wished they had the "sidelighting" like the L&Ms to give me a little more visibility at the street crossings. I'll have to find some reflecting tape for the sides.

This morning is very chilly - 42F. I'm all bundled up and ready to brave the elements.

Have a great day!

Mike

Well, the break from the heat finally came! A twenty degree drop this morning was a true gift. I actually had to work to get a sweat going. A welcome 70 degree temperature arrived with me at work this morning… Top O' The Morning To You.

Haha I was thinking the same.

Chilly this morning (see my "Brrrr!" thread :D). Between last night and this morning I had three obnoxious honkers, none of which made any sense. Last night, with literally 15-20 ft between the stopped-at-a-light traffic in front of me and the honker behind me, the idiot drops to neutral starts to rev his small pe-- I mean big engine. Dumbass. This morning on Riverside Drive, I'm flying "at speed in excess of twenty five miles per hour" (gosh I love Phil & Paul's cycling commentary :D) which is nearly the speed limit, and a driver in the fast lane honks all the way passing me. In my mirror I had clearly seen that that car had been in that lane the whole time it was in view, WTF? Finally after crossing Times Square with yes, another red light ahead and all sorts of trucks and taxis double-parked, etc (i.e. barely room for one car, let alone a bike and car) a taxi driver lays on the horn, passes me when there's enough room and slams on the brakes. Dork!

The good part is that I laughed inside at all of them and didn't say anything stupid to add fuel to the fire, so to speak. Getting jaded I guess. :D Anyhow, despite all that nonsense, I wasn't upset at all. Great commutes enhanced by the delicious (though chilly!) Fall weather. Last night's commute home is one of the best I've ever had. Very strong wind blowing with cloud cover cleared the Greenway of most peds. I drafted off of a strong roadie for a couple of miles (thanked him for it, of course) then was virtually alone in the fading light, with only the sounds of the choppy Hudson and wind gusts to accompany me. Fantastic!

Should we call these people, Geese?

We had a big wind storm blow through Vermont yesterday. A tree went down across the path yesterday sometime. It was still there this morning so I snapped a picture with the phone.

I should probably call the town to tell them. It's just at the right height to take out an adult who isn't looking up, or is riding in the dark.

I had a 30-40MPH headwind in the morning, then wouldn't you know it, the wind swung around so I had headwind for the ride home, too! I can't win... At one point I was in the lowest gear exerting a lot of effort and going 10MPH. :rolleyes:

This morning was nicer though. Temps in the low 40Fs. Light wind.

Tree picture...

##$%&*^$#!!!!!!!!! Got home from a night ride last night [and requisite beer], decided to put on new chainring bolts and a new rear cog on my SS. "Hmmm. I should probably test ride this to make sure the 8-year old chain will work with the brand new cog. Then again, I'm pretty sleepy..."

Got up this morning, grabbed my bike and rode exactly 4' before having the chain skip on the new cog like a hyperactive kid playing hopscotch. Ran to the garage, grabbed my road bike and tried to switch the pedals over. Holy ****, those things were on tight. Finally got the pedals switched, then remembered why I don't commute on my road bike - full race crouch, rock-hard seat. At least I was faster. Not fast enough to make any of the lights on my way in, of course.

The worst part of it is, I know better than to mate up a chain and cog that aren't of a similar vintage. Dumb-de-dumb-dumb-dumb!

This morning it was really smokey around here. Theres a big fire at the county line according to the LA Times. The ride this morning was nice, much cooler than yesterday as the Santa Ana's seemed to have stopped. I missed the stop light but the ride still came in at right around 10 minutes.

For the week I was 4 of 4 for commuting as I took Monday off for a doctors appt.

My first commute to my new office building (we moved across town). Before my ride was about 8 miles, now it is double that distance with some pretty crazy hills thrown in towards the office end of the ride. Usually I peddle in in street clothes and clipless shoes, but for this it was the jersey and shorts and a jacket for good measure (50's?) + backpack of office clothes. The commute was good ... but almost collided with a jogger when I was about to overtake and two much faster rides tried to overtake me at the same time... luckily no one was run over, hit, or collided. Its good to have the bike at the office again (been trying out the subway, but with 3 transfers to get here, it takes just as long and comes with that frustrating kind of exhasting, whereas my bike ride in was a refreshing exhasting. Wish the weather would hold like this until next spring ... stupid winter.

Obnoxious honkers == Geese. I like!

I woke up with a cold in my head so I didn't ride today. I'm kind of glad I didn't, too. The monsoon season has hit the Pacific Northwest. It has not stopped raining all day. I don't mind riding in it if I am prepared, but this morning when I went to work it was warm and nice so I would not have been prepared.
I had three guys come to me and ask me if I needed a ride home. I thanked them and told them I drove, but if I had ridden in to work I would ride home no matter what. It was nice of them to think of me, though. All I thought about today at work was how I'm gonna pay for that electric bike I want...or should I get a recumbent...or better yet an electric recumbent.

Much warmer(52F) & raining at 6AM today so I just wore a light wool sweater under my rain gear & was still a bit to warm after I got up to speed. There was some fog off the lake so I rode a bike I setup with yellow zenon flashers front & rear, also has a home made 55watt headlight. Power is a motorcycle battery so its heavier than my other rides but very good visibility. Rain was letting up when I came home & we had a beautiful sunset. Enjoy your weekend.

Cooler ride to work and home. Atleast it's not as windy. Did not see any other commuters today, but had a pretty good day at work. Six days in a row of riding. I'd say it was a pretty good week of commuting. Have a good night.

yee hah. how long has it been?

we're tag-teaming :p


beautiful beautiful day. the morning was clear (i think), and i told myself and told myself to take it easy and not expect anything after a week of layoff. then of course i didn't. got there in one of the best times i've ever made. i think i should credit the lights, but on the other hand i used to rest a bit while i waited for them so i dunno. i locked up feeling wobbly but psyched.

hung around after work to watch toronto beat kansas city then the yankees lose to the redsox in their family room. not one of the foosball players even turned round. those guys just ain't right. almost stayed for the mariners game too, but it was 7:30 by then and the place was locked up, so i went home.

first ride home from work in real dark. just about perfect for trying it out: late enough to miss rush hour and still lovely weather, just a little bit cool. i laid out every light i could find and took my usual route. the only thing i see i'll have to do is change over and ride on 'my' sidewalk for the bridge, because the lights from the oncoming traffic just about blinded me even when i tried not to look. that ain't cool on a bridge; i don't want to dump anyone coming in the other direction because i can't look far enough ahead to see them in time, so i'll have to try and figure out how to get myself safely around the half-cloverleaf and on the right side. tonight i walked most of it, and still made my pre-sickness time even with having to stop halfway home and remove layers.

still coughing up the remains of the cold. otherwise good.