A cool 9C/48F this morning, and breezy enough that I had to pedal down a long, gentle hill to keep my speed up. Lots of leafy debris on the trails and some roads due to a hailstorm that blew through yesterday. Thankfully I worked from home yesterday, or I would have been caught in the storm.

I was reflecting this morning about how uneventful this commuting year has been in terms of interactions with drivers - I don't think I've been honked at or yelled at, no panic stops to avoid hooks, etc. all year. Then some idiot made a close, fast pass, and I lost all faith in humanity.

I'm a bit bummed this morning because there was a sign posted by the racks where I park my bike from someone whose bike had been stolen from there recently. Just a reminder that nowhere is really safe.

With nobody and nothing around to explain this when I found it about 5:30am, it will have to speak for itself.

sad.
Sometimes, I'll chat a little with blue-Traitor-guy when we get stuck at the same stop light. Today I saw him drafting a semi. Like, full out on the trailer's butt, no way the driver could see him back there. I'm sad that I now I think he's a jerk.

(actually, I just googled "drafting a semi on a bicycle" to see how dangerous it really is, looks like Myth Busters took a crack at it. I know what I'm watching when I get home today!)

Just watched that; it's pretty nifty, and fits with what my dad told me about how he managed his cross-country ride back in '80 (being a bike nut is apparently genetic).

My ride was frustrating, involving an inordinate number of cars parked in or attempting to pass other cars using the bike lane.

Had a nice commute in to work this morning that was enhanced for a couple of blocks when I 'had' to follow a very attractive red-head with long flowing hair, a cute little nose ring and succulent calves riding an old Schwinn roadie. That bike was gorgeous!

I remember that Mythbusters. For all the money they spend on blowing crap up, it was surprising they couldn't have sprung for a Powertap so they could get wattage. And the guy who rides the bike is wearing downhill armor. It looks ridiculous. I would have volunteered my Quarq-equipped road bike if asked.

When done correctly, drafting anything isn't all that dangerous. You don't want to put yourself in the middle of the drafting vehicle's path... following the right side tire path is enough. Nor do you have to follow within a couple of feet of the draft vehicle... several feet is enough depending on the speed and size of thee vehicle, you'll be able to feel the start of turbulence and adjust accordingly. With this practice and having your brakes covered, staying alert and monitoring the road/traffic conditions beyond the right side of the vehicle, you'll most likely be prepared for most emergency situations.

There's a long stretch of road where I live that is heavily traveled by roadies on the weekends. If I'm riding it on my motorcycle I usually get a few drafters in my wake and adjust my speed to keep them in my draft. It's a kick.

I watched another commuter do a crazy ninja salmon run, swerving in front of a city bus and then a turning minivan in order to beat the light. Sometimes I think drivers here are a little too easy going - I would have honked.

Merciless wind.

commuting would be so much fun, if there were no cars. silly reckless drivers can really ruin your day. :-(

Wow, great morning. Kinda warm, but I beat the rain. A little before 0530 a woman was riding a comfort bike up on the sidewalk going southbound. She was simply beautiful. I was going west so I only seen her for a second. Just a nice start for the day.

Warmer today at 69f (21c). It was the first day of school back and the traffic was heavier. There was one cyclist in the dark who appeared lost
at a circle. He went down one fork, and as I approached the circle I was keeping an eye out for the car on the left. The cyclist came from my
right out of the darkness, first on the sidewalk, which was taken up by two walkers who surprised him, then down in the right lane, which pushed
me over to the left. I kept going and couldn't tell what he did. Riding in the dark on dark streets is not a good idea. As I got closer to work, some guy in a van stopped was hooping and screaming, and I just rode by like nothing was strange about that. Hopefully, it was to music.

i thought it would be a crappy day because my gf took the keys to work with her, but I found a way to get through two locked doors to get the bike out and was able to ride it in. While I was in the process, I had a great discussion with a Serbian guy in my crappy German.

hurrah!

It was a nice cool ride in this morning. The temp was 60f and it was kind of dark when I left the house at 5:45a, with sunrise at 6a. My front headlight fell off about fifteen minutes into the ride. I picked it up, but I really need a light that is going to stay attached to my bike. Other than that an uneventful ride in this morning.

Front tire seems to be slow leaking...again. mis shifted coming up out oif my building garage so I lost the chain. Other than that, a good Monday ride in.

Oh, and on Saturday I rode to a micro brewery that sits right off of a MUP...doesn't get much better!

68F/20C and pleasant. Reasonably quick thanks to a wind at my back. Thought I was going to get a silly commuter race with a roadie but he went the other way.

Cool, breezy (tailwind), sunny. I was a bit tired this morning, but still managed to make decent time.

My panniers are so freaking heavy, weighing my ass down. Slow ride, sore thighs.

That's probably what I sound like when I try to sing along with "In the Name of Love" by U2.

is it possible for the weather to be of a deceptively cool temperature, yet, gross, gross, gross with humidity?
I tried to pedal easy this morning since I need to work long hours and am tired.This means that I rode over in my jeans and riding clothes are in my pack. silly rabbit.

update: mosquitos all over the train station and platform. first experience with mosquitos here in three years. it IS extra gross out!

pretty standard ride in, slowly getting stronger.

Warm and muggy today at 75f (24c). It was a quiet ride in today and those are always nice. Rain happened after I got here, but I was prepared in case.

Same thing up here in Burlington, VT. 68F/20C but it feels swampy! It rained last night, everything is damp. The next time I see a small fan suitable for a desktop, I'm going to buy it.

I passed the 20,000 mile commuting mark yesterday, 842 trips over the past 5-1/2 years. School also started back and I quickly realized that I need to leave earlier in the morning as I encountered a lot of school buses and teenage drivers on my way to work. I had gotten into the habit of leaving 15-30 minutes later over the summer, but that's over now. We are getting some of the outer circulation from Hurricane Isaac, and it was cloudy and extremely humid this morning. Hopefully the rain will hold off until tonight.