A humid and sticky morning. I'll ride all winter long, but it's July and August that give me doubt. Not really, but I'm going to sit here longer and cool off. Luckily I'm the first person here so I can take my shoes off for a while.

Tank top under work blouse! :p (Now I'm imagining how uncomfortable that would be.)

Nice commute this morning. Saw some cyclists, mostly on "comfort bikes". A squirrel crossed my path about 12 inches from my from tire. Stupid rodent.

Overcast sky, no rain, but humid. When I stopped riding after my arrival, I wilted.

Worst. Commute. Evar.
Left early this morning, made it a half-mile from home when I realized I didn't have my backpack w/ my clothes and laptop! ARGH! Leaving w/o my bag is a first for me. Turn around, grab my bag and back to work. The first half-mile was fine, but then traffic turned into a total nightmmare and even w/ lane splitting, changing lanes, and running reds, it still took what seemed like forever to get to work and when I got there, I was drenched in sweat. Can't wait to go home.

:lol: I guess that's worse than forgetting your underwear and going commando. :rolleyes:

+1

Me too. Wait. No shoes. I'm wearing sandals. I also have my small fan sitting on my desk blowing cool air at me. :)
I'm usually the first one here so I turn the AC to 70F. The powers that be keep it at 78F in the summer. http://users.telenet.be/eforum/emoticons4u/mad/434.gif

While unpacking my clothes I realized that I didn't bring a bandana for the ride home. Supposed to be 92F with HIGH humidity. :(

Saw two new commuters today. The first was riding through my neighborhood going the opposite direction. I came across the second about 3 miles later. Every time she shifted the drivetrain made a lot of noise, the chain would sag, and finally shift. I wanted to say something to her but she kept speeding up whenever I got near her.

What advantage does the bandana give you? Does it keep sweat from pouring down your face, and if so, does that outweigh the heat it will trap on your head?

woke up late! :mad:
Lately I've been doing this thing where I wake up early and then fall back into a deep sleep, missing all alarms.

had to rush it in, refused to take subway. glad I did.
legs were sore from racing last night - still made it in under 30 mins.
gotta love a high gearing ratio :)

squealing, gripping brakes slowed me down a bit. But I'm glad I rode in.

Last night I just putted home... no rush, just cruised along. Was kind of nice really because I never do that. I always seem to ride too hard and fast. I almost did that on the way in this morning, but climbing the hill I had to work it harder.

I think we are finally escaping the monsoon season we have been stuck in for the last couple of weeks. We need the water, so I guess it's been a blessing disguised as daily downpours. Today we are down to 20% chance of scattered showers... It's been 50% chance of heavy rain most every day.

They are sealing the parking lots here so people are scrambling for spots and walking from a lot 1/4 mile away. I parked 36 inches from the door :)

Yes indeed--shallower squats, biking more (and maybe in higher gears for more resistance), swimming. I'd talk to a physical therapist if you can.

re: letting it heal. From what I read, it won't repair itself--the cartilage, if torn, stays torn. But the symptom I experienced--having my knee lock up occasionally, but no pain--was one I probably could have lived with. The patellar tendinitis, on the other hand, took months to go away, hurt like hell, and prevented me from jumping.

My tear was small though. You may have a more serious tear or different symptoms. Good luck with it!

Wet! It rained just as I was leaving and stopped a little after I got to work. Then began raining again after I left to come home. It's stopped again now.. I love rain :-(

:rolleyes: I guess that's not as bad as me riding along with a weird feeling that "something isn't right", only to realize a while later that I left my helmet and riding glasses at home. That would explain my watery eyes and strange windblown head feeling. :p

man... http://www.omba.org/forum/images/smiles/sad5.gif
more reasons I am SO glad I commute by bike...

http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapc...sts/index.html

http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/07/11/big....ap/index.html


As much energy and resources that are put into hate and destruction… I Imagine if all that could be directed towards good, like finding a cure for cancers and AIDS… how amazingly wonderful all our lives could be…. *sniff*

I know... I'm a dreamer...

I did think of that, but then I would have had some kind of "Flash Dance" look going on, which I think would have garnered even more attention; the tank is purple, and the straps would have stuck out under the blouse, which is lime green :eek: . Remembered everything this morning, yeah!

On a far more important subject than clothing: Do y'all eat before you ride, or wait until you arrive at work?

^ I always eat before I ride to work, but that's just me. There was a thread on this awhile back and it seems that most people ride first and eat at work. I tried that for a couple of weeks and my body was not a fan so I am back to eating breakfast at home.

Had a nice ride this morning, back from a 3 day weekend visiting with relatives. Getting hot again this week with temps in the 90s. Humidity is going back up as well so I am soaked arriving at work. Didn't see any other commuters this morning.

http://image.weather.com/web/radar/u..._plus_usen.jpg

Here's what I have to look forward to on my way home. I'm debating whether or not I should even try it.

usually cereal before I get on the bike, then bananas when I get to work. Coffee coffee coffee at all times.

I am definately not going to try it this afternoon. The National Weather Services keeps throwing up Severe Thunderstorm Warnings after the old ones expire. Rain I can deal with, but it's nearly pitch black outside and I don't have lights yet.

On the ride in this morning, I fell over at a stop sign. I had unclipped my right foot, but my brain decided to shift weight to the left side. Coffee deficiency? Only five cars/trucks/SUVs and one elderly woman on foot witnessed it. I have an extremely minor scrap on my left knee and a cute little bruise on my left hip. My wife thinks I'm going to die if I continue to commute.

The ride home was with a rain storm threatening. I actually managed to get a couple of drops on me, but not enough to cool me down. :(

Things learned today:

* The cool looking, lime green Claiborne polo my wife bought me is made of polyester knit. The same material (although not brushed) as the Aeroline wicking tees I wear when I commute in to work in the morning. Even though I don't work up much of a sweat and I wipe 90% of it off, there's still some in the middle of my back every time (dayum backpack!). The polyester knit polo, while heavier than the tee, wicks just as well. I think all the chicks were digging the look, but maybe not.

* There are people at work who think that driving a 4k# SUV that never goes offroad is more manly than riding a bike to work, covering 3.7 miles in just under 15 minutes. Somehow riding a bike neuters men, although I fail to see how. Saddle pressure on the soft parts? Huh. Anyway, said people are not afraid to tell you their opinion of cyclists.

* When someone provides an unsolicited diatribe against the girly-men who ride their bikes in the road, it is highly entertaining to just smile and let them finish. The look on their face when you point to the helmet hanging on the coatrack and say, 'I wear a helmet every time I ride my bike, like when I rode in this morning...in the right hand lane.' is priceless. I should bring a disposable camera to work.

* USPS drivers are evil-bad(tm).

ah, good times tuesday morning. :rolleyes: started off late to work because cat went to emergency room last night to i am slightly emotional. i really wanted the bike ride. worked it harder than before, took hills in second of three gears instead of previous first gear. i felt like somehow the hills became shorter than before. cool. what's not cool was the sixteen wheeler traipsing through my neighborhood (wtf?) sifting gasoline stank in front of me and not enabling me to pass (i wasn't going to argue). then pulls up top stop sign so i stop too, and sip my water and wait for him to turn and pass, but instead he waits for ME and i turn and he in 30 seconds passes me with a loud WHIRL. then i was at another stop sign, this time with a ups driver. he surprises me totally by pulling up next to me scaring me half to death and then turns left, where i follow suit (the stop light had gone out due to road work where this ocurred). anyway, the ease on the hills made up for the scary truck encounters. arrived at work 11am not too sweaty al'bedarned.

If there is something handy I'll snarf it before I leave. If not, I'll forage when I get to work. On Mondays, I haul a box[weeks worth] of instant oatmeal and cook that in a styro cup and hot water from the tap on the coffee machine then microwave.

I am on the "Shut Up and Ride Diet". Any day that I ride, I can eat anything I want to. Donuts, Muffins, and and crap like that on some days can be an inspiration to ride.

Once on a training ride I was eating a Chic-Fillet burger while on the bike. That grossed out the Girlfriend. She just couldn't figure that one out.

I saw another commuter. I saw their bike anyway. A FS wallyworld bike with helmet and crossing guard vest hanging from the handle bars. And now we are 3 (few and far between here).

Conversation I had with a car full of women at the Quickie Mart today:
Daughter in front seat: "That your bike? You ride it all the time right?"
Me: "Yeah, that's mine, and I try put some work in on it."
Mother in back seat: "You're the....you're the one...you have a trailer for that thing, right?"
Me: "Yes ma'am, I'm the somma-***** that is holding up traffic."
Grandmother in back seat hitting her daughter: "I told you he could hear you. You seem like a nice man. The next time my daughter cusses for being behind you, I'll make sure she has the windows up."

Good riding today.
--A

When I do drive to work, there is a woman who parks next to me in a hu-freakin-mongous truck, which is shiny and clean and perfect, and obviously NEVER used as the work truck it is meant to be. She is a receptionist, perhaps she moonlights hauling something very clean in her spare time. Anyway, I'm off the point, riding a bike rather than driving a 4k# SUV is way manlier, but obviously I'm biased. I think what "neuters" men on bikes (in peoples' minds) is the fact that you aren't spending huge sums of money on your ride.

The tight clothes, blinking lights, and orange safety vests might have something to do with it.