blown cue

Bloody fantastic on the way to work, bloody wet on the way back. I commute five miles each way on the Tobacco Trail in Durham, NC. Sidewalk to bike trail to parking garage. Absolutely gorgeous, tons of trees and mossy vines.

Yesterday I run into this huge clump on elementary schoolkids out for a walk. Of course nobody gets to one side so I make huge truck horn noises to clear a path. Some boy decides to throw dirt at me, so I say "son, your ass is mine!" and go to turn and the kid takes off faster than a fart in an Oklahoma dust storm.

You can't have this much fun in a car.

I've driven around half a dozen rabbits who freeze in the middle of the path, then completely freak and take off faster than a fart in...well, you get the idea.

Then there are the plank bridges t-h-a-t r-r-r-r-r-e-e-a-l-l-l-y make me wish I had a steel frame.

But the best part is the Lucky Strike tower looming over the complex. When I see it, I scream LUCKY STRIKE! and pedal like mad with that Cake song in my head.

And to top it off I get to wear these padded bike shorts.

It's like wearing hot pants with a giant maxipad stuffed inside.

And you can't beat that with a stick.

Cyclaholic

It's starting to get colder in my neck of the woods. It's at the stage where my jacket & gloves are just a tad too warm but without it's just a little too cold.

Thoroughly enjoying my commuting but I hardly ever see anyone else pedalling at that time, maybe in the warmer months (only been commuting a short time). I came upon a guy on a road bike in head to toe lycra yesterday morning, I tried to keep up but he left me for dead.

A crappy little dog that looked like a mop without the handle had a go at me last night, it sprung out of a shaddow ambush style, startled the crap out of me to the point where I almost went down. No leash ofcourse and the owner didnt seem too concerned so I gave him a piece of my mind, still didnt seem to care so I told him that next time I'll just run straight over the furry piece of $h!t then I'll shove the carcass up his a$$, not my most dignified moment but he definately got the message, especially since I chased the dog off as I left.

What is it with pre-dawn joggers & walkers nowadays, they're all dressed in black! I'm afraid that sooner or later I'm going to end up with a pedestrian for a hood ornament (handlebar ornament?)

Well, that's my random rant for the day.

spidercyclist

Bad day at work . But good ride to work and home .
Have a good nite.

dm_fuel100

Don't feel too bad, my typical commute involves a headwind mornings and evenings, almost without fail. In the AM I ride west towards the mountains and encounter a nice little 10mph downslope flow. By evening the air has warmed up and is rising up the mountains. This pulls the winds in from the eastern plains, exactly where I have to go to get home. I've gotten to the point where I don't even look at my average speed anymore because I know it's going to suck. Oh well, hills are my friends and headwinds make me stronger. At least we've had nice temps in the 70s and 80s around here recently.

Aside from the above mentioned headwinds, my commute today was pretty nice. It was about 62 degrees in the AM. I was rolling along at a respectable, or so I thought, 20mph on a flat section when this big tubby guy went blowing past me like I was going backwards. I figured he had old mo working for him, and I was right because I caught him easily on the next hill. After that he started motoring away again, but I kept catching back up on every little rise. Good thing I arrived at work because I was out of hills and don't like to work that hard in the AM. The PM commute was a little interesting too since I had to ride through a few deep puddles from the flooding Boulder Creek. No big deal except for a couple of wet feet. When I left work I could see that it was raining over my house so I took the long way home, and by the time I arrived it was sunny and warm. The puddles on the roads told me I wasn't far behind the rain, but, aside from my earlier wet feet, I stayed dry. Pretty good timing if you ask me.

bikebuddha 

Cooler than yesterday which made for a very nice ride.

edit: I almost forgot, this morning I was another commuter. He was on the opposite side of the road with a messenger bag and it looked like he was wearing an Atlanta Cycling Jersey. That makes a total of 3 commuters I've seen over the years.

vtjim

Bright yellow ball of light in the sky this morning! It must be the end-times! The trail was, how do I describe it? Dry, I think is the word, if I remember the definition correctly.

Okay maybe the days and days of below-normal temperatures, overcast skies, and rain have taken their toll. Even hardened Vermonters are beginning to complain.

Anyway, a good ride. Saw 3 other commuter-looking people riding. Passed one of them (MTB), and the other two were heading in the opposite direction. One guy gave me a happy "good morning!"

Edit: Yesterday afternoon I was riding home and a guy coming toward me had nifty alternating white and red (dual) headlights. They were bright and very noticeable.

jeff-o

Sweet ride on my rental Catrike. The hills were a little slower than on my DF, and in general my muscles just haven't adjusted yet. Still, it was pleasantly cool, with a predicted high of 21 C this afternoon. Should be a sweet ride!

Now, if only I could see my co-worker's faces when they see the catrike parked near the bicycle stands.

Hickabod

This morning was even chillier than yesterday. Makes me wish I hadn't taken the gloves out of my bag.
As usual, I didn't see any other commuters. However my commute seems to be turning into just as mind-numbing of an experience as a ride in the car. So it's possible that I'm overlooking much. Don't get me wrong I still love the ride in, but I can tell I'm not "soaking it all in" like before. Perhaps I need a vacation or a different route.

* jack *

Interesting ride in this a.m. For starters, the weather is incredible, I enjoy this actual spring-type weather we've been having (it usually just jumps from winter directly to summer in these parts!)

Passing through the residential streets, I came upon a young man, probably 9 - 11 yrs old, riding his bike to the neighborhood elementary school - following proper vehicular cycling technique, wearing a helmet, riding in the 'sweet spot' of the lane (not in the gutter), came to a complete stop at a four way stop sign, before signalling a left turn, and heading towards the school.

I caught up to the kid in no time, and told him I admired his safe cycling skills. He thanked me, and told me that he has been riding his whole life... and his parents take him on rides and show him these valuable skills. I was impressed... now I am not so fearful for the future of our civilization with kids like that in my 'hood.

A few blocks later, I stop in a local cafe for a cup of joe, and when I exit the shop, some guy is checking out my vintage Moto - nice ego boost first thing in the morning. We chat about our rides for a few minutes, and then head off for work. So far, it's been a good day - I just hope it doesn't rain on me tonight... the Moto has no fenders.

rguysailing

What a ride home last night. All week the wind has been on the nose but last night I had a 25 mph tail wind.
It was 78 degrees and a great tail wind: wish I could have kept right on going.
This is a new record for the commute home.

Grasschopper

Interesting commute this morning. It was cool and spitting some rain but I made the best time yet with an avg speed of 17.2 MPH without a tailwind. Do others hammer on their ride, treating it like a personel TT? I am begining to wonder why I am in such a rush to get to work.

Spudz

Oh, man! 27 degree windchill this morning that froze my fingers, brilliant sunrise over the Tetons, right in my face. What a way to start the day!

balto charlie

ditto grasshoppers weather. My left crank keeps coming loose, even after an LBS used torque wrench. Crank must be shot. I'm actually starting to look for a new bike.

cicadashell

very sunny today, a little warmer (around 60 °F). that north wind really got to me on the way home yesterday; it promises to be more gentle today. and then the rains return...

bcritch

I had a very nice ride in today. It was in the 50's, which made for a comfortable ride.

On my last commute, on the way home, I had a rough time. More jerks than I have ever had in one trip. Laborers roll down the window to point and laugh at the idiot on the bike (I have no where to go, it is a red light), an elderly couple on my rear end honking, repeatedly, so I would move into the right turn lane even though I was going straight When I took my bike on the train downtown (7:30 p.m.) some couple asks me "Does MARTA allow you to take your bike on during rush hour?" I say "yes" and they say, "Well, in Washington D.C. you certainly could not."

Oh well, the nice thing on a bike is that encounters are brief in duration and I still feel good about cutting down on traffic and getting sunshine, fresh air and exercise.

caloso

Very pleasant this morning. I actually got out of the house at a decent time so I spun easily and arrived at the office cool and dry. It's going to be a very long day at work today but I'm so glad it's gotten off to the best start possible.

Mhendricks

Beautiful day to ride in San Jose. Just cruise along past the airport around 6:30, then up First Street all the way to work. Not many cars out at that time. Fresh Air, sunshine and blue skies. What more could I ask for.

"Steel is Real" Trek 520

bikebuddha 

I had a similar encounter on the train last year. This woman repeatedly told me I wasn't allowed to have the bike on the train and that she was going to notify the MARTA cops. I said "go ahead" and when we got off at 10th Street she just walked out of the station and didn't look back.

billh

Fine commute this morning. All the lights were green. One little tick. Coming up to a red, I was perhaps 4th in line. I usually move to the center of the lane before stopping, but as I was slowing down a car approached to my left and passed me before I reached the end of the line. No biggie. He ended up turning right at the light. This however, confirmed that motorists will sometimes attempt a right hook if I don't move to the center to prevent it. I'm sure if the light were green and I stayed to the right, he would have right-hooked me.

ajay677

Nice weather this morning. Sunny and cool. Great after days of rain. Only one jacka$$ this morning. I was stopped at a red light, in the bike lane, waiting to go straight. A car pulled up behind me, in the bike lane and honked. I turned my head to acknowledge that I heard him but ignored him otherwise. He started screaming out his window that he was turning right. I shouted back, "Good for you." He continued to scream at me to get out of his way. As the light turned green I departed. As he was still screaming I shouted that he should re-read his driver's handbook. I know, I should have just ignored him but idiots that him just chap my a$$.

MikeR

I ride 13 miles to a bus stop, store my bike in a parked car and bus to work. This is my second week cycle commuting. Monday was raining so I wused out. The weather man says it’ll try to rain all week so on Tuesday I left the car and pedaled home.

This morning I poked my head out to discover that it was raining. Since my car was already 13 miles away I figured - grit and go. I put rain gear on and rubbers over my shoes. It wasn’t all that bad! In fact the rain stopped and the dawn came up behind the clouds about half way there and it was beautiful. The Pa country always looks best when it’s wet. I always feel better when I can pedal to work. – Rain or shine!

Ty1843

A rather unique commute this morning. What I thought was a jogger in a brown track suit turned out to be two deer. Took a few minutes to get by them, the doe was very curious about what I was. Then the bike trail was closed for tree removal. So back tracked onto the main road, where traffic was bump and grind. The road paralled the river at this point, where the two deer and three deer friends were having thier morning drink. I stopped to watch, as the traffic ground on oblivious to this. Yet another detour as the main road to the transit center was blocked by construction. Some sidewalk riding and alley short-cuts got me there than traffic.

Gugek

Good rides this week. Yesterday I got caught out in a heavy thundershower. The rain must have gotten my blood flowing because I felt super strong during the ride. Today I saw that the N.C. Dept. of Transportation finally got around to actually doing work on a bridge on my route which forces a four mile detour. My commute is 16 miles now, guess I'll just leave earlier and get home later.

spidercyclist

Good ride to work and home . But still not a great day at work . Have a good day .

jeff-o

Brake and engine troubles commuting on my rental catrike. The disc brakes still seem to be rubbing, even though I thought I had adjusted them properly last time. Argh! So, for half the trip I was pushing against more friction than usual, which my legs did not like. I arrived late at work because of the mechanical pit-stops and my pooped legs. Luckily I work in a building where they manufacture stuff, I should be able to bum some washers and a 5mm alan wrench.