Well, don't you know that riding a bike is dangerous? People can't see you, when it rains you can get wet, you could even fall and break a leg, I mean GOSH! You people who commute by bicycle are CRAZY!

Today was good, a bit cold and rainy but not too bad. I took a different route and added some steeper hills and about a mile and a half. Going home I am going to take another route that should give me some more hills and add some more mileage. Looking forward to my three day weekend next week (Mon, Tues, Wed for me) so I can take some longer rides in the country instead of commute.

So depressing. Light rain, dark clouds, kinda cold. All I could think of was my broken road bike.

...Didn't you know your commuting privileges were revoked while you were on vacation?

I'm back to work after a mini-vacation -- stronger and faster than before! Sometimes those bike muscles just need a short rest.

I took the long way to work, what I call my "Two Rivers and Two Lakes Ride." As usual in Michigan we jump right from cold winter to muggy summer without wasting time on spring. I think my commute home would have been a personal best time, but I forgot to start my stop watch, so I'll never know.

vr
When I'm repairing a flat I always put in about 20-30 psi, then press in on the sidewall while working my way around the tire. This pushes the tube away from the bead/rim contact area, I hope. I do this on both sides, then inflate to max psi.

Never had a pinch flat using this technique.

HOT!! I guess summer is finally here.


During the long weekend I'll be getting the summer clothes and summer cycling clothes out and packing away the winter stuff. Loads of fun.

Probably time to gather up the stuff I no longer use and post them on craigslist.

I did my first commute into work today. Been riding home for several days now and decided to try riding in today.

I took the bus part of the way and rode the rest. It was about 3 or 4 miles to work from the bus stop.

Felt good to get a little bit of a morning ride before work. Going to make this a regular thing.

It is now dumping rain in buckets. I can hardly wait for the ride home. Cold and wet whoopie!

So ends the 4th week of my Bike to Work Challenge to myself. I started at the beginning of the month doing a 16 mile round trip – 8 miles nearly all downhill in the morning with an 8 mile climb in the evening. By the time I left work at 530pm the wind was usually blowing hard and it was a head wind all the way!!
The first day I got down in about 25 minutes and home that evening in around 80-85 minutes, having stopped at least 3 times on the hill to admire the view and suchlike. Now I’m still getting down in 20-25 minutes but my ride in the evening is taking 60-65 on a good day.
Coming in this morning I found a new dirt road that had been cut towards some water tanks and this took about 5-8 minutes off my ride. I will try it going back up this evening as a change to my normal route.
I seem to be obsessed with time here but I have been using it as a gauge to see how much stronger I’m getting. I’m pushing higher gears and feel much stronger in my legs. The view is still great on the commute, weather is perfect but I’m still the only one doing it. Thankfully motor traffic is minimal here on Lanai so no worries there.
Thanks to everyone for the words of welcome and encouragement when I first posted. Enjoy your cycling!!

New job, new commute. It's not a roughly 6-mile-roundtrip from one part of Newton to the other, and I've made the unpleasant discovery of the roads near Newton Center. Not sure how to describe them -- they're like, large "plates" or squares of concrete, two-wide (lane-sized), and then asphalt filling in between them and on the shoulder. But they're, um, they're not very good roads.

Commute in: bright, sunny, hot and humid. Makes me contemplate a camelbak for the summer. Lots of minor rolly ups-and-downs between me and my destination, not used to that, left knee decided to scream a loud hello in protest.

Commute back: dark. Foggy, humid, cooler. Feels faster, maybe it's more downhill that way? Or maybe just because the streets were deserted and I practiced my dances-with-intersections routine with more confidence. (still not too confident on the roads, I'm a little afraid of four-way intersections, especially ones with turning lanes).

Ride home was great!

Hottest day of the year here in Anchorage. Whopping 74 degrees which is a new record high today. Breaks the record set in 1929.

I have seen it getting easier and easier, but my time has not changed much. Probably because I have been stopping to enjoy the view and take in some shade a couple times along the way. The hills used to get me and I had to walk a few of them, but today I only had to walk two. Few more trips and they will be no problem as well.

well, most of the week to catch up on, i guess.

i did ride on wednesday. this is because i worked my mind into some kind of unjustified impression that my son's game was at the park-just-down-the-road-from-us. once i got to work where i keep the schedule i discovered my error, and then they gave us the build-we-never-thought-they'd-give-us late in the day. so had to ride home to trade bike for car first, which meant i had to stop for cat food because i didn't have the heart to enter the house and leave it again without feeding the poor little beast. missed almost half of the game in consequence. didn't enjoy the ride home at all, but the game perked me up.

yesterday was uneventful, and a whole lot nicer from the ride point of view. no ball game, so i got to work relatively early (for me) and stayed extremely late (for me) so as to stockpile hours. result was that i got to come home in what i think is technically called The Gloaming - that last hour or so of light that's left over after the sun has gone down. i really like that time of day. no matter how urban my environment, no matter how rat-raced i am, being outside and on my way somewhere at that time of day never fails to make me feel like i'm actually on a road trip and nowhere near home. it reminds me of everywhere else i have been. i can persuade myself i'm taking a greyhound pitstop outside some little gas station near kapuskasing, or just about to set up the tent in an okanagan orchard, or waiting for someone to sell me some gas in some place like golden or trail. it can even remind me of african game reserves without too much trouble. i hurt my knee on wednesday trying to hustle myself home, so i just took it easier yesterday.

and on the fifth day, there was a ball game in the back of beyond, so she drove.

songs: singing the travels, traditional; thousands are sailing, the pogues; a new england, billy bragg.

No commute today. My wife and I had an appointment this morning and she dropped me off at the office. I rode the bus home. I guess it's been so long since I took the bus that they raised the fare on me. Hanging out at the bus stop downtown: interesting people-watching opportunity. And no commute Monday (it's a holiday in the USA) and I am off next week to attend my cousin's wedding in Chicago. Northbrook, actually, where I understand there's a velodrome. I may have to check it out even though I'll be bikeless.

Ride was good both ways. Found a new front wheel to replace my son's on Freecycle. Also got an old handlebar bag. Almost picked up the KHS Gran Tour, but wife objected. Is 4 bikes too many?

good ride both ways. of course it was better in the AM since it wasn't that hot yet. the secret for me to riding in 105+ degree heat--- take it slooooow. still better than driving!

I go home in about 15 minutes. Its raining sorta sideways... and its cold. Man I love Oregon!

Wind blowing like crazy going workso I got my resistance training in. Ride home was fast, until I had to call the police on a disoriented woman who seemed to be trying to get hit by a car. She would wait and then walk out in front of cars doing 30+. Hope they got there in time. I don't tangle with wackos, they turn on their rescuers. The rest of the ride home was nice, is it Share the Road day or something? Drivers were driving exceptionally well. Oh yeah, holiday weekend and heavy police presence. Whatever works.

Ride in was fast and cool. Slight headwind and about 45 degrees. Way home was fast also. Drunk idiot walked out into the road and looked at me like he was sizing me up. He realized I was watching him so he got out of the way as I approached. Prison tattoos(yes, I do know the difference) and a 40 oz beer show he wasn't any kind of deep thinker. Gotta keep your eyes open. When I got home I had another allergy induced asthma attack. Back off the hospital. More meds, hopefully I'll get it under control already. It's really cutting into my mileage, and I'm getting ready for a century. Real roadie at work invited me to ride with him next time we have the same day off. This is the guy my LBS staff talks about. Guess I'm making progress. My wrist to sleeve tan must be equivalent to some kind of secret handshake.

It's gonna be a hot one today! Even at 7am, it was 18 C and humid... it'll be 33 C (feels like 39) in the afternoon... AWESOME! Great ride this morning, pretty fast. I've finally got a computer hooked up, but it needs a new battery. Now I'll finally be able to see how fast I'm going!

Grey today! I got used to the warmth and dryness of April and early May, but now we've returned to our regularly scheduled programming. I'm also concerned about my road bike - I trust that it will be warranteed, but you never know.

Yippee! my first commute in, oh, about 5 years happened today. The ride started early - 6 am - since I wanted to allow time to fix a flat.... Happy me, we have showers where I work, so that makes it somehow more, umm, well you know.

Anyhow, was 19 celcius when I left, and 36 celcius when I got home. ick. Round trip was 57km.

36C and it's only May! It's ONLY showing 33C here in Windsor right now, I haven't went home yet, not looking forward to it. I was 23C on the way in, slight breeze, beautiful morning. Sooo glad I turned the C/A on, it was supposed to rain in the afternoon, but I couldn't be that lucky. Never rains when you want to, does it? At least the house'll be could wence I pour in after the ride.

Kerry

absolutely beautiful day here. must have been in the low 80s when I rode in, and it's only gonna be 90 or so going back. that is truly lucky for AZ for May! have a great memorial day ride everyone. and take a moment to remember those who gave their lives in the armed services.

It was so muggy when I stepped out the door today I started getting that warm, sticky feeling just a block from home. But it was cool (for here--75F) and sunny, so I didn't mind. And all the nasty thunderstorms stayed northwest of me on the way home, no worries!