I was a little hungry tonight and I swear every house I passed was cooking something outrageously delicious. Absolute torture.

I also watched part of World Series game 5, courtesy of the TVs in various houses along the way.

13 miles in an inning or two. Not bad.

Well, for once I have nothing to complain about. A very nice ride this morning, although it did warm up quickly. I expect I'll have a tasty headwind tonight. Ra!

Quite nice, thanks. For once I wasn't so distracted climbing the hill (Terwilliger for you Portlandites) that I remembered to look out over the valley and see the mist rising off the Wilamette. Quite a sight and a very nice way to start the day.

Oso

My ride today.

Woke up its dark and I can hear the wind. Look out the window its damp but not raining.

Get my kit on, pack the rucksack and make the wife's coffee. The wind is picking up.

Get to the door, shoes on, overshoes on. Open the door and the rain comes hurtling down. Close the door again and look at the car in the driveway. To wimp or not to wimp that is the question.

I choice not to wimp. Open the door again and into the garage the rain is coming down even heavier. I think I'll take the beater (MTB) bike its got mudguards and better grip in the wet.

The gods of cycling reward my commitment by stopping the rain shortly after I start. This ain't too bad I think. Just keep the speed down on the hills and I'll be alright.

In some perverse way I enjoyed the ride this morning.

Morning everyone,

Windy ride today, on the whole it was in my favour coming to work so it looks like a headwind tonight. They are also forecasting heavy rain Luckily I don't have a car or even a practical bus route, so there is no temptation to avoid the ride, even in the foulest of weather.

The other evening, I was very annoyed by some kids standing at the bus stop. They were pretending to jump out at cyclists just as they passed. Fortunately I saw what they were up to ahead of time, so was not surprised by this incredibly stupid stunt. I would have given them a verbal thrashing, but they'd love that and think it was hilarious, so I chose to ignore them completely and managed to not even flinch as one of them flashed her hands inches from my face. Grrr.

Have a good weekend,

Ed

Got a good solid headwind tonight. The perfect way to work off the frustrations of the week.

I'm now even more glad to have had a headwind tonight. I've just read the latest bushfire report. Looks like tomorrow's ride has to be canned. I was going to ride up to Brisbane to visit my mother but there is apparently a huge fire at Logan. I'm informed that roads are closed because the smoke is so thick. I think I'll catch the train instead.

Back on the bike today, cold, crisp and clear with no wind and no flats. It was a great ride to work, I even took the long way in, did 37 miles before 6:30 this morning, I'm looking forward to the ride home. I feel so full of energy after a ride like todays ride early in the morning. And now work, it's what I do while waiting for the next ride/adventure. Have a great day ALL.

I'm getting the hang of this cold-weather bike commuting thing. This morning's commute was much nicer than Monday's! I got properly bundled up with several layers, gloves, and a hat and was quite comfortable most of the way in. And I wore my glasses, so my contacts weren't popping out like Monday. My legs and feet are still getting cold, but I've got some tights and booties on order so that should be fixed soon.

With daylight savings time coming up, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just move my whole schedule forward by 1 hour (I have flexible hours at work). I don't mind riding to work in the dark because the traffic is light in the morning, but riding home in the dark would be pretty scary. Does anyone else do this?

Tim

Every night.

I guess my question was poorly worded. I was wondering if anyone else moves their schedule forward by an hour when daylight savings time goes back an hour...

Maybe I'm just a wuss, but the traffic in the evening makes me much more nervous than in the morning. More power to you for doing it every day!

Tim

I don't adjust my schedule at all. Riding in the dark is part of the game of bike-commuting. So is riding in inclement weather.

My ride is on city arterials, so night vs day isn't too much of a problem. When the streets are dry, I pass car traffic for the first 1 km, travel at the same speed for the second 1 km and get passed by them during the 3rd km. I also pass 3-4 city busses.
When it rains, I usually pass traffic for about 1.5 km, and when it snows, I pass traffic all the way home, because car and pedestrian traffic often are at the same speed...


So the only real difference is that I will need 2 more minutes to install headlight and taillight each night... and another 1 minute to remove them at home.

My day "shift" finishes between 5:00 and 5:45 p.m. and I have to be at the daycare before 6:00 p.m. So far, I just have enough daylight to travel safely without lights, but next week, that won't be the case. Morning travels, however, are always with daylight.

Regards,

I really regret that I haven't been able to get in here much the last few weeks. My current project -- the $750,000 renovation of our museum auditorium -- is in the late stages of near-completion, and I'm working very long hours and extra days as a result.

But in this context I've had occasion to think about how, when I was in my 30's and early 40's, this sort of big project would have had me driving to work, eating Egg McMuffins on the way in and eating microwaved pizza for lunch, smoking two packs a day and eventually having a massive heart attack, which is exactly what happened.

So now I ride my bike. It takes a lot to keep me from riding. Lately it's been in the cold and dark, early in the morning and late at night, sometimes wet and sometimes windy, but I'm at the site when the contractors arrive and still there when they leave. And I have more energy, focus, and endurance than ever before in my life.

As we've all learned, the effort is worth it. No matter how hard it seems sometimes, you get back more than you put in.

Check you later,
RichC

The ride home tonight was a bit of a nightmare. We are getting battered by gale force winds at the moment. Add in the fallen leaves and some nice heavy downpours you have a fall waiting to happen.

I was fortunate today in that I was coming home in daylight, so that I could see the leaves and watch how the trees were being blown about. If this keeps up to next week it will be seriously scary

Don't know about anyone else but I find gusty winds much scarier than ice.

I'll go along with everything you say, today's ride home was wild, I couldn't believe the angle I was riding at to combat a severe crosswind, thankfully that was on a dedicated bike lane , at one point when I was in traffic I jumped on the pavement because it was really hard work to keep the bike going in a straight line.

Inky-Dinky Inkwolf ,

Get some "Croakers" or "Terra Cords" or whatever they sell in your area that attach to the temples of your glasses to keep them on your face. If you can't find them, attach three rubber bands together and make tiny loops in the ends for fitting on the earpieces.

If your glasses start to fog, pull them slightly down your nose to allow the cold air to flow behind them and clear up the "steam."
The cords will keep them in place.

I'll try that, Pete.

Today was cold and grey. I got a little peek at the sun, but that was all. The leaves are in late-fall-color mode already, with nothing but browns and dark golds left, except for the remaining greens that haven't turned yet.

Hey Inkwolf excellent drawing,very funny .

Any chance you could treat us to a larger drawing that we could use as wallpaper ? obviously bikes would be a welcome subject, maybe a christmas one for december would be even better(but that's looking way too far ahead) .

Ouch !

Thanks!

If I think of something, I'll draw it.

Cool, crisp and clear, beautiful ride in this morning. Light traffic, even in town, my ride brings me through 3 towns and I have to ride on the main street of each. Have a great day all.

Great commute this morning. A bit cold, but I've finally got all my winter bike outfit worked out so I was very comfortable. I left a half hour earlier than usual, though it was actually lighter due to DST. Drove by some beautiful country landscapes as the sun was just coming up.

Tim

Nice to have the sunshine. It was a clear, sunny, very cool morning. First time I had to wear my long tights. Felt nice. Took the 20-mile route in to work. Stop light gods were in my favor this morning.

Hey guys, now that I am commuting, I should join the thread. I ride a 15 mile commute in the SF Bay Area from Mtn View to Los Gatos every day.

Today's commute started off frustratingly with the restraining clip on one of my panniers missing a screw. Luckily it was on the floor near where they were sitting.

Once I was on the bike, the commute got wonderful. One of the nicest days thus far. Perfect temperature, and gorgeous blue skies with a beautiful sun. Light traffic, and I caught almost all the green lights.

Andy, what time do you head out? I left at 7:45 and I thought it was a much warmer morning than it has been lately. (The time change added a few nice degrees of warmth.)