ctoddrun

Perfect weather this morning - 70F as I left the house, sun just coming up, very light wind (rare for this time of year...) Really enjoyed the ride, put a bit extra into the two larger hills and was rewarded with higher-than-usual average speeds as I climbed. And rewarded again with a pretty dead feeling in the legs around mile 12. Traffic was also really light this morning, which is always nice...

I realized something a bit depressing this morning. I tell people (when they ask...) that I ride in 3 days a week, M, W, and Th. But as I was looking back at my commute tracker (where I track when I rode and how much money I haven't saved because I can't stay out of the LBS) I realized that, for one reason or another, I have actually not done a 3 day commute week since early February. Much of it legitimate, a few days where I decided to be lazy and sleep in. So, tomorrow, WHEN I ride, I will complete a 3 day commute week. And then next week I won't due to a business trip the last half, but what the heck...

RonH

We all have that problem. Never an excuse for not riding.

WhiteRabbit

Nice. Clear, calm, beautiful.

RonH

Today's ride was fabulous. Low 60sF (17C) and sunny.

Did something different today. Brought my new "toy" (6MP digital camera ) with me. Took pictures of my morning ride. May take pics of the ride home.
I know you can't wait to see the pics of my commute route so I'll post them when I get home.

pinkrobe

The hay fever is bad today. I was sniffling and snorting all the way in. Hopefully it clears up in a few days. ANyway, the ride is was pretty smooth, but chilly. It rained/snowed last night, but should be warm for Thursday and Friday.

SirMike1983 

I saw the MSNBC segment this morning as part of the series "Sticking It To the Man". It was a good spot!

jyossarian

Right on! Scott, is there a link we can listen to the interview or read the transcript? The HHCMF shirt would've been awesome, especially if they asked what it stood for!

No commute today. Had to drive to NJ. Within a couple of blocks of my apt. I'd seen enough idiotic cagers to make me miss my bike already.

luckysnafu

On my ride home last night I caught up to a roadie (older guy) and drafted him for the last mile or so of my ride. He didn't acknowledge me at all but was going at a pretty good clip. I was surprised how much I pushed myself to keep up with him and that I was able to. Usually by that point on my ride I am winding down but not last night. This morning's ride in was nice but I ran over something on the golf course path (paved) while I was going around some people. My rear wheel hit something and it was loud but I have no idea what it was. My tire was fine and didn't go flat so I have no idea what it could have been, oh well. Nice and windy today but warm for the ride home.

eastbaybob

This morning the road was a bit damp, I don't think it rained last night but we have this heavy drippy overcast thing going on at the moment. The ride took about ten minutes.

Vatn

There's a pedestrian crossing downtown, with lights that stay red for a looong time. Usually, there are few pedestrians, so it's easy to cross safely. Most days, I slow down ahead of the crossing, hoping for the light to turn green, but if it doesn't, I cross anyway. For some reason, I stopped today ... and a few seconds later a police car stops in the lane beside me. Gotta be lucky sometimes :-)

Jack Burns

I try to avoid these situations and not turn a commute into a meaningless competition.

On several occasions, I've come up on slower riders that were obviously taking their time. Generally speaking, I'm a fast rider that wants to get home quicky and maximize my time in the saddle. But I always slow down and ride behind until I'm sure it's a good time to pass, and I don't just pass. I'll ride along side for a few seconds, assuming it's safe, say "hello," "nice bike," or "good to see another commuter today."

Maybe if you just maintained pace, you meet someone interesting....

Jack Burns

A little warmer today, with temps in the high 70's. Clear blue skies, 5MPH winds.
I'm placing my water bottle in the office freezer in the morning, so it will be nice and cool when the temps move into the low 80's. It only takes a short amount of time for it to thaw enough to drink.

rando

well, THAT was interesting. I actually tried the busy route on the way in, in two different spots for about a mile each , separated by a stretch on my "easy" route. The first stretch, on Broadway just east of McCLintock, is mostly residential and office, not much retail ... I was riding in the right hand lane in the right tire track area, sometime a little more to the left. no honks, no yells, only one close pass. I noticed that the farther left I was the more room they gave me in passing. Traffic was light, though, after rush hour. then I bailed for a while to my quiet route and came back on to broadway later at about Mill, where it starts to get a little heavier traffic. little bit of a difference.... I got two honks. one from a guy in a toyota who actually STOPPED in the lane next to me. and then cruised on ahead of me. not sure what that was about. scared the bejesus out of me, though, along with a woman who was riding on the sidewalk about ten feet away.. .. I think she actually got ooff her bike... another honk came from the other side of the road. but it was not that scary at all, and it did save a bit of time. Thanks for the advice! I made it in one piece!

I think I will take this route if I want to save time... but I usually am never that crunched for time. It was interesting riding in traffic, not as nerve-wracking as I expected. I also got a better workout because I had the feeling that I had to pedal faster to keep up with the traffic, which of course I could never do.


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NM-NewRoadie

Nice ride today, did 20 miles, felt good and weather was nice. I wore tights over my shorts today, and stripped those off about halfway in, I also completely removed my jacket at that point and went with just my long sleeve jersey, kinda chilly, but nice after I did that.

I just realized that ONCE AGAIN I'll be NOT commuting on "ride your bike to work day" Instead I'll be "driving my car to Las Vegas" for the weekend. Just as well, I think "bike month" and "ride your bike to work day" are kinda lame anyway. I ride my bike almost EVERY day, so...a "special" day where everyone and their mother rides in and clogs the paths...just annoying really :-)

I know this may seem rude of me, but maybe they should have "ride your bike to work" day in December!

:-) really though I like seeing other bikes on the path :-)

jumpr

While downtown, I was going straight through an intersection and someone in a Jeep Cherokee going the opposite direction was turning left across my path. Two cars went before him without incident, but then he turned directly into my lane while I was in the intersection! I braked hard, yelled "HEY! What the hell!?" and shook my head. The guy looked like he was noticing me for the first time.

I wasn't going very fast, either. There were a ton of people walking around on the sidewalks, so hopefully some of them will think twice next time they think the intersection is clear.

rothar

3 days into my commute and the bike is holding up better than I am. Experiencing a slight ‘pull’ in my right calf which doesn’t bother me when I’m cycling but is painful when I walk. I will RICE it tonight and hope for the best. Couple of cold Kona Brews might do the trick also!! Feeling stronger on the climb home in the evening and I only stop once now to admire the view compared to 3 times on my first ride. Speaking of views the sight of the blue Pacific is something to see first thing in the morning. We occasionally get spinner dolphins in the bay here but I have not seen any on my commute – that would just about make my day.

greeleywheely

Colorado front range-definitely the rainy season-but a great "out and back" to work today. A couple of weeks into the commuting season and the lifestyle has taken over-what's on the iPod, what i eat (bananas AND peanut butter are awesome) and need to start drinking more water. let's be safe and make it through another week.

First Biking Noble Truth: Suffering Exists, and the point is?

scottmorrison99

My interview with MSNBC went well today, except I learned when I saw it later they implied I had gone carfree. My family and I keep a minivan, carfree just isn't practical for us, we're carlite.
Then my boss decided to pay me for the time I spent doing the phone interview. Our company tries to make good enviromental choices, so he felt this was covered. Ride in was great today, ride home not so good. The front derailleur on my new bike is out of adjustment for the 3rd time in 11 days. Darn Tiagra POS. Back to the LBS Friday, and this time I'll ask them to show me how to adjust it.

GTcommuter

Very short commute today as I'm working from home. I did manage to get up early and take the cruiser over to the coffee shop for some java and a bagel. Now with .58 miles under my belt, it's back to work for the next 12 hours...uggg....

FormerBMX'er

Aside from the usual B.U. Bridge squeeze play forcing me to give some chick the "One Finger Salute", all was well. She's beside me blipping the accelerator trying to decide if she wan't to fall in behind me or dart in front. She decides to dart in front where I proceeded to pass her once more, I Saluted her as I passsed . It's nice to see the Sun back out so I'm looking to put 25miles on the legs after work.

luckysnafu

Beautiful morning for the ride in today. Sun rising with temps in the mid 50s and not much wind. Took it easy and even caught up to another commuter and followed him for about half a mile before he turned. He had two panniers so I know he was commuting. I don't see many commuters on my route so it is nice to know there are some out there. I think I have seen more bikers this week than I have all last month. Mid 80s later today for the ride home

jeff-o

The weatherman predicted rain this morning, so I rode my DF with fenders. Looking out the window now, I see that he was wrong, again...

Good ride though, warm enough to go with just shorts and a t-shirt!

Itsjustb

Same here. Maybe it's a North Carolina thing lately--I've seen 3 commuters this week, which is 3 more than I see in a typical month.

rule

This is the first ride of the year where I have had to hammer harder in than I usually do on the loop home. There was a big squall line of showers heading in from the West. I made it all the way to within about three blocks before it started coming down and even then made it into the building before I got got more than damp. It has already blown through and clearing up. The ride home later will be spectacular.

* jack *

Yep, the fairweather commuters are springing up all over.

I usually see several of the same folks every day, but many new faces recently (or some I haven't seen over the 'winter')