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Oh. My. Gosh.
This evening I rode home in a fierce wind, close to the strongest I've ever ridden in. I just checked weather.com and it's 27 mph, with gusts 45-50, 40F/29 wind chill. Several times I had to hold onto the handlebars as tight as I could to keep from being pushed into traffic. Panniers are very effective at masquerading as sails.
Anyway, I am soooo glad to be home in my warm house.
Tomorrow morning's commute should be a breeze...33F/22 wind chill, with 19 mph wind. Lordy.
As I came home today sick, I was thinking my bike commuting for the year may be over. We had a good storm on Saturday that dropped a lot of snow. Last week, I rode home in a nasty snow/rain storm and it was very scary going down this hill with my face taking a beating from the wet and wind. I crashed on ice late last week. I drove today because I thought I wouldn't make it the entire day because of my cold, but seeing the roads with ice/snow, I wonder if that will be it till the spring. Wind is nasty. Glad you made it home....
Sigh - we have it too - gusts to 52mph so far. Ugh. And it was so nice and misleadingly sunny this morning.Quote:
Originally Posted by divingbiker
Northwest is getting it too!
My mom lives in a little coastal town in southern Oregon, and they got slammed. Phone lines are down. I believe the power is out as well.
She called me on her cell this afternoon just to let me know she's ok.
My brother is a commercial fisherman up there, so I called his cell to make sure he was in. Good news there. Tho he's worried about their crab pots.
YIPES seems both coasts are being SLAMMED! :eek:
I can't believe you rode in this.
I don't even like to drive in it.
+1 on what ZenC said.
I was thinking of you on Monday, DB, as I was struggling to walk down East West Highway. :eek:
S'posed to get 1-2" of snow on Wednesday.
Remains to be seen, but snow + ice + sand and salt on the roads = time to pull out the rollers and the Spinerval DVDs!
I'm glad I rode early in the morning yesterday, before the wind set in. Rode this morning and got a taste of what you encountered yesterday pm. I'm glad you made it home safely--the crosswinds are what get you! Did you commute by bike today because those winds were fierce in Herndon when I left work and headed back to civilization. LOL
I'm praying that the snow bypasses us or dies out when it goes over the mountains. The thought of Spinervals, even though I'd be going nowhere on the trainer in my toasty warm sunroom, does NOT appeal to me.
Mild winter, please!!! Now that I have my Kona Lisa DS and want to do off-road riding on the weekends, I'm especially hopeful for no snow. The cold, while I don't dig it, is bearable. I just won't go out in snow/ice. It's the outdoor riding deal breaker.
Today was a piece of cake compared to yesterday! Cold, but not nearly so windy.Quote:
Originally Posted by Velobambina
I'm not going to have to face the decision of whether to ride to work tomorrow, because I have to take metro to an all-day meeting in Arlington. I'm looking into getting studded tires for my mountain bike so I can ride in light or crusty snow this winter. I'll probably decide against it, but I'm thinking...
Ummmmm... sorry about those winds. I sent them your way. After being pummeled with gale force (well, kinda) winds for about 5 days I sent them along to the East coast. Sounds like you enjoyed them as much as I did. :rolleyes:
Seriously, tho. Wind just sucks the life force right out of me. Last summer my training partner tried to get me to believe that I was a goddess of the wind and that wind made me stronger. As much mental energy as I put into that- I decided that she was wrong. Wind doesn't make me stronger- it only makes me angrier. And you'd think I'd be used to it living in Oklahoma. Not so much! ;)
It sounds good, though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tri Girl
Oooooh, I'm going to remember that the next time I'm battered about by the wind!Quote:
Originally Posted by Tri Girl
"I am a goddess of the wind! It will make me stronger!"
Our wind is nothing compared to that on the plains. My sister lives in the country in Nebraska and the wind just howls as it races miles across the flat prairie.
I'm with Tri Girl. After struggling home in 20-25 mph cross winds, gusting to 50, my life force was gone. No goddess thoughts at all. Mostly just focusing on holding my line in the gusts and hoping no trash blew into me.
I'm a wimp in the wind. My hubby and I went out for a 75 mile day ride, but ended up holed up in a gas station till the 30 to 55 mph crosswinds went down. My dh was holding his own pretty good while I was being blown around. I couldn't even walk my bike upright. Tumbleweeds were obstacles to be reckoned with too. Living in the plains should toughen me up for the winds. Mabe I need a heavy hybrid like my dh's bike.
heck, i could barely handle my little car in the winds i faced commuting home on monday. kudos to anyone tha was biking in that! i've barely left my house since then, though that has more to do with my cold and the fact that i can work from home. :)