Roads were wet and a very light drizzle, more like a misting when I left fully suited in rain pants and jacket. Traffic was snarled like a knot in your shoe that you lose patience with which meant a lot of crawling and zigzagging around slow moving traffic and the occasional ride on the sidewalk. By the time I got to work, I was more wet from sweat than from rain. I should've left the raingear at home.

50F degrees. No rain yesterday or this morning. I just saw Gloucester (Mass) got almost a foot of rain.

Saw a couple of cyclists heading the other way and a guy on an MTB poking around near a dog park.

Same here!


Perhaps one of the best rain commutes ever. Some flapjack knocked down a traffic light...again at the B.U. Bridge. Traffic was all backed up on Comm.Ave so I took between the two lanes and loved it every second of it. The B.U. Bridge could only be crossed coming from one direction as Police had the cross road blocked off. Not a problem for me, I simply unclicked and carried my roadie across the trolly tracks and continued on. I'm sure I was envy of the road as I slowly tooled by at least two hundred cagers.

Cool !

I thought I was the only other person on earth that used that word...

I learned it from the Jerky Boys Cd's !! =)

Really nice. Bike to work week is underway, and I saw several other people out riding this morning. It is getting warm enough that I am in just a jersey and bike shorts, and it will only get warmer. Lucky for me we have a shower at work.

Nice ride. Still VERY cool for mid-May.

Yesterday I saw a few commuters. Today only saw one.
I received an email yesterday from a cyclist who didn't know it was Bike Month or Bike Week. Never heard of any Bike Month or Bike Week activities, locally or nationally.
I thought all cyclists knew about this stuff. Obviously not.

It was ok except for a wicked headwind (although you'd think I'd be used to it by now) and a slight chill. I've discovered a way to add a couple of miles to my ride in. I simply bypass the 14th St. bridge and continue on the MV Trail crossing at the Memorial Bridge. I then turn right at the Lincoln Mem. and continue down through East Potomac Park. It eventually intersects with the bike trail on the DC side of the bridge and I continue in as usual. I'd been looking for a way to up my mileage for training purposes and this probably adds 2 to 3 miles, although without a computer on the bike I can't be sure. It only took me three years to figure that out, I wonder what revalations I'll have in another 3.

My driver education program goes on, with undetermined success. This morning, not two blocks from my house, a white Ford F-250 diesel pickup blew right by me as I was trackstanding at a stop sign. This street is adjacent to a park where there are many runners, walkers, dogs, and kids walking to the local elementary school. He accelerated to 25 or 30, hit the brakes to get over the speed humps, and made a right onto the street that parallels the school playground. He blew another stop sign to get on the main boulevard and then really hit the gas.

I had tried to memorize the first couple of digits of his plate and started to chase but gave up when he blew threw yet another stop sign. So I started riding one of my usual routes into downtown.

And then, saints be praised, he pulled onto the same street 100 m ahead of me. I rode up to his passenger side window and he suddenly got very interested in a piece of paper on the dashboard. The light changed and we went ahead to the next block and this time I rode up to the driver side window and said, "Excuse me. Did you just come through Curtis Park?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Well, do me a favor. Next time you cut through my neighborhood have the courtesy to keep it under 25 and don't blow the stop signs. "

And then he lied: "What!?! I didn't blow any stop signs!"

"Dude, please. You whipped around me at a stop sign and I could feel the breeze from your side mirror. Look, there are a lot of kids that walk to that school..."

Then the light changed and I didn't get a chance to finish because he gunned it again. Dick.

Yeah! I remember that...the CD (Tape ) absolutely cracked me up.

Cool, and wet. Light rain, enough to soak my pants but not my shoes or socks. It'll be more of the same for the next few days.

Coming home yesterday afternoon I nearly creamed myself on the back of some van. There is this turn that we make onto an overpass and cars have a habit of gunning it and then slamming on the breaks because there is not enough room to make the turn. I was caught behind one of these. Slammed on the brakes and felt my back tire skid and wobble. managed to successfully make it in time and sidle off to the right as I ended up overshooting his bumper by half a foot or so.

We're supposed to be humid but I've not been able to tell, at least compared to what I'm used to in San Antonio. Mornings have been nice and sunny though.

Commute this morning was fast--or at least felt that way.

There was a new bike on the rack this morning at my building. I asked the other 2 commuters if they recognized it, and we all agreed that we didn't. So maybe he/she is a BtW convert. Let's hope it sticks.

It was an old Univega mtb with knobbies and not in very good condition. Remembering the first few months of my commute (knobbies on a mtb that was in better shape than this bike), I said a silent prayer in hopes his/her commute is pretty short....

Road to the dentist and had a little work done, then headed in the rest of the way about half looping from the gas and oxygen. It was about 72 degrees, blue bird sky and light wind out of the north. No complaints.

Great ride home yesterday, did the 20 mile route, very strong east wind had me FLYING through the first 3rd of my route, and was a crosswind during the second, but not to bad, luckily during the last section (up hill too) it's through some pretty sheltered areas so it didn't effect me too bad. Made excellent time, 1 hour 19 minutes for the 19.5 mile trip. (usually about an hour and a half)

Ride in was nice, felt sluggish at first, but I don't think I really was, cuz I made excellent time again, with no wind this morning.

Albuquerque is doing a pretty big bike to work promotion, including free breakfast on Friday in a bunch of places around town (not resturaunts, just like setting up tables I think) and I ride RIGHT PAST two of them. Bad news (or good?) is that I'll be on my way to Las Vegas on Friday, and won't be partaking in any of the free food.

In a last note for this long winded poster, have found a thread with many Albuquerque commuters on it, and we're trying to keep it alive, anyone from Albuquerque (or anywhere in New Mexico really) should check it out here https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/195839-albuquerque-bike-work-week.html

Did you get his plate #?

No, just the first couple of digits. In retrospect, what I should have done was to snap a pic of his plate with my camera phone and email it to the Sac P.D. traffic office.

Ride home included a convo w/ another commuter in my bldg. (diff. cos.) about, what else, bikes. Then I rode home and was only slowed by dogs and their owners on the skinny sections of the MUP.

great ride home today. it's becoming noticeably easier, and i'm feeling more confident on the bike, which is making the rides much more enjoyable. i caught quite a few bugs to the face on the first quarter home, that's never happened before. i took the long way home (10.6 miles) and got it down to 45 mins.

Your words are kind...

astounding isn't it... so many people refusing to own up and be accountable for their actions...

Hope some of you are able to make it out to your local Ride of Silence...

I think it would be really cool if we all made national news...

Something like "Cyclists Across the Globe Unite in Memoriam, Awareness; Share the Road"

Commute was hot... Also had to drop off my road bike for repairs on the way home. That meant walking the rest of the way home.

I hope I adjust to the heat soon. I almost bonked on the way home yesterday and then again on the way in today.

usual. at lite (that does not "see" bicyclists), i received several nods, smiles, or waves riding home today!
that's some-what different to the past 6 years commute. a nice change. i'm starting to see a small up-swing of other bike commuters, but no decrease in car drivers, no real big change (car #) here in s nj yet!

Great ride today, it actually wasn't raining for once! Though it is supposed to start in the afternoon, so we'll see. It doesn't matter so much when I arrive at home all soggy and wet.

The new tires on my trike are FANTASTIC, so much faster! It really is an incredible difference. Now all I have to do is find some fenders...

I'll let you know what the commute will be like later this morning - I'm still at home.
I'm going in late and working late to do the Ride of Silence.
That means I'll also be heading home much later. Hmmm. What surprises will the cycling gods (or traffic gods) have for me today???

Yes, finally, I could ride to work here in Maine without rain. Sunshine, warmed up quickly. But I encountered the worst headwind of the year, and I really worked up a sweat. Felt great!

Another great ride in this morning just like the past two days. Sunshine and temps in the low 50s with not much wind. Had a woman cut in front of me turning left though an intersection this morning. I was going straight and went around some cars waitint to turn left and she obviously didn't see me but when she finally did she hesitated and made the situation worse for me having to slam on my brakes in order to get around her. She should have just kept going, crazy how people freak out when they see a cyclist. I saw 5 other cyclists last night on my ride home which was nice since I usually don't see many out and about. It must have been since I took a main road home which I usually avoid.