After having sprinted home from work yesterday on my fixed gear, trying to catch the cable guy as he does our installation (I missed him anyhow), I thought that I'd drive in today to get a rest. My wife said, "but I wanted to ride out and meet you for the ride home tomorrow..." So I rode in again today. I took it a lot easier, though.

Cool and damp-ish, it still felt great to ride in. I'm so fortunate to be able to bike to work!

Oh, and the cable installation went fine. OT - My first time with a full function Denon AVR, with HDMI interface to the TV, so had left him cabling for coax to channel box, HDMI to AVR with it in standby. He did fine without my hovering over him. I got it all to work properly last night. Denon menus are cryptic, but I figured out how to do a microprocessor reset and dig into menus to select HDMI control that allows the cable box to pass signals to the TV when the AVR is in standby or when powered up. Wow. So many options now. Just, wow.

Just a little below 50 for the start of the ride. But I still wore shorts as the high will be about 74 this afternoon.

On the way home yesterday I had a driver behind me lay on the horn due to me slowing him down. I was just a few yards from where a right turn lane into a shopping center opens up. I always get over into that lane to allow cars to pass more easily. He blares the horn, I get over (as I would have done anyway) and he goes by. I held out my hand as in "What's your problem?" He then makes the right turn into the shopping center. I had half a mind to follow him and ask what was the deal, but I needed to get home to take my daughter to ballet practice.

I would have liked to have asked him if he blares his horn at everything that slows him down including stop lights, school buses and people turning left.

My ride home from Handlebar Happy Hour last night was mostly terrific
http://i1372.photobucket.com/albums/...ps3n75twui.jpg

That is, until my tail light died on me on a dark road! That made me a little uneasy, but I have a huge reflector on the back of my rack, so I moved into the middle of the lane and when a car came up moved over to the right. At least by riding in the middle, I should have been easily visible. I felt like I was pushing the pace (and my body sure does, too!) but Strava said I was slow slow slow. I was tired and sore this morning and took the car. I was in the mood for a drive. #wussmode

My legs were very sore after I got home yesterday and the aching actually woke me up during the middle of the night. I initially thought it was bike related, so I checked all of the fit dimensions on my main commuter bike this morning. However, everything was OK and the brake pads weren't rubbing the rims. So that got me wondering why my legs were so tired and it finally dawned on me that it had nothing to do with my bike. It apparently was my shoes that I keep at work.

I had brought a new pair of dress shoes to wear at work but the orthotic insoles that were in my old shoes don't fit the new ones very well. Consequently, my feet slide around a lot in the new shoes, making it harder to walk. I've also been doing a lot of walking at work, including nearly 5 miles yesterday, and apparently that was tiring my leg muscles. So, I crammed my old work shoes in my bike bag this morning and brought them back to work, and I noticed an improvement right away once I started walking around at work.

39F this morning, first one with a "3" - and dark, sigh...

I'm often running a little late, but I wasn't this morning, so I took the longer route through Inwood Hill Park and onto the Henry Hudson Bridge. This avoids the noisiest traffic and adds some more hill climbing. Plus I get to scream downhill to my destination. Fun.

It was a little colder today. I kept my sweater on. No big deal.

Two people going in my direction passed me today. It doesn't happen often. It no longer hurts my feelings, as I'm very likely to be going a greater distance than these people are.

I love the sound the golden leaves make when they crunch under my tires. Just enough for noise and not enough to hide anything this morning, and dry.

Enjoying it before it changes and drifts of leaves are blown out to the bike lanes and they turn to slimy masses hiding sharp sticks.

Enjoying these cooler mornings. Calm and uneventful ride other than doing my darnedest to lose my helmet headlight.

haha love the hashtag
 

I love this hashtag so funny... I drove today too because I had an interview at 8am. I am not sure how it went. STAR method interviews are so #awkward .


Rode home last night then went out to celebrate my birthday with my daughter at Red Robin (free burger) it was a good time.

Nice morning with temps in the upper 30's. So, it was light jacket and leggings, some light gloves, shoe-toe covers and ear protection. Perfect ride under lights, no wind, good speed.

Looking at 70 Degrees this afternoon. So, the ride home will be perfect.

Mid 50's this morning, though my bike computer showed as low as 51 at one point. I used my wind shell and thin pants over bike shorts this morning. I thought I was too hot at one point and took off the shell leaving only jersey and arm warmers. But those were fairly damp which made my arms feel REALLY cold, so I put the jacket back on.

Had an unseasonable amount of arse-hole motorists this morning. 3 people at 2 separate stop signs zoomed around me just before the stop sign, because they just HAD to get to that stop sign first I guess. One of those was on a 5-lane street, so instead of just changing to the left lane, stopping, then moving back to the right lane after the intersection; he decided he just HAD to get back into the right lane in front of me, before getting to the stop sign.

Then there was someone who just HAD to pass me as I was indicating my left turn coming up. Couldn't wait a couple more seconds to go straight after I turned left, nope, had to pass before I got to the turn.

And then I happened to see the same truck that honked at me Tuesday, only this time coming the other way and turning into a neighborhood. As he turned he yelled out the window something about "ya gotta stay on the side" or some such BS. So now I know the truck, AND I know his neighborhood, and I'm pretty sure I know what house. I'll be riding by there this afternoon to hopefully grab a license plate (I remember the first half of the plate number).

The constant in all these was that everyone changed lanes to pass and gave me plenty of room. So there's that. I guess it ain't too bad. :)

It was 54-55 F. I dressed like it was summer anyway. I regretted it just a bit going downhill from my house, but wind at this temperature range, while a bit chilly, isn't bad.

Tried this route to get around the Mt. Vernon Trail mulch - as I said I dislike waiting for the steady stream of cars on Aviation Cir. more than the mulch itself: MVT Detour NB v1 - Fort Barnard Heights, VA

Ironically, I ended up waiting for a stream of cars at a different part of the airport, because I missed a turn.

Still it was a beautiful morning ride - probably the last one in a non-jacket temperature range.

Left the house a bit late this AM so I pedaled hard and made it to work on time. Great fall morning ride! Clear and 45degF (7degC) no jacket, which is unusual for me. Uneventful and fast.

Rode all the way to work on Wednesday. I had ridden part way and caught the train part way before.

Only issue was getting attacked by a Magpie

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=482754


https://www.strava.com/activities/412514819

4 hours total time wow!

Probably about 30-40 mins of breaks. I am not fit at all!

It gets easier. That's a long ride for a beginner. What time did you leave and what time did you have to be at work?

Damn cdonges, that's intense!

Discovered this route by accident, while trying to follow a suggested route through Crystal City to get to Potomac Ave.

https://goo.gl/maps/FodbDo6HyyF2

Really nice evening commute. Probably the best fall weather I can hope to ride under this year.

A couple of years ago I used to ride 10km each way fairly regularly but I moved and got lazy :(

I left just before 5am. I am meant to be at work at 8:30am and that's what I was aiming for. Got there around 9am. Employer is pretty flexible about start times so it wasn't too bad.

It won't be a regular thing. I am thinking maybe once a month.

I took the other way around the lake this afternoon on the MTB-legal trails. It sort of sucked, slippery DG everywhere. Why, why? Hate that stuff.

51 F / 11C, blustery winds and what felt like a constant headwind. Legs were definitely tired by the time I rolled up to work.

Witnessed a three-car fender bender on the GW Parkway right in front of National Airport...those drivers pack in so tight I'm surprised there aren't more accidents.

I seemed to be moving in slow motion this morning. Arrived late at work. Found that I had packed a dress shirt that requires cuff links. ##$%$!! I'm glad that this week is ending.

My wife and I go to the Kennedy Center tonight for a stage performance of Carol King's "Beautiful", which had been my birthday present from August.

Clear, cool morning for a nice ride. At a 3-way I turn left onto what is essentially a short one lane road. It's a neighborhood entrance with a median for maybe 100 yards. If there is a car coming at me and turning right to go the same way I'll be going, I wave them ahead so they won't have to pass me on the tighter one lane section. This morning I did that and the car started to go. I started to go with the intention of falling in behind the car. But the driver all of a sudden stopped, I guess thinking I was going first. I had already waved him through, but whatever. I suppose I should have waited another moment before starting.

Over 133 commuting miles this week. Not a record, but a pretty good week. The weather is great for riding at this time of year!

Going to catch the bus home tonight. It drops me off pretty close to a sports bar near our house. Meeting the wife there, and we'll cheer the Royals on to victory over a few pints!

Had no jam in my legs this morning and felt like I was lumbering up the hills on my fixed gear. Managed to pass the same lady twice, once near the beginning of my route and once near the end - she took a shorter route in between.

This morning wasn't my best. I forgot my sunglasses at home and my front derailleur cable has slipped just enough that I can't shift into the big ring until I fix it. And even though it never rains in NorCal, it was raining this morning. I don't have fenders mounted and I was wearing light grey shorts. Any idea how that turns out? You guessed it. When I got to work it looked like I'd had an...ahem...accident.

First ride in with my new shades (Scattante Echelon Multi-Lens Eyewear). I'm digging the yellow-tint lenses for low light conditions.

Huh, lost my post...well anyway: 36F / 2 C chilly!