good, except that it seems this week my legs are a little sluggish - about 34F - hopefully this is the last morning it is this cold. ready to put the cold weather gear away for good

Fantastic, still in work now so looking forward to cycling outta here;-) Its takes about 50 minutes each way and today was my second day. I tried it a few weeks back and didn't stick with it but fingers crossed things will be better this time round!

Funny how these mornings in the low 30s feel much colder in April than they did back in January. We've had a couple weeks of milder temperatures, so the 30s this week have been like a slap in the face. Over the weekend, I was riding at the coast with morning lows in the mid-50s and afternoon highs in the upper 70s. Guess I got spoiled.

However, the pollen is bothering me more right now than the cold. I've had a sore throat almost continuously for the past 3 weeks from the pollen. It went away last week while at the coast, but returned as soon as I got back to the Raleigh area. Everything is coated in yellow dust here.

Another nice ride to work this morning, third day in a row this week. Took my alternate route today to mix it up. Temps were warming up nicely and it should get close to 70 by this afternoon.

another beautiful day!
legs were a little wobbly for some reason, i don't think i ate enough for dinner last night

decent ride though and the afternoon should be great too
it has been the best week for riding

more people on bikes out there too

i found a different route home that extends my ride a bit and avoids certain troublesome intersections
this is good

Another sunny, cloudless morning ride. Temps in the low 30Fs and no wind. I passed a fit-looking woman riding a touring bike with impossibly-big panniers. I said hi but she didn't say hi back. Meanie.

I'm feeling pretty slow this week. I guess two months of not-commuting-by-bike will do that.

30 mph tailwind on the way home yesterday = the awesome.

30 mph headwinds (gusts to 45) for 8 miles on the way in this morning = the pain.

No big chainring for me today. The last hill was in 3rd or 4th gear. I felt like such a noob.

I hear ya on the relative feeling of this current "cold snap"---back in early Feb, I would have considered this a heat wave. I was thinking about that this morning as I grumbled to myself about it being too cool for shorts.

Only my second day riding this week--on Monday I was TDY on training (up towards Baltimore). I borrowed a car--ugh! It was the first time I'd driven a car since mid-December, and I've only even been in one a couple of times in that stretch. Phooey! Over the last couple of years cars have become more and more vile and dangerous things to me (and I think I'm better off).

Solid commute this morning, though I feel like it was a bit harder getting going. Maybe it was working off that four month old leftover ice-cream cake from my birthday that I had last night. Tomorrow, hopefully it'll be warm enough for shorts and a t-shirt. These last two days I've worn a fleece sweatshirt over my T, then stowed it in my backpack for the ride home.

OTOH, there was the guy who passes me every morning, usually going uphill. (He stands, I grind through the gears.) It's not being passed that bugs me--I know I'm not in the very best shape of my life, as the fitness machine commercials say. It's the fact that he does everything you shouldn't: he rides in the gutter, he weaves in and out of parked cars, and he ignores traffic signals. When I'm out there riding assertively, I'm afraid the four-wheelers are going to think I ought to act more like him...

What a beautiful day! My 3rd commute this week, and unfortunately my last of the week. I just remembered I have appts both Thur and Fri and can't make it to either by bike. And those are going to be the warmest 2 days of the week!

The morning commute was cold! 33 degrees and very sunny
My fingers were almost numb the whole ride, face hurt for the first 10 minutes of descending (I live at the top of a long descent). But it felt really good for all 16.8 miles @ a 20.1 mph for 55 minutes total time.

I did have a pushy delivery truck driver not want to let me across the right hand turn lane as we approached a light where I was going straight and he was turning. But I slowed up so it was all good.

return trip will be in the 60's and beautiful so I can't wait.

First morning ride I actually got to wear my shades for.

Slow ride in today just wasn't "feeling" it. I don't think i can even blame the slight headwind. Oh saw another commuter on my route which is rarer than rare.

Long. 18ks to work, 25 (as the car drives, probably much more on wiggly bike path) ks to gf's family, 15ks back. Tired but satisfied.

Steve

Cold, Wet, and Awesome!

Dropped my chain again on the way in because I was too lazy to fix it last night. Mea culpa. Less than a block from work, I got cut off hard by some guy and we yelled at each other. Sigh. I don't like being mad at people.

It was great ! Conquered a dreaded hill that I have only walked till today with one stop Got hornked only once. Very enjoyable. I m loving this bike commute more and more !!

This morning, my version of the overly aggressive driver was the guy in a Bentley or Maserati, one of those expensive 4 door sporty looking sedans. He pulled into my lane with me in it right next to me. I veered right, stared at him as he got stuck in more traffic and left him behind. In all, he went from 5 mph to 30 mph to 0 mph in the space of 50 feet. I wonder if it made him feel better.

Nice and fast, nothing exciting (always a plus). Same temp as yesterday, didn't feel as cold.

20 mph pollen-filled headwind this morning. Sux.

oh yeah, one thing, it must finally be spring (despite rumors of snow this weekend): I inhaled my 1st bug.

3rd day in a row - I love not having to travel!

+1 on the bugs though - they've been really thick this week.
I'm with HardyWeinberg - the ones you swallow ain't so bad, the ones you inhale are murder.....

Very odd commute, riding into D.C. today just before the Pope's visit. I got caught in a procession of guitar-playing worshipers, carrying a cross at the front. I started getting caught up in the whole thing--like a pilgrim to Jerusalem. But I had to get to work and passed them. Never a dull commute around here!!

I think I'm back in the game... it's been more than a year since I commuted consistently, but after the rides this week I can't begin to imagine why I stopped. Since I stopped, though, I've put on 20 pounds, so it was a bad call!

Decided around Christmastime that a new bike would certainly help me get motivated, so I convinced dw that I needed one, and ended up with this:

It's a CrossCheck Complete, upgraded with SRAM Rival (gifted by a very generous friend from work) and some free street/commuting tires gifted by the manager of the shop where I bought it (they came from his personal collection, also very generous!) So, got the new bike, rode a few times to get back in shape, commuted once, and then weather and life got in the way. It's taken me a while to get the motivation to start back, but I finally did.

Started last week with 2 days of half-commutes (drive, park, ride, reverse...) Drove yesterday with the bik e in the truck and rode the full 15 miles home last night, and then back in this morning, and it feels great. Weather is beautiful when it's not storming here in N. Texas, and the wind this morning actually worked with me for a change. Trying a new route since I last did this regularly, and I love it - farms, rolling hills, nice curvy road, and not much traffic for a good half of the ride. Up the hills not so fun yet, but the ride down the other side is awesome.

It was absolutely gorgeous! Light winds and bright sunny skies here in NYC, can't complain.