Didn't set the alarm last night. Indoor ride on the spin bike, and then blueberry pancakes!!
This heat is a killer, everyone be careful out there. No question, bring extra extra water.

Warm - 80 degrees at 7:30, likely to be in the low 90s by mid afternoon. Alas, had to drive today, but took the opportunity to bring in a few fresh sets of clothes to see me through the next couple of weeks.

Noticed lots of signs warning about traffic snarls & parking for the US Open next week. I think it will be a good time to rely on the bike!

Finally warm enough to ride bare armed. Still lots of car traffic from the I-5 closure but not as much as earlier this week.

It was definitely warm here in the Eggo. Such a trip, it was all cloudy and cool yesterday morning.

Today was day two for me. Remembered to change my mountain bike tires out for my street tires and it was awesome. Time was the same, but the ride was WAY more comfortable. Didn't get much sleep last night, so hopefully I'll stay awake through the day to enjoy my ride home. It's gonna be hot, but oh well... That's why we love it here, right? Sunny and pretty. I love me some SoCal.

All of us here in NC could adopt "lookingforcool's" handle. :(

No commute (to work) for me today, cable box died last night and working from home while I await the cable guy's (please God, not Jim Carrey!) arrival. But the dogs needed heartworm meds so I biked over to the vet's office to pick some up. My normal commute is about 10 miles (and, of course, separated by 8 hours). Did 16 today with only a short break and in god-awful heat (riding at noon, it was about 96F). Sucking down the Gatorade.

Jeez, can't believe I almost forgot about the commuter I saw yesterday on the way home. In case you haven't read all the NC posts lately, it's HOT here--it was about 96F yesterday on my ride home.

On the other side of the road yesterday I saw a guy riding up a steep hill in a nice high gear wearing jeans and a flannel (!) shirt with a backpack on. Considering the nearest residence to where I saw him is near where I live--at least 3 miles away--that guy must have been a puddle of sweat when he arrived wherever he was going.

Weather was near perfect. Low 50's on the way in with some humidity. Supposed to be mid-70's on the way home. Should be a good day to hammer.

It's getting hot... and I'm suffering a bit.

Last 2 summers my bike storage/changing room had its own AC and stayed about 66ish with a strong fan I could stand under.

This summer's room is fairly warm with no air movement at all. It takes me a whole lot longer to cool off enough to get dressed now. I'm trying to remember to pull back on the effort a mile or two before I get to work, and circle the parking lots for a while to cool down.

Heading home. Wish me luck! Its 33C and feels like 40C according to the radio (104F).
I went to buy a hydration pack from MEC, except they only had black, so I've only got my waterbottle...

Ride was good. Cycled to school two out of the four days this week. Had a massive tail wind the second day, and did a 12.5 mile route in less than 30 minutes! Which, for me, is REALLY fast. :D I have been meaning to post pictures of my lovely commute. I started to take pictures at intervals along the route, but they are so similar, I was sure to mix them up. But, here's the gist of it.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3090/...525bc9.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/...e08625.jpg?v=0
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3143/...b6692c.jpg?v=0

So boring! :D So flat! ;)

That is fast! It helps that its all flat and open, unlike the city...
I need a hydration pack! Feel-like 105F today and a water bottle just doesn't cut it!
MEC only had black packs and I want something that won't absorb the sun, so I didn't get one today :(
Waiting for the shipment...

After getting beaten up by headwinds for the past 2 weeks, a 26 mph TAILWIND (40 mph gusts!). FINALLY!

Lets just say, I tore it up.

Something new has been happening in the last few weeks. People have been doing stupid stuff on the road (that's not new), but then APOLOGIZING for it (now, that's something!) Just recently I got a sincere apology from:

- an SUV driver who nearly mowed me down at an all-way stop sign (I had the ROW)

- a taxi driver blocking the bike lane (I think he misjudged where his right turn was...)

- a cyclist who ran the stop sign without looking and then suddenly, halfway through the intersection, turning her head and noticing me stopped at the white line. (Her words were: "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." Good thing she apologized, but this could have been a car, you know, and one that didn't see YOU there!)

Ever had the feeling that every pedal stroke is rife with power?
That a headwind is more oportunity than adversity?
Disapointed when you reach your destination?

That was how my commute home felt. It was zen... wish they could all be like that.

Bike to work month is over and the rains are back. Trails are empty again and it's refreshing.

had to truck around this load on a shopping commute. The looks on drivers' faces were priceless:D
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/...40c2ff00_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3082/...fb50f2b6_b.jpg

and a small vid of it
http://flickr.com/photos/gyeswho/2555911315/

i started a new facebook group

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/g...id=50192195150

its called i dont care how much petrol/gas goes up I RIDE A BIKE

Got my commute in yesterday. The weather fizzled out and I just got wet in the AM.

In the PM, I passed my first commuter in two months! This guy looked like he must be on this forum :)

Guess they like seeing the Red Bull beverages :)

After one calm day, the wind came back. Sheesh. What is the deal with the wind this year?

Week Six
 

I started commuting, using the bus part of the way in to work, and riding the 12.5 home in the afternoon. So far, so good. I have figured out the best route to avoid being smooshed or otherwise mangled by the cars. Crappiest piece of nastiness to date: the jerk who drove by and blasted me in the ear with an air-horn. I swear, some people... .

Oh, I've lost 15 pounds too.. I do like bicycle commuting. :)

It was very hot Today.

Probably should have done the bike to the train thing, but didn't.

Spent most of the day recovering from the ride in.

The ride home went better, even though it was still pretty warm.

coming home. all was well. Really liking commuting on a fixed gear. Quiet.....

oddly, I passed a teenager on the MUP who was sitting on the side. In his lap was a large shunk! And he was petting it! Maybe it was a pet he released in the area? Didn't really feel like stopping to ask for some reason.

75F/24C @ 5:00AM, and heading towards 100F. Looks like it's going to be a nasty next few days.

Oh well--at least maybe I won't have to dodge as many fair-weather, wrong-way cyclists...

Same temp here as above ^^^^ . The heat isn't bad in the morning, but our air quality suuuuuuuuuuucks
right now. Good ride though. Held back a bit knowing I'll need the energy for the hot ride home. Only
saw 1 other rider today.

Call me a fair-weather biker, but I drove today due to the extreme heat. The temperature is supposed to top 100F here today for about the third day in a row, and the high usually hits during the same time I'm riding home in the afternoon. After biking on several 100+ days last summer, I decided no more. I would much rather ride in below-freezing temps than this kind of blast furnace. Plus the heat came on so suddenly this year that my body hasn't really acclimated to it. The high temperatures here went from the 70s-80s to 100+ with nothing in between.

it was a warm ride in and pretty uneventful, i had some iced green tea before i left the house, this will probably be the drink of choice in the morning, make tea at night and let it chill until the morning

Nice, mellow ride to work. I saw a gorgeous sunset, as well as a really cute fox who wanted nothing to do with me.

<joking>girljen, I'm sorry but I need a clarification on this. Do you mean "fox" as in reddish 4-legged animal that eats rodents, or "fox" as in, well, fox? ;) Because if it was the latter, maybe you just need to work on your pickup technique?</joking>

As reported by other NC commuters, HOT (and I mean Hot as in 85 degrees at 9 am with a forecast for a heat index of 105, not Hot as in seeing a really attractive person). I had to bring in a lot of supplies today, I had Ultimate pickup yesterday in the heat, and The Kid didn't let me get much sleep last night. I was tired as heck on the ride in.

Did my first commute on my new road bike that I purchased this weekend. WOW!

A ride that took me 30-35 minutes on my cheap $100 x-mart bike was done in 20 minutes flat.

Lately I've been having to report to work at 6am. I wasn't motivated to ride but buying a new bike helped that. And now I actually prefer riding that early in the morning. There is no traffic and no sun = cooler. I wasn't sweating nearly as much as I usually do commuting to work.

I may still wake up and come to work this early even when I don't need to anymore (b/c of work). It was a very peaceful ride this morning :)