First commute of the year! it REALLY is difficult to get going again when it's dark out and the temp is below 40. What really works is wearing heavy winter boots and deluxe gloves..
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First commute of the year! it REALLY is difficult to get going again when it's dark out and the temp is below 40. What really works is wearing heavy winter boots and deluxe gloves..
Yesterday we got that predicted cold front: I rode in yesterday, but it was snowing so heavily that i had to ride home at lunch and switch bike for car. Bummer. Today, it was -16 (again!) and still snowy (not really packed down by cars enough yet for me to ride on), so I bummed a ride to campus from my dbf and I may walk home at lunch and bring the bike back with me. Lousy weather!
Ai, so Tuesday I was Queen of the Universe, then the temperature dropped even more... It's been -20C (-4F) for the past 2 days, so yesterday I took the bus to work, bringing ski things, then went for a short ski trip right after work instead. Then today I had a couple of errands in town, so decided to bike commute. New temperature record for me, w00t! I went for the same stuff as for -15 C, but added a wind vest underneath my jacket, and my homemade "rain shorts" just to keep the wind off the my butt.
I had no trouble keeping warm, actually, but ohhh. It is a bit of a hassle riding when it's that cold. My bike did NOT want to shift in front at all. I just left it. In back it would just shift slowly and hesitantly. So basically I just coasted down the hills, and stood up and pedalled my *ss off uphill. And they still hadn't scraped the bike paths, so I was still skidding around in a thin layer of grungy potato flour snow, which made everything go even slower. Everybody else was all wrapped up in layers and paying no attention to anything, so I had to squeeze and sidle past any pedestrian, no matter which way they were heading. And the city has most definitely not bothered with plowing the bike lanes, so once on the road you just have to suck it up and get in the way of the cars.
Nothing terrible, I just felt slow, clumsy and in the way. But slightly vindicated hearing how everyone else had either had trouble starting their cars, or froze to death waiting for a delayed train, or whatever. It struck me that biking (or walking briskly), is actually one of the best and most guaranteed way to actually keep warm "during transport", rather than the opposite.
Not sure if any of you have been experiencing the same things as I have been this week. As I mentioned the other day, this is my first day commuting since before the holidays so it's much colder than it was a few weeks ago and there is also (still) quite a bit of ice out there. Because of the possibility of hitting patches of ice, I am forced to be more alert than usual. I also feel as if my body is more tense. After my roundtrip commute on Tuesday, my biceps were actually sore. Believe me when I say that I am not complaining about the commute...:)...but when I get to the office in the morning and when I return home in the evening, I am physically and mentally drained and I am also very, very hungry. It's also been very windy so I feel like I am working twice as hard as I did a few weeks ago. Again, no complaints though. :)
Oh yeah, I'm expending much more energy. And eating a lot more chocolate to compensate :D
wow. great ride report. BRAVA! you rock!Quote:
Originally Posted by lph
Glad to hear I'm not the only one indulging in chocolate! :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by lph
I didn't really have anywhere to go today, but we don't often get this much snow and I wanted to try it out. So I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things that we could probably live without.
I could do left turns ok, but not right turns. The road was just too messy, so I walked through the right turns. The bike lanes actually did get plowed but I stuck to the tire track which was clear all the way to pavement.
Last time I biked in snow I learned that it is important not to look down. I see all these chunks of snow and I start trying to avoid them. It works much better to keep my attention off the road immediately in front of me, because mostly I just go through it easily if I don't let it intimidate me.
It wasn't the most pleasant ride. The wind was pretty stiff. I didn't get awfully cold but I didn't stay too warm either. When I got home, I was feeling pretty negative about it. Then I realized I was feeling negative about everything, so I got some food. That helped briefly. Then the negativity came back, so more food. I might be eating all night long. I guess I burned a lot of calories in 6 miles!
Join me and lph and have some chocolate, Melalvai! In fact, I'm eating Ghiradelli semi sweet chocolate chips in her honor right now! :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by Melalvai
-10° this morning and -5° this evening. I've had about enough of this cold snap. I overheated on the way to work. I sent some layers home with DH for the commute home. I'm on the MTB which is much more work than my Kona. Smaller fat tires. It stretches me out more, too. My shoulders are sore. But I rode.:D Take that, winter!:p
Deb
That's where the goggles come in handy for me. I can't really see directly down so I have to focus further down the path. I'm learning a whole new way of riding. I think it will help my riding when the weather is good.Quote:
Originally Posted by Melalvai
Deb
Love your attitude! :)
[QUOTE=blackhillsbiker;485914 Take that, winter!:p[/QUOTE]
You go girl!Quote:
Originally Posted by blackhillsbiker
Oooh, that sounds good! I have a small stash of most excellent Valrhona chocolate at work (3 kinds, Abinao, Guanaja and Caraïbe, my favourite), very good with white tea, and at home something filled with banana puree and passion fruit, which is a lot better than it sounds. Cheers! :DQuote:
Originally Posted by pfunk12
I took the metro today. Wrapped up in down jacket and pants and my rabbit fur hat, and walked the final stretch. When it's this cold I'm satisfied with biking 2 or 3 times a week. The metro or bus gives me the chance to go skiing or swimming or something as well.
it was -21F today on the way in! BBbbbrrrrr! I have also noticed that I am spending so much time and effort watching exactly where to ride on the snow/ice that my shoulders are all hunched up and my hamstrings actually sore from tensely riding while standing over snow and ice... funny. I won't say it's fun to ride in this weather, but I feel as though I have accomplished something every time I ride. :o
no kidding. you're braver than me.Quote:
Originally Posted by ginny
Yes! Yesterday's ride was kind of awful, but if I hadn't gone, I would have felt like a wimp. (My weather is NOT as cold as yours.) Today's was much better. The streets are a lot better so I was riding on pavement much more than on packed snow.Quote:
Originally Posted by ginny
Mmmm. Too bad I gave up sugar recently. I might consider making an exception for strenuous exercise, but I really want to try to get through life without refined sugar & HFCS. Fortunately I have invented some creations that I call Hot Smoothies, like apple-pecan-milk, and nutmeg-sweet potato-milk! I had one of those as soon as I got home yesterday, but maybe just needed something more substantial to follow up.Quote:
Originally Posted by pfunk12
Deb- you're my ultimate hero. You ladies are serious studs. I haven't ridden in over a month (between my emergency appendectomy, the two weeks of Christmas break and this week of teens and twenties with wind chills at or below zero).
I CAN'T WAIT TO RIDE AGAIN!!!!! Next week will be in the 40's. It should feel like summertime compared to this week. Oh, I'm riding. You bet I am. ;)
-21 F! Dang, you rock :D Love this thread.
What are you wearing to keep your hands and feet warm on cold days such as -21 degrees?Quote:
Originally Posted by ginny
I <3 my commute.
My commutes have been BLISSFUL this week. Saskatchewan is having an abnormally warm spell for January, and I couldn't be happier :) I can't even complain too much about the slush and mud since it's ABOVE FREEZING!!!
Has the cold let up further south yet?
oh funny. it's warm in Saskatchewan? my aunt in Florida is freezing.
And my commute today will be WET...
For the second time in 4 days, it was another "red horizontal box" day. In other words, a heavy rainfall warning was posted by Environment Canada for our area. And apparently there's another warning for tomorrow.
Except for the hub-deep puddles, but thanks to head-to-chin Goretex, I'm (almost) dry as a bone.
It's gorgeous here, too. I've had to get out my windbreaker and haven't needed the baselayer. :) I will need to wash the bikes this weekend but that's a small price to pay for such wonderful weather.Quote:
Originally Posted by Ambikes
Deb
I exceeded the speed limit today. :D 21 mph in a 20 mph zone that passes by the hospital.
And no longer concerned about ice, and favored with light traffic at that intersection, I coasted around a curve at 25 mph. My bike leaned over.
It was so nice tonight I extended my ride to my favorite loop around the lake. Unfortunately, the hydraulic brake (front brake) on my Kona is leaking. I almost have no brake at all. She'll have to make a visit to the LBS tomorrow. Commuting on the MTB isn't nearly as fun, especially now that the weather is nice and the path and streets are dry. Hopefully he'll be able to get her fixed up and back on the road tomorrow.
Deb
My commute this morning was wonderful. I met my buddy, Chip, a few miles into it and we were the only ones out there. It was crisp and cold (33 degrees)...very peaceful. Good news is that the recent higher temperatures and rain got rid of all of the ice on the trail.
I like this "heat wave" (that's what it feels like, following that cold snap!). But what happened to the sun?? We've had fog for three days. I'll actually take the cold back, with ice, if I could just see the sun.
On my way to the dentist I was flying. 3 miles in 13 minutes--that is unusual for me. Coming home took 50% longer, about 20 minutes. That's more typical. The wind wasn't too strong, but downhill with a tailwind vs uphill with a headwind made a big difference.
This afternoon I'll go to campus, and I'm charging my downlow glow battery so that I don't feel pressured to get home while it is still light. The rats don't like to be rushed!
we too have had a heat wave! I knew things were melting during the day and freezing at night, but this morning I nearly killed myself rounding a corner on ice as slick as an ice skating rink! Thankfully, it will be melty when I go home.
I'm back in the saddle! Commuted today for the first time since early December- and on my new commuter I found at a pawn shop this weekend (it's a Giant touring bike from the 90's with a generator and everything).
This morning it was creepy foggy outside with visibility less than .25 mile, but the air was cool and crisp and it smelled like rain. In the afternoon it rained a little. Ran an errand after work before heading home. So glad to be back at it.
Here's my new bike:
completed my weekly commute on my old mixte bike, something was clicking but it didn't affect my ride. what DID affect my ride were the 24 mph wind gusts.. but i got home ok
It was cold and damp this morning. Tonight was beautiful. I took a ride around the lake again. I miss that extra loop when it is too cold/snowy/icy to contemplate the extra mileage. I have a front brake again but I think it is still leaking. Firefly might have to take another trip to the LBS this week.:(
Deb
Nice bike and good find. I love the generator. Creepy fog can be a beautiful thing in the morning.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tri Girl
I'm planning my first commute of 2010 tomorrow! Mid 30's to mid 40's with light winds predicted :) Last year I didn't start until March, cool!
Tri: AWESOME find! Was it fun to ride? ...even through fog. Sometimes I love the quiet of the fog and how things look so different; sometimes I too am completely creeped out by it!
What an awesome find!! I had a Schwinn Varsity with generator lights. I never should have sold that bike! I hope you have many happy miles on it! I know the step-through frame isn't popular right now, but think how cool you'll look this summer when you can run errands wearing a sundress.:)Quote:
Originally Posted by Tri Girl
Deb
I also got my first ride in today of the new year. My first commute since "The Blizzard of '09" dumped 20 inches (51 cm) of snow on the area. Today was supposed to be decent - highs around 40 (4 C) and the icebergs that block the route out of my neighborhood have receded enough to let me pass - I decided to go.
I look out the window this a.m. "Hey....the roads are wet. It wasn't supposed to rain." :mad: I turn on the computer. Check doppler. Looks okay....scattered and light and ending soon. I'll go.
So, I load up all my stuff. Get the bike ready. Open the garage door and walk outside.
"Whoa! This isn't rain!!"
My acute powers of observation noted that the grass and cars were covered in ice! :eek: I think my comment was echoed by just about everybody else who walked outside their home this morning. :rolleyes:
I went anyway. Other than throwing my chain on the first hill (I think b/c of the ice...I've never thrown a chain there), it was fine. I was the only set of bike tracks - or any tracks - through the icy slush on the bike path. It was actually pretty cool.
Okay, 7...my reaction was a bit different from your reaction. :) What was up with the weatherman this morning?!!! :p He was talking about light rain passing through the area. Did he not realize that there was sleet coming down?? When I walked the dog at 5:45, light sleet was falling. And I thought - oh, what the heck...this isn't bad. About 20 minutes into my commute, the sleet was coming down so hard and so fast - it was accumlating on the trail. And the visibility was zero! :eek: I couldn't see where I was going and my face and eyes were being pelted by the sleet. It hurt! :( My co-workers think that I was crying because my eyes are still red. But okay...it was kind of fun. ;)
I was checking out rain gear last night on TE. Time to buy some rain pants for days like this!
I think it was a bit worse south of me and into the District.....right where you were!Quote:
Originally Posted by pfunk12