pdlamb

Beat the rain!

Checked the radar yesterday afternoon about 3:30, a thunderstorm had popped up about 45 miles SW and was just twinkling on the radar loop. No worries. At 4:30, it looked very dark, and the radar showed a storm moving this way from not far off.


Changed in a hurry, scooted out to the bike shed, and the metal roof made it sound like a full-fledged deluge. Funny thing, though, the sidewalk didn't look all that wet. No thunder I could hear, despite the dark clouds and the rain sprinkles. So I decided to race the storm home.


Is it possible to time trial on a commute with a set of panniers hanging off the back of the bike? I felt like that's what I was riding for the first six miles, and by mile 7 I was clear of the darkest clouds. Cruised home, and ... the shower never made it to the house.


Funny thing is, that thunderstorm that never hit did cool things down nicely. This morning's ride was pleasant all the way in.

no motor?

Nice weather, and I wasn't surprised when the BMW station wagon turned into the same driveway as the older woman who scared me last night did. Neither one of them used a turn signal or made me think they knew what they were doing.

PatrickGSR94

Not a commute but Sunday I tried riding over to my parents' house to cut their grass, but was faced with cloud-ground lightning right in front of me and VERY close! I said NOPE NOPE NOPE and turned around and high-tailed it home. Got it done yesterday evening instead.

99% humidity this morning. It was sunny but might as well have been raining. Few A-holes out this morning, including an impatient pickup driver, and an oncoming Mustang (or something) with loud exhaust that was behind 2 other cars, and I guess honked at me for having to wait to be able to pass the other cars. I was mashing up a hill at the time. Shortly after in the distance I could hear a pretty awesome sounding exhaust note as he downshifted and floored it to pass the other cars. Probably doing 70+ MPH in a 35.

Darth Lefty 

2 years ago I had a bad wreck on a MTB commute, road rash and bruised ribs. I resolved then to buy some armor, but I never did. It would have come in handy today I had a much less severe wreck but still some scrapes and bruises on the same arm. On the plus side I tried two of the three jumps along the route. Not enough speed for the first one. I chickened out on a big ramp feature, it was beyond my confidence.

CommuteCommando

Slogging up a hill I was passed by a young woman jogging on the sidewalk with a smallish dog. It looked like a border collie mix. The dog was pulling on the leash from behind and had a slight limp. After cresting the hill I was able to catch up with her. I pulled in front of her and admonished her to slow down because her dog was struggling to keep up.

"He's fine" was her petulant reply.

What could I do? Just hope that when she got home a more compassionate family member would notice the dog's distress and speak out.

I do not object to people jogging, even biking, with dogs, as long as the dog is liking it. Some dogs are runners and the only way to keep up is on a bike (though this is difficult and requires training).

mgw4jc

Still warm and humid this morning, but the high is only supposed to be 86 instead of 90+ we've every day for two weeks now.

I noticed a new water fountain had been added at the entrance to a MUP I often use. How exciting!



About 2 miles after the new water fountain, I saw a car backing up in a long driveway, somewhat quickly. Whenever I see a vehicle moving steadily like that I anticipate that they will probably not slow down much and pull out into my path. Often they will come to a quick stop once they see me or decide they should look both ways.

This guy didn't. He had to have seen my bright orange shirt, but either way, he didn't stop or slow. I did slow down or else I would have run into his front right door/fender. I just shook my head as he put it in drive and sped away.

baron von trail 

Today was my first third-straight commute day that I can remember in a long time. Weather has just not been on my side. Last week, I only rode twice. Ain't that a bummer?

Anyway, looks like storms come back into the area tomorrow. But, Friday looks good. So, it will be my first 4-day commute week all year. Last year I had about a dozen of those and several 5-day commuting weeks.

arsprod 

Another low 60's morning and that's it for the cool down - back to 90's this afternoon

Tundra_Man

Stormy day. I managed to ride to work between gaps in the rain, so I didn't get wet.

Yesterday afternoon, as I rode from our office to a client location, I encountered something new. As I came down the MUP just on the edge of downtown I passed a guy standing on the side of the path. Completely naked.

Coincidentally, he was about 200 yards across the river from a replica of Michelangelo's statue of David. The dude wasn't in bad shape, but I think I prefer Michelangelo's version better.

I considered calling the police. However this looked less like a pervert and more like a homeless guy who could no longer take the 97 degree heat and humidity. In fact, I'm wondering if he was getting ready to jump in the river to cool off. In any event, I decided the guy probably had a hard enough life without getting the cops involved.

noglider 

Yesterday evening's ride home was my fastest ever since starting this job two and a half years ago. I made it in 52:10 including 1:20 of stopped time. There is an 8-mile segment where I recently made it to rank #20 on ridewithgps. Now I rank #14. No one in my direction passed me except for a guy with whom I played a little leapfrog.

Over the past couple of years, I spent a lot of time at 13 mph and little above it. Now I'm spending a lot of time between 17 and 19 mph, and it doesn't even seem hard. I guess I should consider myself a cat6 commuter. Well, it's entertaining for me.

The weather has been fine, and no major aggravations on the route lately, so there's more to be grateful for.

pdlamb

What do I get for bragging about beating the rain the other day? A nice little shower last night. It only lasted a mile, with clear sky right overhead, and the black cloud off to the east, but the rushing lasted longer since the black cloud almost reached to the house.


Hot and humid this morning. It's July.

essiemyra

A somewhat discombobulated day today. I was not prepared to ride my bike this morning. The weather called for rain this morning and lo and behold there was none. Also I had a phone meeting at 8pm that lasted till 9pm so I did not get my clothes and work things put together like I usually do. So very unprepared to ride yet somehow I managed to get it all together this am and ride. Yay me! Though I only rode the 8 mile ride to work not the 10 mile ride.

Yesterday on my way home I stopped at the garden center and picked up an echinacea plant. I carried it home in my pannier. It fared very well and shall be planted this weekend.

esmith2039

Moved everything over to the fender bike this morning. I didn't get to ride in any water.. I'm bit saddened by that fact.

Amitoj

I was not going to let the entire week go by without commuting to work by bike at least once, so I rode in to work today, even though rain is predicted in the evening. BUT, I am prepared for that with my booties and a windcheater in my backpack.
As for the commute today, it was in the high 50s to low 60s with a little bit of rain here and there. I think this is my ideal weather for bike rides. I start off feeling a little cold but soon warm up to a quite comfortable level.

That's quite impressive. I have managed to increase my average speed from low 16s to somewhere between 17.5 to 18 mph. But this effort does leave me with not much gas left in the tank.

mgw4jc

Cloudy all day yesterday with chances of rain, but nothing ever materialized. It stayed below 90, but is still quite humid. Today looks to be the same. We need the rain though.

I left an hour early this morning and went to the gym on the way in. They let me park my bike inside there which is nice since I don't carry a lock with me. And there is not a good place to lock it up outside anyway.

jrickards

Light rain or spitting overnight so roads were damp but drying and air was very humid and at 13C/55F, it was a bit of a cool start to the 46km/28.6mi ride in to work (extended commute). I am pleased with my average speed of 27.4kph/17.0mph given the 491m/1610ft climbing over the distance. I have a charity ride in mid-September that I'm training for: 4 days, 4 Centuries, but it is relatively flat with about a total of 1,900m/6230ft climbing over the 4 days. Compare that with this morning's ride, repeated enough times to complete a Century would amount to 1,710m/5600ft so today's ride was essentially harder than what I will encounter on the ride.

The sky was clear and, when the sun rose, sunny and it warmed up nicely as the ride progressed. Another 17km home tonight. But tomorrow, via a combination of the same ride into work, to my in-law's after work, then home again, anywhere from 81km/50mi to 98km/61mi to 127km/79mi for the day (we'll see how I feel).

arsprod 

Rain, rain, rain... I waited at home for it to subside a bit which in hindsight was useless. A couple miles into my commute I rode right back into it. The goal for today will be avoiding thunderstorms on the way home. On the plus side I got to test my new rain jacket - I think I like it!

Darth Lefty 

I reached a point on yesterday's MTB ride home where I thought, you know, I don't really care to do any more bicycle riding this week. Unfortunately that point was halfway home! I pressed on my MTB route instead of turning onto the street, but regretted it. I had to stop for a break several more times in the next 2 miles. It wasn't my bum ticker, breathing was fine too. Maybe I bonked a little. I ate a pack of Nutter Butters and drank a half liter of water soon as I got home.

HardyWeinberg

57F and overcast. There was one car here but building was still locked; then I saw the guy getting out of the car! So I had to race to pull my keys out of the pocket of my shorts that were stuffed in the bottom of my backpack to beat him in (and also disarm the alarm with the keypad at my door when his doesn't have a keypad). Victory!

noglider 

Well I've pretty much always ridden a bike because I liked to, not for the sake of fitness, though I was happy to have the benefit incidentally. Only in the last three years or so have I had goals of fitness, and having a bike commute is a big part of making and meeting goals.

Last night, I rode home gently, as not every ride has to be a training ride.

I rode into work today for the third day this week. I don't have many weeks where I ride for three days, so this is good. I've decided that the new stem and handlebar arrangement is an improvement but needs further improvement. Maybe the handlebars are too narrow and also too high. The position I have is comfortable on my back but for some reason doesn't encourage me to stand up. My knees are too close to the bar ends.

It's neither warm nor cool today. I guess that's called tepid. I'm tired of stinking up my synthetic jerseys, so today I wore a thin wool t-shirt under a synthetic jersey. It was warmer than I'd like but not uncomfortable, and it did help wick sweat away.

I hang my cycling clothes on a stool and blow a fan onto them. In a few hours, they dry. I hope I'm not stinking up my office for my officemates. I think I better ask them.

noglider 

Last night, someone passed me and said I have a gorgeous bike. I said the same to him and laughed.

Amitoj

I am so glad I did not chicken out of bike commute today morning when I looked at the weather prediction. There was a 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms in the evening. But come 4PM and nothing but a few drops of rain. And that too went away a few minutes into the ride.

bugly64

It was 103* F on the way home using my not so fast commuter. Hopefully my bike mechanic will get my rear tubeless tires replaced for my faster commuter bike.

mgw4jc

A good 15 miles this morning. Still quite warm with high humidity. Glad to see Friday get here. I need to do a good bike cleaning this weekend. It's been a few weeks since the last one.

arsprod 

I hate when that happens! I had the same yesterday on the ride home but was because I was soaked, could hardly see, rain wasn't letting up, and just wasn't having fun! Working from home today so will probably start jonesing to ride. Never satisfied