So today was my day to take it easy and not get over heated in the first summer like 85+ degree weather. So I'm 6 or 7 miles into it sitting up pouring water over me up a hill when some sleek racer type breezes by me. Since I've never had anyone actually pass me before I thought "ooh a challange!". So even though I'm over heated and there is a HUGE headwind I talk this young feller into following me on a different route. So I haul a$$ the rest of the 16 miles and even though he didn't take the wind once (I'm just saying...) it seemed to cheer him up a bit (mostly because I took him off the main road). I guess he thought I was some schmoe out for a spin. The pace was off by 15% from the previous day (it was hot and I was tired...) but it was still a nice pace and I think he was happy with it. I'm just curious if he was faster then me and if so by how much. Looked him up on the net and he races in the Pro/1/2/3 class.

I just liked that I finally had someone who could keep my wheel the whole way. I hope he finds me on a good day next time.

I took my Aluminum frame bike out on a shakedown commute today. I've stripped it down prior to sale - 18.8 lbs. At lunch, I rode over to the LBS for a few parts on 10% day. On the way home there was a rare and glorious tailwind. I was fast even up the hills

The ride in was nice... Missed the torential downpour by about 5min... brought my bike inside (screw em' if they dont like it)... Rode home in the drizzle... not bad... A very "amphibous day" as we would say in the Corps... I'm soaked though, I realy need to get some fenders....

Oh, and why is it people SPEED UP when it rains? I ride on Indinapolis BLVD (US 41) and while it might be a 4 lane road, its also a 35mph speed limit... People do 50mph when its dry... I swear, they were doing 70 tonight... Whats the rush?

JMHO
Billy

Some insane cagers on the short stretch of one lane each way 55mph road I have to travel less than a mile on.

I had a tractor/trailer following me with oncoming traffic, so I'm riding center lane to make sure he doesn't try to squeeze by. As traffic clears I move to right tire track and wave him across the double yellow since I could see the road was clear. He didn't try to pass. As I'm wondering why he's not passing I see cars starting to fly by him on the left, without even knowing if the road is clear because their view is clearly blocked by the truck. Eventually there's a car coming the other way, and I hear an engine revving to the left of the truck. The car making the pass barely squeezed between the oncoming car and the front of the 18 wheeler, and would have hit me if I hadn't already anticipated and moved over to the white stripe on the right side of the road.

Then about 200 feet up the road in the dotted yellow line (passing ok) section with the 18 wheeler still behind me and lots of oncoming traffic I suddenly hear a noise to the RIGHT and there's a Ford Ranger flying by both me and the truck on the uneven, rocky, glass filled dirt shoulder. I was so surprised I didn't even think to get a plate # until he was already out of range, but I at least had time to swerve to the left to get out of his way as he was cutting off the truck. That has to be the craziest thing I've seen so far in my short commuting experience.

Just another fun day dodging cars! Just think...if I didn't ride my bike to work I wouldn't have so many "Wow! feels great to be alive!" moments.

Another nice ride in. Uneventful and very pleasant despite a headwind. Supposed to rain in the late PM, but hopefully not until after I get home

ok well its been a year nearly since i have been cycling and tonight i had a bike rage incident. My first and hopefuly my last.

Coming down Burwood highway, i was riding on a flat section alot of traffic passing pretty quickly. Then a cyclist, undertakes me on such a silly place i could hardly believe what had happened, doing so he also nudged into me pushing me further into the path of traffic. Not good. Obviously i thought id catch up with him and just explain he nearly pushed me into traffick, he then, wait for it. Told me to Foxtrot oscar (if you know what i mean) and that i was to slow.

Taking a while to take in this guys attitide i decided to give chase and prove to him however fast or slow you might be riding you DO NOT undertake especially on a road like burwood highway. I then tried to talk to him again at the next lights, obviously as i was not to slow and he once again told me to foxtrot oscar as he has been riding up this road for 20 years.

I then decided i would prove to him how slow i was and keep up his ass until i had had enough and left him behind on one of the hills.

If any of you see this guy, or it is you (about 40 riding an old Bianchi in bianchi colours with black forks and black rear triangle) please give him a piece of my mind.

I got an element of satisfaction from it though as he was trying his hardest to get away from me and even on my shopping bike as the mrs calls it (the commuter) he couldnt pull away.

All in all what a PRICK

Wet! Haven't had a good soaking rain ride like this in quite a while. And there were 3 other cyclists out. I passed one guy on a commuter tank hybrid, saw a "regular" going the other way, and passed another young'n on an MTB. More runners out in the rain, too.

Got to work dripping wet. Shorts, gloves, and shoes soaked. I giggled mischievously and got into dry clothes.

Another nice morning commute, though a little warmer and more humid. Finally saw another commuter this week, said good morning and he enthusiastically said it back. Still surprised I haven't seen more cyclists out this week around here.

excellent weather this morning and traffic was reasonably well behaved as well. Could smell the smoke from the wildfires south of here.
They're over 200 miles away
Supposed to be thunder storms this afternoon, so might be interesting ride home.

50s and wet. Wasn't too bad, had one cager want to turn right, but didn't put on his turn signal and got mad at me that I didnt know he didnt want to turn right.
My ESP must not be working right this morning.

Rested yesterday, too bad as I'd have loved to have ridden in the rainstorms that passed us by.

Ride in today was a little cooler (great riding temp), nice and fast with a decent tailwind most of the way. Smooth sailing so far.

I actually met and rode briefly with another Ft Worth commie this morning. Messenger Bag, fixie and calf tattoory were all in evidence. Not really a chatty Cathy, though...

Then there were 6 bikes on the train - 2 Dept. store level bikes, 2 GT mtb's, a recumbent and my roadie.

I guess gas prices are taking their toll.

Also, I'm not accustomed to a 20 mph headwind on the ride in. Damp from a shower, it actually got a little chilly.

Windy today. There's a storm blowing in; hoping it holds off long enough for me to get home dry (and letting tonight's local Ride of Silence stay dry would be nice too).

A bitty chilly this morning for what I was wearing. Because I was with a partner, the moderate pace didnt' really warm me either. But it was a good ride. It should be perfect going home. Upper 70's lower 80's. Utah dry.

I had a pretty reasonable ride in today. Not much traffic, but I did have to stop for a pedestrian on my big downhill. This is generally not a big deal, but my front brakes squeal like crazy. I've got 0.25" of toe-in, and they still sound like a freight train with the e-brake on. I was so embarrassed...

Heavy legs this morning after the Tuesday Night River Ride, during which I got shelled like a roasted peanut, thank you very much. But still a pleasant ride in with the tailwind at the end.

Yep, scares people all to hell when they assume you're one of those bozos with non-functioning brakes and a bike that's about to fall apart.

I feel so awful that I can't post in this thread... my cold is keeping me at home. My total mileage for May is just a bit over 30 miles so far! If I don't get out on a bike this week, I'll explode!

Honestly, I rather enjoy riding in the rain, as long as it is not too cold. After a certain point you can't get any wetter, anyway.

But then, I was born on the West Coast so it's kind of surprising I don't have webbed feet.

Speaking of such - I saw THE COOLEST thing on my way in this morning. There was a beaver swimming happily along in the river! I have spent years hiking to all kinds of remote areas and never spotted a beaver in the wild; so where do I see one? Right in the middle of Calgary! Craziness. I'd been riding right past its lodge for weeks, thinking it was a mass of flood debris. I also saw a Hooded Merganser, as a bonus.

In other words, a really good morning No headwind, light traffic, a nice fast ride AND wildlife sighting. It doesn't get much better!

Hmm, so by his logic, any cars that want to go faster than he is would have the right to run up next to him and push HIM into traffic.

I wonder that about car drivers sometimes, especially the ones that get pissed that I'm ONLY going the speed limit and they want to go 20 over, so I should get the heck out of the way. I'm sure that THEY wouldn't get out of the way for another driver that wanted to go 30 over.

Got buzzed, did the 'fish this big' signal, received the bird, caught JAM at light 500m up the road, hit the pass. window as I passed, he avoided eye contact.

Getting picked up this afternoon for a big rock brewery tour.

Forgot boxers.

That is one of the things I miss not riding those Southern paths any more. However, if you do ride into the late fall/winter be advised, when it starts getting dark down there, good lights are a must. Twice I nearly hit a porcupine south of the bird sanctuary. Both times I saw it when right on top of it, fortunately, it was grubbing around at the edge of the path!

One time I came upon a fawn, passed by so close I could have stroked it! That was in Carbun Park, the deer there are almost pets. Also rode past a coyote a time or two. We went past in opposite directions about ten feet apart, I gave him a very direct look, as if to say "we're not going to hurt each other, are we?" No worries, they are not a problem for adult humans, if you a little dog with you......

Oh! and keep your eyes peeled for the Pelicans, yes, Pelicans. They often fish just below the weir.

I have seen the Pelicans! They are very cool. Last summer a group of them must have decided the weir was too crowded, so they came up-river and hung around near the Crowchild bridge.

Duly noted re: lights... I'm not usually on the Bow pathway proper, but I bet there are critters in Stanley Park too.

Forget to say, I had one stupid-pedestrian encounter this morning. Two ladies with fake tans, designer sunglasses, and expensive yoga outfits were casually wandering along, side by side on the wrong side of a very busy multi-use path (in other words, they were facing traffic). I actually came to a full stop directly in front of them and they barely glanced at me, then grudgingly moved about 2" to one side. I thanked them, not too sarcastically, and went on my way. I didn't hear any thuds or screams so I assume they made it around the blind corner successfully, but I heard a lot of annoyed bell-ringing. That particular bit of pathway is something of a superhighway for bike commuters coming from Bowness and Parkdale.

Why is that surprising? Aren't beaver meatballs the national dish of Canada? (Rick Mercer, yes.)

I've seen a few of them in the natural area I ride through on my commute.

This sounds exactly like the American River Bike Trail.

Headwind in this am, T-Storms out this pm... not looking terribly forward to it, but hopefully the wind will be in the same direction! I had a very nice tailwind all the way home yesterday and I was FLYING!

edit. fiancee called, pleaded me not to ride home in lightning, knowing I would if she didn't tell me not to. So I'm listening to my better sense and leaving my poor bike locked up in the rain.