Cage, huh? Well, forgiveness can be bought with a plate of you-know-whats! LOL

Rode in today - will probably be my last ride of the year.
Today was a rainy ride in, with brutal headwinds. No fun, but I was glad I cycled. I started cycling in April, and have run up a total of approximately 930 miles (didn't have a cycle computer for the first 3.5 months, so some extrapolation involved here). That is 930 miles more than I have cycled in the past 8 years! And it sounds even better if I convert it to km - a unit I am still more comfortable in - almost 1500 km

It rained all last night, and rained when I got up. But when it was time to go, the rain had stopped and the sun came out. It turned out to be a lovely morning for a ride to work.

And then I discovered a flat. I got to work just fine, but discovered it when I tried to take the bike out for a quick errand. I fixed it (first time on a real flat!), and think it's ready for the ride home. This is my first flat since I got back on a bike again about four months ago, so I suppose it counts as some kind of milestone.

It was my final commute of 2012, so I stopped to snap a picture over the Fraser River on the way in...



A very pleasant day for riding.

I need to go through my calendar and add everything up properly, but I know I am well over 2000 miles this year... going for 3000+ in 2013.

Commute started with a light drizzle and ended in the beginnings of some heavy rain during the last mile. Rained torrentially through the day and left me with clean air and a pleasant ride home.

My recent foray into "Strict commuting" has made my morning much nicer. I race road, so all of a sudden the idea of doing a 10 mile commute each way seems easier then trying to cram a 25 mile training ride in each morning. Off season is nice.

Commute this morning was wonderful. 48ºF, no wind, clear sky, very few cars on the road. We had lots and lots of rain this past weekend, so there were lots of puddles and such, but overall, it was a great commute.

Commute this morning was wonderful. 48ºF, no wind, clear sky, very few cars on the road. We had lots and lots of rain this past weekend, so there were lots of puddles and such, but overall, it was a great commute.

Three inches of fresh snow today! Had a few close calls but otherwise it was a great ride in! Only a few more days and ill have ridden to work everyday this year! No driving to work at all! Merry Christmas!

Yesterday I checked the temperature before leaving to go shopping. It stated 28, so I dressed up and left. When I got out it didn't feel cold at all. I checked the temperature again, and it was 45. I was like wtf and took off some clothes. Roads were busier than usual, and I noticed a lot of out of state drivers due to the holidays. Despite the extra traffic, the commute wasn't all that bad. I did 25 miles.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012. Second big storm of the season today. This one started about 6am with about three hours of sleet and snow. At 2pm we had about four inches on the ground, deeper in some spots. Rt 161 was bad. I had to ride down the right tire track cause the shoulder was stacked with plowed snow. I would ride and bail as cars came up from behind. I did that all the way to the river. Not quite two miles. Any unplowed sections were impossible to ride on. I stuck mostly to the tire ruts or any plowed streets. The deep stuff would just make me squirrel out in it and I’d have to walk. The ride home only took me an extra 20mins. Temperature was 33f.

7F out, 15F on the way home. temp was fine, i layered well, but i'm starting to learn the language of snow and figuring out where there's hidden ice. worst so far has been car tire tracks that re-freeze. even with studs.

It was a biting -14C (7F) with a 30km/h wind and wind chill of -25C (-13F), especially on the parts where I was travelling into the wind (not many fortunately). Forecast says the same for tomorrow's ride in, the last of the year but the long range forecast for the 2nd is -21C (-6F, not even accounting for wind chill).

I'm getting used to the cold and am considering taking a longer route in to work when the paths are clear, today, the paths were very rough although plowed and so the travel was difficult.

Back in the saddle...what a headwind! Remnants of a big winter storm front are still evident here in DC.

32 degrees F this morning, but absolutely no wind. All three lights are on, lighting up the streets like daytime, but no cars to hide from - Although freezing temp, it feels warm this morning. The city is mine - no one else is up I guess!

Blizzard warning this morning, very windy, heavy snow coming down, visibility about 1/4 mile. Seas are reported to be 15 to 20 feet. Its a Noreaster indeed, Winter has finally arrived after a 2 year absence. Obviously did not commute. Took the SUV in to work. May not commute again this week. Had good weather over christmas and rode some then. Tommorrow remains to be seen.

About 28f this morning with a bit of tailwind. Looks like about the same with a headwind for ride back. Balmy compared with those riding with the single digit temps.

Odo will be reading 5985 tonight. 15 miles to 2012 goal.

Todays ride home. I am running a 2" studded tire in the rear and a 2.5" knobby up front. This combination has been awesome in the snow and on ice! Floatation up front and traction in the back. I also dont get tossed around in the ruts anymore which is nice.

No commute today, per se, but a 11 mile RT grocery and errand run. The first/last 2/3 of a mile is a gravel road (pic), but the rest is paved. The pavement was wet, with no snow build up on the surface. Nice day. I loaded up with about 50 pounds of groceries and enjoyed my "sled". I snapped this pic on the way to Clifton, looking back towards home.

18" of new snow today. totally caved and drove in. felt dirty.

but the roads are plowed now and they're out pushing back banks. tomorrow nothing will stop me.....

Winds have dies down here in DC, a nice and quiet commute in, light traffic. Temps around 36F/3C.

Love those pics!

Aside from the fact that I'm taking a vacation until the new year, I think I'm done anyway until it starts to warm up a bit. You guys riding in the snow are just plain crazy.

If it goes up to 40 today, I may ride my bike to pick up my car from the shop, but that's as much riding as I'm likely to do outdoors. I've still got 3 Sufferfest videos on my iPad, and 3 Spinerval DVDs to use for indoors.

Today was a cold -16C (3F) with a bit of a headwind on short northerly section resulting in a -22C (-8F) windchill. Along part of the path, a crew was replacing the guardrails yesterday and made a mess of the snow on the path: it was hard and rough, like the dirt road on the way to the cottage but with less traction.

Last day in 2012 for commuting, back again on the 2nd. Looks like 2012 total biking will be 2,034km. With winter commuting starting the year, next year should be much better, I'm setting a goal of 4,000km (total biking, not just commuting).

Have a Happy New Year everyone!

Given that BC is a province of Canada, do you mean 2,000 miles or 2,000 km?

No commute today, way too much snow, felt dirty also LOL. Off for the long weekend, may go on weekend rides. Resuming commutes next week. Happy New Year to everyone.

No bike commute today for me, either. I had some mechanical issues with my drivetrain commuting yesterday. Any time I tried to accelerate even somewhat hard, the cranks would just freeze. Slow acceleration, and everything was just fine. I'm thinking something's going on with the bottom bracket. Going to examine it tonight.