I decided not to bike to work today after riding in the intense heat yesterday. It was 102 when I left work on Wednesday, a record high for the date, and it is expected to be hotter today. The heat was brutal and it felt like I was riding in a furnace room. I drank a bunch of water all afternoon and filled up both of my bottles before I left work, but the water was hot by the time I was halfway home. My biggest concern was getting a flat tire and having to fix it on the roadside because I am sure the temperatures were much hotter on the pavement. And guess what? I noticed my rear tire feeling squishy about the 7-mile point and sure enough I had a slow leak. Rode very slowly the rest of the way after I felt my rear tire rolling on a corner and I made it home with about 20 lbs pressure in the tire.

Anyway I "wimped out" today and decided to drive. Part of my rationale, in addition to the brutal heat, was the air quality. It was Code Orange yesterday and today, and my throat felt scratchy and sore last night and this morning. Part of my reason for riding is my health, but I figured I wasn't doing my health any good riding in weather this hot with bad air.

My commute is so short that I don't normally carry a water bottle, but after the ride home yesterday I was pretty thirsty (we broke a record for our area, 105 degrees yesterday), so I brought a water bottle today and even used it once, ha ha.

Humid and hot and my eleven year old doesn't listen very well.

Yesterday on the way home was plenty hot. Thankfully it was a pretty quick, eneventful trip.

Best time in to work today, somehow timed so I had green lights almost all the way in. I do have once section of lights that I have the timing down, so I just have to figure out the rest of the commute. Otherwise, much cooler today.

Wonderful trip in. The head wind training of the past week paid off today with a light cross breeze. Maybe the trip home tonight will see a few extra miles.

Pass this thought to anyone disgruntly in your office:

Excersize increases endorphines. Endorphines make peiople happy. Happy people do not go around killing other people. -Elle Woods, Legally Blonde

Great ride.

I've now had two rides using my new handlebars. Both ride times have been on par with my fastest ride times previously. I thought they'd be slower if anything, but apparently not.

Felt like September this morning. Much less humid, 59*F at 7am. One of my fastest AM commutes - averaged 16.4mph over 10.6 miles, kept a steady 23mph over one flat section. I'm in IT, I look at the bike computer too much.

Tuesday was better though - passed wild turkeys in the AM and PM. :)

Great! Took new mtn bike on unpaved rails-to-trails gravel bed. Lots of fun. Not always going to have time for that though. And boy do I need a rack for that, I am one big lake of sweat now, esp. in the backpack zone.

Had a 6am platelet donation at BloodSource. It's relatively slow at work this week so I said "Make it a double!"

Rode the Caldaro to work today with its recently retorqued and loctited (loctitened? loctaught?) Italian bottom bracket. No noise, no rubbing, nothing but positive silence when pedaling and that gorgeous Campy whirring when freewheeling.

Hot and humid this morning. The ride went better than I expected considering I'm working on ~75 minutes of sleep. "The baby kept you up all night?", you ask. Nope, she slept thru the night as usual. I had practice late, got home exhausted but so wound up on adrenaline that I couldn't sleep all night.

I already told my boss I'm taking tomorrow off to deal with the inevitable crash.

Hottest yet for me. Temp is 104 and according to the local weather center (WRAL.COM) the heat index is 118 as I type (been home about 15 mins). I can do this for about an hour, but if I had another 15 minutes to go I think I would have had to make a cooling stop. I have a few big hills as well.

I did make pretty good time, so went a more direct route that took about a mile off my reguar route. 15.50 mi in an 1:03:06 moving - thankfully only about another 4 minutes not moving.

Weather was nice.. cooler than usual and it feels like rain, but I beat it. On the way home, I got hit by a car. I was going the speed of traffic so I was taking up most of a lane.. a cab cut me off and hit his brakes. I mashed mine, hit his rear bumper, he finished his right turn, and I endo'd. Landed on one foot and rolled down onto my butt/back. The ******* didn't stop. Nobody got his medallion # and he was gone by the time I thought of it. Luckily, there was not much traffic around me after I went down, and I'm fine. I think I bent my right rim, but other than that, no damage.

Beautiful weather today. I worked extra late and was feeling pretty tired on the way home. The last mile of my commute home is a fairly steep hill...that I get to go down! :D Found a nice subaru forester to draft and got up to about 40mph without even trying. The kids in the backseat were looking at me with their jaws wide open. I waved and turned left into my apartment complex at the bottom of the hill.

Meh. On my way back home I had to deal with an extremely unusual amount of cagers shouting things at me out their window while they passed me. "Get off the road, !@#", etc. Usually, I have little or no problems with people, but there were about six pricks this time around.

I wish parents would stop buying their kids vehicles.

My first time on the bike in a week. I just bought a car (Old Saturn... Recycling cars man! :D) and after I replace the front subframe ($2k to have it done, $99 to do it yourself :D) I'll have a car again... My wife hates my having to ride everywhere, and wont let me ride to school in Gary.... What ya gonna do? I'll still ride when and where I can...

Billy

The ride in was pretty good this morning. I am debating adding a little side jaunt up the nearby mountain and get a little extra exercise on some mornings for variation. Really need to get a better light before I do that though.

Anyways, the weather held, so while the streets were slick, it wasn't pouring down like it has been all week. More like a steady drizzle. Still, it will be nice to see the sun again.

Progress in conditioning! After 4 months and 1500 miles, I finally spent a few moments on the outer chain ring. I was beginning to think I should downsize all as the middle needs replacement already.

Hot!!! I'd been riding my road bike directly into work. This morning I decided to take the Raleigh Twenty to the train station instead (less distance ... shaded residential streets). I was still soaked in sweat by the time I got in. The fact that I couldn't find the bungees, so I had to carry my gear on my back didn't help either. Oh. And did I mention it was hot?

Broke 1500 miles on the roadie (since May 7th, 3 months woo). Had a lot of false energy last night it seemed, and flew home from the east end. Had a lot of rage filled energy this morning after hearing about a BF poster/TO cyclist killed by a DUI (see here) - I didn't personally know him, but it really hit me. ****ers.

This rage of energy got me to work in record time. Be safe out there.

Excellent commuting this week in the Twin Cities area. Hot and humid on the way home but otherwise perfect.

Hate to hear about the BF member getting killed (above). It's like a kick to the stomach. Everyone ride safely!

First commute since my vacation and my grandfather passing away.
It felt good to get back in the saddle. This morning was the perfect day to ride, 65F and gorgeous.
For some strange reason I kept overheating after my sprints and intervals. Strange...
Oh and the first commute with my twin six motoring jersey.

ohh man.

You are UNDER THE INFLUENCE !

LOL

I am purchasing a beater in the next month or two. Still plan on riding but want it to pick up my son in winter and to transport my bike to cycling events next year. Just because you own a car doesn't mean you need to drive it everywhere. :)
I HATE driving to work.

Coolest ride in a long time. Low traffic. No complaints :)

Day three of the new shorter commute since I moved. I was running a half-hour late and encountered more traffic in the right-hand lane that I have been taking but no major incidents other than the usual odd JAM who cuts too close... Weather's been nice for it all week and it feels a little weird getting to work in half the time.
I had to dodge corn-cobs in the bike lanes randomly all the way in - there's a lot of corn-fields along the way so I'm guessing someone's truck must have been dropping them.

On an amusing note - someone was promoting a gym along the way and started enthusiastically waving their sign at me. I guess they figured I was an easy target since I was close and moving slower than traffic but I do wonder - if I'm riding by on a bicycle at 30kph - what the heck do I need with a gym?