Strange ride home last night after work. There was a bad accident on one of major commuter routes in Raleigh, and the road was closed to all traffic for something like 7 hours. So the cops were detouring traffic down roads that normally don't have many cars. Unfortunately, several of these roads are on my route, so I was riding in bumper-to-bumper traffic on streets that are usually nearly empty. I normally don't filter ahead at intersections and such but made an exception in a couple of cases yesterday due to the abnormally heavy traffic. One of those cases was where some cars were blocking an intersection because they pulled ahead before the light turned red while the traffic was at a standstill. I wasn't going to sit through two light cycles or more because of that.

This morning was my first commute using my new winter jacket, a Pearl Izumi Gavia. I actually wore the jersey for the first time last weekend on a group ride, but it was too warm for the temperatures (mid-40s) and I sweated a lot. It wasn't much cooler this morning (upper 30s) but I'm riding a lot slower and stopping at traffic lights on my commute so need warmer clothes. The Gavia worked like a charm. With just a wicking t-shirt underneath, it kept me warm but not sweaty. I was particularly impressed by its performance on downhills, as I've got several where my speeds top 30 mph and it can get quite cold. The Gavia totally blocked the wind out. This afternoon will be the real test, however, because it will be much warmer (mid-50s) and I'm curious to see if I will get all sweaty. One of the reasons why I bought the Gavia is that it's available in high-vis yellow, which I wanted for riding in traffic. It's a form-fit jersey, so I bought it one size larger than usual, and that seems just about right for layer extra clothes underneath on really cold days.

Funny thing happened on the way home last night. Took a route through Greenwich Village and some guy blew me a kiss. I thought, " OK, some one finally noticed that I lost weight."
Then I realized that because I lost a little weight, my jeans were a bit baggy. And since it was night I wore my orange construction worker's vest over the jacket I borrowed from my husband. Between my strange getup and my helmet, I'm sure he thought I was a guy! And since my mountain bike is purple, he probably assumed I was gay. Gotta love Greenwich Village.

40F. Chilly fingers & toes for half the ride - but not on other similarly chilly days. I wonder why.

Maybe because my lovely wife made me bacon & eggs this morning? I seem to ride more slowly if I eat breakfast first; maybe my blood was going to my stomach instead of to my fingers.

-19C when I left the house, -28C with windchill. I didn't really feel the wind until I got downtown, then it just got channeled directly at me. Boourns! On the plus side, my homemade pogies did the trick! The design needs some tweaking, but my hands were actually warm by the time I got to work. Wheeeeee!

Not a bad day, weatherwise. I may be acclimating to this 30sF stuff. Took an alternate route to see if they'd finished paving a MUP-in-progress, they hadn't. The railroad bed gravel was paved over, but the whole route was not. The last bit, regular mortal dirt and gravel, not too tough to handle though, so it was fun. And worth it for the intersections I got to avoid.

Crisp, cool, and calm. The perfect late autumn morning. I slept in and rode a leisurely spin, resisting the temptation to ride right past the office and off to ......?

Two inches of rain is expected in the next 18hrs. Not much by some standards, but a steady long downpour the likes of which has not been seen for several years in an area that has had a total of 2.7" of rain so far in 2007.

It has already built to a moderately heavy level since this morning very light scattered sprinkles and there are forecast thunderstorms levels and activity approaching soon.

The last time I rode my commute in rain was March 22nd. (I've done weekends and errands in rain since then)

Al

Apparently was only -3C but felt cold this morning. Also brought the MTB as I have to haul the trailer avec my precious tonight. A streetcar had rear-ended a big box truck this morning around King/Tecumseth, and the first officer on the scene was on a horse, so I just skipped onto the sidewalk and rode around. Felt good about telling the transit-courier that his streetcar would be forever, he appreciated the tip.

Yesterday I rode up to Highway400/7 (just outside the city limits) - had partially frozen bottles for the first time. Properly starting to freeze, heh - was very windy, all the cold was windchill really, but a fun ride up there and back.

Krazy morning today !
I see an old man in one of those Hoveround/Lark electric scooter
chair things walking(?) his dog every morning. He looks a little wacked
but harmless. This morning, I see his little dog running around and
him lying in the street, scooter tipped on its side. Me and another person
went to aide him and there was beer everywhere :eek: It really reeked ! :eek:
We got him upright and asked if he needed an ambulance, etc and he just asked
that we make sure he can get across the street, which we did. I was shocked at
how many people went by and didnt even want to know if he was OK or offer assistance.
I learned two valuable lessons today....
Dont depend on anyone to stop for you in Florida, and dont drive drunk on the sidewalk :lol:

Today was ideal. It was calm in the morning, but on the way home I had a killer tailwind. I love days like that.

Had a rough one going home! Approx. 18 mph headwind. Glad it's Friday. Caught up with a co-worker running on the mup and passed him veerrry sloooowly. Slow enough that we had time to exchange several barbs.:p At least I can say he's a Boston qualifier, so I can't be THAT slow, right?

Nice ride in, despite the headwind. 36 degrees and falling. Got my first "Cold enough for ya yet?" comment from security. Actually got complimented on my trackstand by a Park Slope beat cop during the day :-)

Started snowing here at 5:30am. Apparently we're getting a string of 3 or 4 storms coming through over the next few days. No commute today, but I'm going out now to ride around in the snow and run errands.

oooo! first real chilly day today. About 18F degrees on the way home tonight with a gusting headwind. I had forgotten how much harder I have to work in the cold. Ice was forming at the edge of the lapping Charles River.

Snow expected tomorrow night- STUDS TIME??!!

Was almost home (maybe 100 yards from the front door), riding through a sort of park area, and it was pitch black out. I downshifted in front to get up a bit of an incline, and instead of downshifting, the chain came completely off. Great. So I get off, and have to stick my fingers in there to get the chain back on the chainring. But while I am doing this, I notice a really awful odor coming from somewhere. Didn't think that much of it at the time, so I got back on and finished the ride. But that awful odor kept following me.

Turns out I had stepped in some dog doo while I was fixing my chain :mad:.

I still need to adjust the front derailer - it has been acting up a little lately, but I haven't gotten around to going in and fixing it.

Actually, you don't. Just get off your bike, upshift in the front, lift the rear wheel off the ground and pedal. Repeat if necessary and possible (i.e. if you've three chainrings). The front derailleur will force the chain back onto the chainrings.

great week of commuting, all up around 320k for the week,

I saw a guy passed out against a tree near the local University on a main road
On the way home I saw a drunk bum swearing inchorrenlty whilst lying in a doorway
Strange day
32 degree celcius with a hot breeze

Then the very next day was calm in the morning with a headwind on the way home. :)

It rained a little and one of the bridges on the bike trail had a nice little layer of ice on it. It's supposed to rain again today and get colder tonight. Time to switch tires.

Had snow on the way in last night and slush/ice on the way home this morning. The Marin is in the shop to hopefully get a new rear wheel under warranty. I took the old Trek 800 and it handled beautifully for the most part. I did a little sliding on the way home on the side streets but never really felt out of control. The cheap Kenda knobbies gripped quite well.

Lovely commute today! Beautiful weather - blue sky, sunshine, about 25C, but if a breeze but not too much.

Put some air in the tyres and lubed the chain before I left, and the bike just bowled along. Traffic was light / considerate, and all was well with the world! Could have carried on all day.

The good news is that I have a meeting at another company office about 20km across Sydney this afternoon - so I'm going to cycle there. Doing my bit for the environment, cheaper for the business than getting a cab and putting it on expenses, and also a legitimate reason to get some time in on the bike in work hours!

Got a flat this morning my 3rd in like 5 days not happy, but still was a lovely monring so can't complain.

Rode to work on Sat morning (Orange County, CA.) Wind and water on the trail made it interesting. Got a ride home, I wimped out:rolleyes:

spectacular wind, rain, slush. Put on snow-tires for this coming week.