I could tell it was Friday this morning. Tired legs and slow going. Still better than driving :).

Cold morning for around here, low 20s. I had a nice commute in and saw another commuter all bundled up and we waved at each other. I was surprised to see somebody else out on a bike.

Left the house it was 10F... brutal wind chill. Not too bad after first mile.

Great ride this morning. Was 16 degrees when I left the house, but sunny and dry out. Unlike the ride home yesterday. Swirling, dusty snow made it close to invisible, plus the ground was wet and slick. And the downtown rushhour drivers were even more ass-inine as usual.

But this morning was great. It's funny when it gets down into the teens -- I can feel a bunch of long-gone injuries popping up to growl a bit. There's the separated shoulder from college piping in. Oh, and the hyperextended knee from that Ultimate game in 1999. And the two broken fingers from a year or so ago. And the crack on my head accidentally administered by my 2-year-old son last summer. I just love the nostalgia.

Still pissed off about my commuter bike being stolen (though it helps that my homeowners insurance is going to give me $900 for the loss). It's just not fun riding to work on my roadbike. Fortunately I just bought a real nice fixed-gear, which I'll start incorporating once I've gotten some more practice on it.

Great ride. Relatively warm, too, 44Fish...

Today was my first commute below 0F (-3). It was the first time my legs didn't warm up immediately once I started moving (I wear only jeans). I had on a face mask and a balaclava, but I had to take off the balaclava because my glasses got fogged up and wouldn't clear up. You know how you get a painful tingling in an extremity that gets cold once you begin to warm up? Well, that happened to my nose today, for the first time.

Well...cycling past stationary cages (due to roadworks) for 2 miles out of my 10 mile morning commute made it an even more pleasant Friday slog than normal :) Looking forward to passing them on the uphill home leg.....

Jam'h Great Si! :D

Misty 42F -- light rain. Awesome ride in.

Hey Relaxer, where did you play Ultimate? Competitive or pickup? I play competitively here in RTP, finally made it to Nationals in 2006 after 11 years of trying.

Back on topic, nothing exciting on today's commute. Cold today--22F. Couldn't feel the ends of my fingers or toes upon arrival (5 mile ride). My wife thinks I got frostbite back in the day (probably playing Ultimate or soccer). I think I just have lousy circulation and no body fat.

It was a pick-up game down on the national mall. In the summer, you can pretty much take a 15-minute bike ride and have your choice of several games. If you're good, you'll be welcomed with open arms.

Overheard part of a conversation about me on the way in. Two guys crossed in front of me while I was stopped at a light.

First guy: [looking at my feet] "I don't know how he does it without more shoe covering."
Second guy:[can't hear what he says]
First guy: "Oh, I bought it. I just won't RIDE it in THESE conditions."

I allow my self to feel mildly heroic until I realize that 1) my feet ARE a little cold and 2) its sunny and 24F, hardly harsh conditions for a January day in Chicago.

Walter

Dang it...had to drive today. Was out late last night separating fellow poker players from their money and forgot to plug in my bike. No light = no ride.

Oh well, I won enough money that I don't care today :-)

'Twas a wee bit chillier this morning, but not bad at all. I slept like a log last night, but still woke up tired. I'm glad it's Friday...

Did you ever have one of those days when the ride to work was the best thing that happened all day?

One of those days
 

Yes, but the days where the ride home is the best thing that has happened outnumber the ride in.

today was the first commute to my new job! 3.3 miles one way... I'm still in the Very Short Commute club.

it was COLD this morning. 16 degrees with -3 degree windchills. I actually had to spend some time this morning digging in my closet to find my serious winter gear (thermal tights, balaclava, etc.) that I used a total of one time last year. I was a little worried about black ice so I took it a little slower than I normally do but there wasn't any on the roads... couple patches here and there in parking lots that I was able to avoid. even the path was in good condition, other than part of it being closed for some construction. good ride in.

it warmed up to 32 degrees for the ride back (ha). I put in an extra half-mile or so on top of the ride home but that's all I really wanted to do today. shifting felt a little weird at the start of the ride but got better on the way back. had a screamin' 20MPH headwind in my face for most of the ride back but other than that it was a good ride.

so begins my long stay in the working world.

In the teens F Fri morning when I was waiting in the bus. On the ride home it wasn't bad, mid 40s F and I went over 100 miles commuting for the year. That was my second week of riding home 3 days in a week.

Except for having to come in on a Sunday (I'm a M-F 9-5er) it went well. Mid 20's, mid teens real feel, light snow the whole way in. But then I get in, go to take off my helmet and :eek: NO HELMET!!! Apparently I forgot to put it on when I left the apt, I'll know for sure when I go home I guess.

Wow, today I got my bike the dirtiest I ever got any bike to be! Frozen slush all over the frame and the drivetrain! What a mess! :eek:

My rear brake isn't working very well in these conditions and my front brake gives out such a bad squeal that I avoid using it except for dire emergencies. I should really do something about it... So far I just made to sure to keep my speed down... but that's boring! :)

Hello fellow riders, this is my first posting and I really like this forum to post in first. I have a 3 mile ride one way everyday of the week. To see what I do after the ride, take a look at my blogs.

Since I live in the warm climate the weather was good today. I left around 7am and have about a block to travel to the hike and bike trails that our city has built for the community.

When I get on the trail the traffic is not much of a problem. It seems the traffic will be the biggest problem on a daily ride. early morning is the best time to ride to work.

The wind is coming out of the north and I am riding south so it is a nice ride. There isn't very many people on the trails at this time of morning, but on occasion I will approach a walker from behind. This morning I came up on one. Slowing down and waiting for a way by her. I need to put a bell on the bike to warn them as I approach. But some of the walkers have the IPODS and can't hear me or the bell anyway.

The ride home was a head wind and took some time to get back to the house. Being it Sunday and 3pm the walkers and riders must have been taking a nap or something. I was all alone today. I did see an old friend on the way home and stopped to visit for a few minutes.

Kudos to all the posters in this forum for there brave efforts on the ride to work and back. Great reading. Keep up the great biking your doing.

http://www.freewebs.com/robsuniverse1/justblogging.htm

View my blog and my web site when you can.

HAPPY BIKING!

Non commute last week, restarted school and had little resources where to gain 15 hour study time but by no commute. still looking at/for options, missed the riding!
there is a new transport link that mirrors my bike commute and is free ($0.00). going to give it a shot for 1 week, see what unfolds. have p/c access now at work (school).

Good ride. I ordered a Redline 925 so I can try commuting fixed. I will get a no footed commute one of these days. I envy caloso in that.

This morning was a bit of a challenge with the temp. at about 15 degrees F and a light snow falling. When I got to the gate, I asked the guard if he wanted me to take off my face mask, and he said "No. Anyone crazy enough to come out in this stuff has gotta be ok." :-))

19 degrees Fahrenheit!! Definitely the coldest morning of the year. And yep, I was almost overheating halfway through the ride (too many layers). Except my ears -- I couldn't find my balaclava when I left the house but located it half way to work in my pocket. Oh well, I'm heading for the coffee pot.

Yep a real weenie shrinker. Even with my wool liners my fingertips got a little cold.