Wow, I love Hawaii!
Man, it felt good to be back on my bike!

Commute was beautiful, high 70's, light breeze.
I kept up with a roadie for a bit. I was on the bike path, and he was on Nimitz.

I've been watching the roadies more and more.
Starting to wonder if I'm in too poor of shape to try 50 of the 100 miles on the Honolulu Century ride coming up.

I did 36 miles of it last Monday. It hurt. My commute is only 4 miles each way, and it's getting pretty easy.

It's getting a little cool. I've already started wearing long pants, and I'm going to have to wear a light jacket and full-finger gloves soon. I would have liked the full-finger gloves this morning, actually. Just a few more days until my fairing arrives, then I'll be able to ride like it's summer for a few more weeks.....

Lots of traffic on my route today, including a big tractor-trailer that I thought I might be able to draft. Unfortunately, as soon as I caught up to it, it turned off the route. It made a big right turn and I stayed far to the left of it. It was then that I thought I would join the Big Peloton In The Sky: a POS Ford minivan came screaming up through the gap left by the truck as I was trying to move back over to the right. I was trying to give her The Look, hold my hand down and back, and still pedal like hell in case her brakes didn't work. She got uncomfortably close to my wheel.

Luckily, no one else came close to killing me this morning so I'll call it a successful commute.

Too windy and too cold, not a ver fun commute. I hate the wind, it ruins everything....

It was cool and foggy this morning again. Par for the course up here this time of year on a path next to a river. Nice ride, though. The MUP was surprisingly empty for Monday morning. Only 3 other bikes and 2 joggers in the whole 6.5 miles. Both joggers were wearing reflecto shirts and I could see them very well; they both said "good morning" back to me as I passed them. One of the cyclists was heading my way, and cut onto the path in front of me close enough I had to jam my brakes. He didn't even look for traffic as he was coming onto the path. I whipped around him and kept my words to him at nothing more than a greeting (which barely got a reply.)
Overall, it was a nice ride. Almost getting to be glove weather, though.

I'm still waiting for these fall temperatures everyone is talking about. It was cooler, but still about 80+. Today was my first commute in a week. I ended up getting some 48 hour flu thing or food poisioning last week that knocked me out all last week. When I left my house, 2 roadies passed on a cross street. About 2 miles later I saw them again and caught up and passed them. After I passed them I notice one of their shadows and realize they are drafting me. I dialed it up to 26mph for a few blocks before I had to turn. Other than that it was a nice peaceful ride. A couple of roads had been repaved so that was nice.

It's warming up down here. I was in shorts this morning- but still a long sleeve top under the tshirt. It will be shorts and t-shirt on the way home.

Good ride in today. I caught a green light on the fly at mansell road - a first. YIPPEE!!

No ride today, had to drive as I'm travelling between three different sites for work. While driving down the GW Parkway I saw a bad accident between a cyclist and a jogger on the MV Trail. It seems the cyclist was coming down a hill and, just as she approached one of the wooden bridges, a jogger made a U-Turn right in front of her, she hit him and they both went down hard. While she was on the ground, he sat up and held his head as if that's where she hit him (maybe helmet to head). It looked really ugly and, although I wanted to stop, I couldn't because of the traffic. There were a lot of people out there and I'm sure someone stopped to help.

Did anyone see this and knows if they were all right?

Ride in this morning wasn't too bad. It was chilly when I left, but I was sweating like a madman by the time I rolled in (my helmet REALLy doesn't vent too well, I think. I seem to get the sweatiest in the head area). About four blocks from work, it started to rain (just a little), but otherwise pretty good. Seemed to get buzzed more than usual this morning. Maybe everyone was in a bad mood since it was overcast and "blah" out.

Oh, and here's another annoyance of mine, that was exhibited again this morning - other commuters who are in such an all-fire hurry to get to work (why??) that they blow lights and are rude and inconsiderate to OTHER CYCLISTS.

For example - every morning, I am southbound on Elston, and make a left turn onto Milwaukee. There is a stoplight there. I wait my turn at the light, and then turn left at the green. Almost EVERY MORNING. I have to swerve out of the way and allow another cyclist, southeast-bound on Milwaukee, who is blowing through the red light. And it's generally someone on a pretty well outfitted commuter bike (bags, blinkies, etc), so it's not like it's someone who is just out for a tourist ride and doesn't know any better.

I guess it just goes to show you - cyclist, blader, or cager, you are just as likely to be a selfish jerk

Been a while since I posted in this thread. I took about a month break from commuting after I injured my knee although by the second week I was able to ride. Working from home was getting too comfortable so I forced myself back into the office today. It's cool today so not much sweating and the cagers left me alone. Saw a few other commuters on my way in and a few more commuting bikes outside which is always awesome unless I can't find a place to lock up.

Nothing amazing today. Took the old boring route.
However, the ball of my foot is killing me. Would someone like to give me a foot rub? You need to be female, blonde, 5'5", and built like a .....
Somehow I thing that is a tad excessive for a foot rub.
I think I will go kick a cement wall for a few minutes.

I little chilly to start with. We are now at that time when it is dusk when I leave so both ankle reflectors went on as well as front and back blinkies. I met a new rider on the way in and we shared pulls for a few miles. Nice guy. It is almost time to start covering these knees as they are beginning to cuss me a little for the exposure.

The teeming hordes have finally returned from vacation! There were peds everywhere today, and traffic volume appears to have doubled, but it's probably just back up to normal levels.

Wish that was me

Wife is at home on maternity so I'm commuting again. Here I am bottom up, PI shoes with built in reflectors on heals, reflective bands around ankles and reflective stripes on tights. Blinky on seat post blazing away, reflective tape on saddle bag and a bright orange vest with yellow reflective stripes wrapped around my backpack.

Some chick driving a small SUV with N.H. Plates came from behind and Buzzed me up against a parked box truck. I was so pissed before knew I smacked the back of her truck. She looked startled as she turned and looked at me with a cell phone to her head. She invited me to pull over, I was more than happy to as I gave her a mouth full. She initially denied she was talking on the phone, then said she was talking to her friend who she en route to pick up . I think I'm too short fused to begin commuting again.

8.25 miles today. 33 minutes. It sure is getting cold up here.

No commute for me today....my seat post broke on the way home last night I guess I learned just how temporary my temporary repairs were. So, swinging by the store today to get a new one. Yay.

good commute both ways. cooling down, lots more bikes out there. there were five of us stopped at a light and a pedestrian waiting with us said, "I didn't know there was a bike rally today!" he was laughing. good to see so many of us out here. mostly students, but still...

You know what would make this ride home a lot better? If I could smell the public toilets for about a quarter mile before I passed them... Yeah! That's more like it. A good whiffy cr@p breeze is just what this ride needed.
And I bet a bee in my helmet would really kick some butt! Can I get a bee in my helmet? AWESOME! Thanks, world.

(The ride home last night could have been less stinky and bee-filled...)

3rd day straight w/ truck/car parked blocking bike lane. He helpfully turned his bright headlights on to let me know he was there. I turned my cygolite back on to let him know I was there. The only time I really *want* a HID is when I *want* to blind somebody. Visibility is easy enough to find.

Otherwise, a perfect ride on perfect day.

I was taking the lane on 21st Street and this asshat in an Audi A4 wagon with a bike rack (!) squeezed by me with about 6 inches of space. What really bothers me is that I used to own the exact same car (and I loved it) and I don't like to think of Audi station wagon drivers as jerks or clueless. Or clueless jerks. But this guy was.

Other than that, the ride to work was fine.

Must have been the brother to the girl who squeezed me this morning.

good commute both ways. cooling down, lots more bikes out there. there were five of us stopped at a light and a pedestrian waiting with us said, "I didn't know there was a bike rally today!" he was laughing. good to see so many of us out here. mostly students, but still...

finally some cool weather. enough to make it a little chilly at the start, though not yet cool enough for long sleeves.

and, the new fellows have arrived (i work at a think tank with a revolving class of new fellows every year) and three of them are biking to the office already. we meet for coffee and ride in together.

perfect.

Had to come to work early today to get a headstart on some issues... needless to say it was dark and colder. 44f to be exact. While I was gearing up, I figured out that I left the arm and leg warmers at the office under my desk. So shorts and shell it was then. Wasn't too bad once I got to pedaling, but I was glad to be wearing full finger gloves.

Running the 10w halogen with the LED headlight in **** mode seems to work out fairly well. I could see it flashing against reflective signs in the distance, so I know it was visible. Running out of RealEstate on the drop bars so I moved the dingy bell to the stem.