My commute started out innocently enough this morning -- it was cold (in the thirties) and I was enjoying the brisk air. I got a little past my half way point and heard some idiot honking behind me. I was in the right third of the right hand lane going at a decent clip -- there was an empty passing lane to my left as well. As it turns out, the honking idiot was driving a monster of a cement truck, and he came within an inch or two of me :eek:, almost knocking me off my bike, but thankfully I was going fast enough that gyroscopic forces prevented that.

At the next red light I came up beside him and asked, rather emphatically, what that was about. He then informed me that I should not be on the road -- to which I countered the DC code does not allow me on the sidewalks, and I am afforded the same rights and responsibilities that any other vehicle has on the roads. The guy was just smiling about the fact that he almost killed me. I got his plate number and employer and I think I'll give them a call this afternoon. Although, it probably won't do any good.

It never ceases to amaze me how people think that a perceived 5 seconds faster commute is worth endangering a bicyclist's life. And, point of fact, because it was in the city, I passed the guy again and again -- he saved no time being a reckless buffoon.

On the upside, I think I've proven to myself that I can stick it out for the winter (it doesn't get that much colder here). AND ... I stepped on the scales this morning after my commute and am down 8 lbs since I started a little over 2 months ago (and 18 from my peak weight). With the exception of almost getting hit, life is good, and I'm feeling better than I have in a long time.

Actually, it would surprise me if this call didn't do some good. It today's litigous US of A, Companies can't afford to ignore reports of dangerous drivers in their vehicles. If you are serious about it. Send a letter by some means with a proof of reciept - priority mail is probably the cheapest. That puts them on notice that they can not deny knowledge of this driver's reckless behavoir because someone has a record of them hearing about it. Stuff like that is damning in a lawsuit.

Woke up to lots of rain, but gorgeous sunny (brisk) day when commute time came around. Great stuff, went 3 miles past work before turning around and heading in.

It was cold this morning, 37 degrees. But once I started the weather was the least of my worries. A cold, clear crisp morning and a sunny cold and windy ride home.

I had some tool in a van honk at me and tell me to ride on the sidewalk. It is trash pickup day and the sidewalk is totally blocked with supercans. So a totally obtuse sugestion no matter how you look at it. I'm towing a kiddie trailer and just can't get around these things. There is a whole 'nother lane and it isn't any problem to get around, and I'm only on that road for two blocks, doing 20. I just ignore tools like this because they will always be around. If he wants to ruin his day by obsessing over something meaningless, less power to him.

I'd make calling the company one of my main goals for the day. You'd be surprised how many companies worry about potential lawsuits, public image, etc.

Here in Georgia simply driving in a manner that endangers others (cyclists) is illegal. Check what your laws say about it. Maybe a call to the cops would be worthwhile.

Nice cold ride in this morning with temps in the low 30s. Wasn't expecting temps this low so early so I had to get ready and dig out all my winter gear last night. Kept everything warm except my toes but they weren't too bad. Sunny and breezy for the ride home. Probably the last few days of riding home in the daylight :(

I was FAST today!!! Well, for me anyway... and only in the morning. :)

Still, I pretty much paced all motor traffic on my commute (and, no, it was well before rush hour! ;)).

On the way back... uphill, tired, lots of groceries to haul. But still fun.

I called his company -- the supervisor I talked to seemed very receptive to my complaints ... he even said that his driver has to "share the road" and the he would ensure he is made to realize that. Hopefully some good will come out of the incident.

Glad to hear that, worktheweb! You probably made the roads a little nicer for everybody with this call. :)

The last time I called to complain about a company driver who endangered me (ran a red light) I got an immediate and very apologetic call from the owner of the HVAC repair company, and later a call from the driver himself, apologizing.

These days I'd be concerned about the guy having my home number (stinking caller ID), but back then I never gave it a thought.

Great ride in and out today. Perfect 45 degrees to keep me cool in my shorts and underarmour short sleeve shirt :) Had a nice conversation with a chap on the way over the queensborough bridge and a nice chat on the way back home with a nice lady on the queensborough bridge.

Nice ride back home. 41F with showers and a 14mph WNW wind. Right now I feel confident that I can ride at least down to 32F, rain or shine (have riden down to 31F). I'll be learning and adjusting once we start getting snow and ice, but so far my decision to bike commute is holding out. Of course, once it gets into the 20's, 10's and single digits it's a different ballgame altogether. We'll see.

A pair of Nokians Hakkapeliitas 106W are on their way from SpeedGoat. I plan on putting them on and leaving them on until March or so, ice or not, snow or not (can't get another set of rims now and won't be changing tires the night before; riding the anvil is out of the question, the reason I got the new bike is because the anvil has no forward momentum once you stop pedaling... it just stays there...)

GreenAnvil

Ride to work wasn't bad, I took the fixed gear road bike today (commuted on my mountainbike for the first time yesterday). The weather was clear and chilly, in the 50s. I was glad for my hoodie, as it kept me warm but I didn't sweat so I was still was able to wear my clothes into work. I found a parking lot to weave through that makes my trip there easier (levels off one of the two big hills) and was able to up my average speed there to 16.8mph.

My ride home was a little more eventful, as it was raining when I left the office and shortly thereafter I ate pavement at about 20mph on a right turn. I scraped up my palms, bruised my leg, bent my brake lever, tore up my bar tape and knocked my back wheel slightly out of true (not enough to rub), but after catching my breath I was able to hop back on and keep going. I'm glad for my helmet as I whacked my head on the pavement and that would have smarted without the helmet to take the blow. The rest of the ride was fine besides a BIG truck deciding to breeze me through a puddle (glad I had my stuff in plastic bags) and soak my legs and toolbag. Shortly after the soaking I made it to a friend's house (about 8 miles from work, 9 from home) and poked my head in to dry off a little, and he offered me a ride the rest of the way. I took him up on it as my leg and wrist were bugging me and I'm glad I did.

I'm now at home nursing my wounds and drying out. :) I'm really liking commuting on my fixed gear bike the 17 miles to work and though tomorrow i'm going to be carpooling with my wife (80% chance of showers) I think I'll actually be able to pull off this bike to work 4-5 times a week (depending on if I need to restock clothes/toiletries) thing i'm doing. The mild Texas weather definately makes it easier.

I tacked 15 miles on the way home. It's windy out.

nice ride both ways. still getting used to the competizione's thinner tires. still need adjustments. the handlebar bag has got to go... there's not enough room for my hands! maybe a rack or seat bag.

39F on the way in this morning, but I was plenty warm. Got a flat about 10 minutes in, and walked out to a flat tire before riding home :mad: I'm getting tired of changing tubes.

Supposed to be 32F tomorrow morning. Not ready to break out the fleece yet.

Smile and wave.

Rode as fast as I could both ways. It felt good. Only one idiot passed too close, but when I hit the high beam and chased him he took off. He knew what he was doing, or he wouldn't have fled, looking over his shoulder and whipping around other cars. I got the plate though, heh heh.

stessed!
almost got hit by nj transit bus on the way home,. called bus customer service and was on hold 20 minutes, gave up and called 911 from home. police came here and took report. then i completed 2 letter to bus company "to not let them know means it never happened" .
watch out for those newbee bus drivers!
t

thanks chephy. and yes, it did suck but I wrote a nasty gram to the Vermont Tent company and the MDC, who oversees the bike path, complaining about the truck and I write good nasty-grams so it made me feel better. The additional bummer was when I realized later that I lost my spare headlamp (worth about $30) that must have shot out of the side pocket of my bike bag when I fell. The worst thought was that the very idiot that parked the truck there must have found it lying there in front of his truck this morning like a reward for being such an a-hole.

Had a fabulous ride in this morning with my wife. And a nice steady push on the way home to make it in time for dinner with a friend.

40F with slight rain. Very nice. I feel great!

When I pulled into the parking lot rack another coworker came by and expressed interest in commuting by bike too. Last Monday another guy I know came to work on his bike.

GreenAnvil

how many knots were you doing?:D

This mornings commute was good. I need to get a scarf or something though. It was low 30's here and when you hit 30+ mph going down a hill, the wind chill aint exactly what I call fun :eek: .
Beautiful day so far though. The sun was lighting the light blue sky and clouds with this quite nice pink lining. The people in their cars were being nice too. I got a few strange looks, like they couldn't beleive someone would be out doors when its cold or something. Oh well, I got to break in my new long sleeve pearl izumi jersey and the new under armour shirt I bought yesterday. Nice and warm for the body...just got to work on keepin the face warmer.

Oh yeah..new bike in the rack at work. Not really a new bike, looks like a 2 or 3 year old (based on the drivetrain rust) columbia. But maybe I've converted someone?

Put fenders on the old Trek last night, anticipating the rain the fell overnight. Was supposed to rain all day today, but wasn't raining when I woke up. This morning was my first wet commute, and I was really enjoying it, until just shy of the halfway mark.

Stopped at a red light, first in line to make a left-hand turn when the light turns green. The turn is protected, so I clipped in and started to accelerate through the turn like I always do. Must have given a bit too much "gas" as I was turning, because I felt the back tire spin. Before I knew it I was on the ground with a serious pain in my butt and my left knee. Drivers behind me were kind enough to wait for me to get up and make my way out of the intersection. One nice lady even stopped to ask if I was OK - After I assured her that I was okay, she even asked how my bike was. Very nice of her!

Somehow managed to unclip my left foot in all of this, just in time to twist my left knee as I went down. Everything else seems fine, and the bike seems to have escaped with no damage. Got back on, rode the remaining 8 miles to the office (took it very easy). Noticed a significant wobble on the back tire as I got close to work - seems that several of the spokes have loosened and it's no longer close to true. S'pose I can handle that, though...

Another cool morning. ~35F (1C) when I left home but it felt cooler than yesterday.
Not sure why my boss had me come to the office. I'm supposed to go to a bike/ped conference this morning. I live in Decatur and the conference is in Decatur but I work in Atlanta. Let's see. Ride 8.5 miles to work and check emails (can be done from home) and phone messages. Then ride ~ 5 miles from work to the conference. Had I ridden from home to the conference it would have been 5+ miles. Now I like adding extra miles as much as anyone, but when the temps are in the 30s....... :o


Great ride other than an short incident with a gray haired old woman who couldn't drive. She pulled out of a driveway without looking and turned right. Luckily I saw her and the road was wide and no one was behind me so I could pull to the left along side her. Her windows were closed so I yelled, "Next time look both ways before pulling out of the driveway." She made some sort of jesture like she couldn't hear me. I guess she can't see either. :crash: