Today's commute home was faaaaaaaaaaast! It's normally about a 40 minute rolling time, so including the slow MUT but not including red lights.
Today's trip was only 36 minutes- DH accused me of doping :D
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Today's commute home was faaaaaaaaaaast! It's normally about a 40 minute rolling time, so including the slow MUT but not including red lights.
Today's trip was only 36 minutes- DH accused me of doping :D
Funny, I was buzzed by a butterfly today. It was like the crop-duster scene in "North by Northwest". Well, maybe not as suspenseful. ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by malkin
Commute was excellent today. A little sticky, but better than last week.
May I join the commute thread?
I got soaked on the way in. Had to wring water out of my shirt and shorts, and was very glad that I packed a full change of clothes today. However, it was not quite wet enough that I needed to wring water out of my braid (I have tailbone length hair).
It doesn't rain so much here. Riding in the rain feels like such a treat! A lovely respite from our usual hot weather.
On the downside, I need to do a little pannier maintenance. Some of my stuff was a bit damp :(
Bike commute was ok today. Finally got enough nerve to move over to the left lane to make a left turn at the light and ride up my companies driveway. I usually stay on the right shoulder and loop around once the traffic/coast is clear. Butttt, i didn't wait until the light was green and once the coast was clear, I turned left on the red light... I know, I know, I'm sooo bad, but I didn't want to stop and hop off the bike.
It was one of those stickers saying use the bike racks. We'll take away any bikes locked the the railing. It's an egress issue, which I understand. Still--there are no bike racks on that side. And the facilities manager just called me and regretfully explained that there is no place on that side of the building to put a bike rack because you can't obviously take away a FACULTY member's parking space. Eh. I'm super annoyed about this. Ordinarily I try to welcome opportunities to walk farther. But I go over there to check on my rats frequently, and to have to walk so much farther every single time is going to eat up a lot of my day. I'd be better of driving. :(Quote:
Originally Posted by redrhodie
Where is Yehuda when I need him?
http://www.yehudamoon.com/images/strips/2008-09-29.gif
Another bug vs. cheek head-on. This time, a hard shelled one. Maybe one of those disgusting box elder bugs.
I better start keeping my mouth closed or I'll be choking on them.
I just discovered my long commute route is even longer than I thought. All this time, I thought it was 18 miles (OW) but according to ridewithgps.com, it's 19.5.
All those extra miles, if they were pennies, I'd be rich. ;) Okay, maybe not pennies, but if they were hundred dollar bills...:)
Not a commute but a ride to the farm market. As I was unlocking the bike a family was exiting their truck nearby. The little girl walked over with her Dad and brothers to ask what I was doing. I showed her I was unlocking the bike. She said I needed training wheels like she has :)
On those beautiful summer days, the path fills up with casual riders pretty fast. Some are the riders who are rarely out there and have little sense of bike path etiquette or rules, like not hogging two lanes, or weaving around on the path. Saw a guy riding his bike, no hands on the handlebars, reading a magazine (?) That beats out the guy I saw the other week using no hands, smoke in one hand, talking on a cell phone in the other. As bad as that was, at least his eyes were on the path.
Will be travelling on business next week, I will miss my commute! It is just not the same trying to replicate my commute in the hotel fitness room.
When I'm traveling and sans bike, I like to go for walks. Hotels are invariably located in areas that are NOT designed for walking anywhere so mostly I walk around and snidely comment to myself on the poor road design. WTH, it entertains me.Quote:
Originally Posted by e.e.cummings
Sometimes I hate bike commuting.
No. That's not true. Sometimes, I do incredibly stupid things that make bike commuting a p.i.a.
Like today.
Okay. So I sold my commuter bike last week. My trusty zippy Felt went to a friend and co-worker who's bike was stolen recently. DH stripped the parts I wanted from it (but he left the Terry Butterfly saddle! Grrrr). But, in the time between now and when my new bike comes in (~3 more weeks), I'm on my DH's bike - a Novara Big Buzz. So last night was swapped out pedals and saddle and raised the seat for me. He has a different rack on it, so I started adjusting my Arkel commuter bag to fit it. But it was difficult going, because of the way the rack is designed. I said "screw it - I'll just use the Detours Toocan bag, which doesn't require any adjustments to fit.
So fine, right?
This morning, I'm packing last minute things up, including a (full) Kleen Kanteen with water in it - stuffing that in the bag at the last minute. When bringing my Kanteen back to work, I usually bring it full, because the water will be room temp and easier for me to drink at the office (water here is COLD...and I don't like cold water).
So off I go. Uneventful ride in (but cool as it is, the Big Buzz rides like a tank compared to my Felt :(). Work out on the machines in the gym for a bit (pull my left lat on the lat pull down machine. Ouchie!), and head to the locker room. Pull my clothes out.
The Kleen Kanteen water bottle had tipped over....and all my clothes - my towel - EVERYthing...was soaking wet!!!! :eek::eek::eek:
I spent 20 minutes with a hair dryer, trying to dry my pants and sweater. Still not completely dry. Blech. :mad: Why I didn't turn around and go right home, I have no idea. But I figure...the day can only get better, right???
Oh my- 7rider! :(:mad:
Not a great way to start out the day.
Here's to hoping the ride home is VERY easy... and dry. ;)
We just moved to a wonderful little place on the quiet side of town, next to a park, blah, blah, I love it! BUT, it knocks a good chunk off my commute. I'm sure it'll be nice when I'm in a hurry, but that was always my favorite part of the day.
At least there are a lot of ways to vary my ride now whereas before there was only one path. Plus I start my morning with a good climb up a hill and then coast home at the end of the day.
Oh--7rider--bummer!
Brewer has given up nagging me about the Giant. We both admit that I love it far far beyond all reason, which iis reason enough to keep it in action as a commuter.
But he does still grouse about it to the boys at the LBS.
So, I started my commute home shortly after some rain and with a few drops still falling. As I was coming up to a stop sign and a turn I applied my brakes and the bike slid right out from under me! :eek: I went down on my side and I hit my head. The helmet is obviously broken but my head is OK. Some light road rash on my shoulder and hip (didn't even really break the skin). The hip does hurt. My first real crash and I'm glad it wasn't any worse. Oh yeah, the bike seems fine, too. And I've already ordered a new helmet.
Oh no, MD!!! :eek: Ouch!!!
I'm glad you're OK. Both times I have gone down it has been so fast that I never had a chance to think about how to "brace" myself best for impact and my head hit hard both times.
I guess you got the first "real" crash out of the way, eh? :p
Take care of yourself!!
OUCHIE!!! take aleve or advil, for sure. I often get the most pain -- delayed onset.
I was nervous on my ride in to work this morning because this story aired on the 5pm and 11pm news yesterday...
http://www.thebostonchannel.com/vide...729/index.html
and here is some more good car / cyclist fun:
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/arti..._campaign=8315
Yeah, it happened fast; all I had time for was to think "Sh!t"Quote:
Originally Posted by Tri Girl
I took my first dose of Advil while I was waiting for a pickup.
I think my big fat pannier took a bunch of the impact and protected me from worse injury. It's dirty but not even scuffed; Ortlieb makes quality bags.
This bike had never revealed its name to me; maybe it's "Skid" ;)
That seemed fair to me. Everybody shown on that clip had room for improvement! Why did it make you nervous? Your state's drivers seem to be extremely aggressive and impatient to me (not like my own state's drivers are perfect or anything!:rolleyes:). Do you think that story will just create more hostility? It's good that they mention the new state laws, since most people probably don't know about them.Quote:
Originally Posted by bunny_ninja
When the one woman, obviously a car driver said "I don't want them on the road" I said to myself, well I don't want you on the road, either, so we're even. And I'm not speaking of all car drivers. Just her. :D
I'd like to see my state make info videos that would be shown at the DMV on how to drive safely around cyclists. Right now, when you go to the DMV, they show celebrity trivia on the monitors, and I think, what a waste of a good opportunity to refresh driving laws.
I didn't see the clip on the news, but that group looked suspiciously like the Wednesday Wheelers, the group from CRW that I ride with. I saw more than one CRW jersey there... however, the leaders have been very aggressive at yelling at riders who don't get in a single file line when someone yells car back. I have been known to use my school teacher voice in these cases.
Sigh, I recognized some of those places on the rural roads.
I have conquered the suburban traffic, but riding in Boston or Cambridge still scares the crap out of me. Generally, I have not had any issues. I obey the law, though. When DH and DS started riding in 1999, they had tons of stuff thrown at them, bottles, soda, oranges. They got called "fags" while sitting on a bench, drinking a gatorade once, right around here, as they were wearing lycra. That has not happened in a very long time. Yes, always guys in trucks doing the throwing.
I am trying to commute once a week, on Fridays. Our school has a kind of year round schedule, so we started 3 weeks ago. It's fine in the mornings right now, but it was really, really hot coming home today- 99 the whole way way. Of course there's no shade in the desert and the asphalt radiates the heat back up. My commute is about 10 miles each way, and the last 3, I had to keep talking myself into going. At least it's not uphill.
Still working out the best way to get presentable for teaching after the morning ride in. I have been washing my hair in the sink (science classroom) and cleaning up and changing in the bathroom, but just found out the nurse's office has shower I could use. I think I would need to leave 10 minutes earlier to have a full-fledged shower though..... and I hate getting up early as it is.
Maybe just a quick rinse-off. But yeah, you'll need a few extra minutes. At least for this super hot stuff.Quote:
Originally Posted by azfiddle
I heard squealing tires behind me this evening. A sports car behind me was going too fast, couldn't get around me because of oncoming traffic. I don't know if the squeals were from here or from one of the two sports cars following her (probably too closely)! That happened maybe 1/10 mile from my home.
My travelling involves supervising the set-up of a 3000 sq ft trade show booth, so I get a ridiculous amount of walking and standing during that time. My hotel is right across the road - it is nice, with a very nice fitness centre, but when it is beautiful weather, all I want is to go outside. You're right - it is located in a place not designed for walking. I so look forward to getting back on my bike next week, I miss it. (Nobody misses their car commute, do they?)Quote:
Originally Posted by Melalvai
Right now I am waiting to meet someone at our booth and everything is so quiet, the set up is finished. Nice to catch up with TE.
One thing I prefer about bike commuting over driving a car is the personal nature of being on a bike. Cars are so impersonal.
Think about this: when was the last time you were standing in line at a bank, and you might be looking down -- writing up a deposit slip or digging through your purse for a pen (or even in a checkout line at a grocery store) -- and a gap opens to the person in front of you, and someone else darts in and cuts in between you and the person in front of you to take that space?
Never happens??
Then why does it happen all the time in a car? :confused: You let one car length gap form b/t you and the car in front of you -- when you're lined up to get on the highway, for instance -- and some nameless, faceless, schmuck cuts you off. They do it because they can, and they don't have to look you in the face to do it. :mad:
So anyway, I had been pondering that lately. And as I was riding in this morning, I saw a police officer getting out of his parked car in front of me. As I ride up closer, I recognize him as this guy, Ed, who is frequently at our LBS. He's friendly with the owner and is often telling tales of folks he's dealt with while on duty. He's hysterically funny (and can talk your ear off!). And it's scary, too, some of the folks he's dealt with! :eek: So I pull over, and we start chatting. For nearly 15 minutes! :eek: We're laughing, we're talking - everything from drug busts to triathlons to the heat. Funny. If I had gone by in a car, we never would have so much as waved. I would have missed out on a really great interaction with someone.
I really like my bike rides.
This morning I rode about a third of the way up the hill to work, when I started wondering if I had shut the garage door.
There's no one around to call, so I rode home to check and then rode all the way to work. Nice that this happened on a day when it wouldn't matter what time I roll in.
Was it open?Quote:
Originally Posted by malkin
What redrhodie said. Was it open?Quote:
Originally Posted by malkin
With all the motorcycles on the road (Sturgis Bike Week), I was glad to be on the bike path. I had to drive yesterday and I hated it! No offense to the motorcyclists on the forum, but I can't see the attraction. They're so loud!
Glad to be on my stealthy little commuter,
Deb
I'm also curious to know if the garage door was open!
I haven't been feeling well this week and it is very hot, so I took the bus on Monday and Tuesday. Today I'm feeling better and had a short day anyway, which meant not needing to ride home at 5 PM in the very hottest part of the day. It was so nice to get back on the bike.
They are doing some construction on an intersection that I go through, near the UT campus. Every day it is a little bit different. I think that they purposefully are blocking off paths that the many, many cyclists take to get around the cars - the construction has the cars down to one narrow lane each way, and sometimes the drivers become impatient waiting behind us, so we all try and go around. I need to find a detour and leave earlier :( I understand that they don't want to be watching for bikes near the construction, but somehow I doubt that the long line of drivers that got stuck behind me this morning going up the hill at 6 mph saw it that way.
Today's commute was great. Perfect tailwind for much of the way in. Then, I looked down and noticed something stuck to my front tire. I tried to wipe it off while I was riding, and it wouldn't come off. I stopped and discovered it was a thumb tack. I started to pull it out, and it started hissing, so I pushed it back in. To my surprise, it stopped hissing and didn't go flat. I continued to ride on it, to try to make it to work where there's a floor pump, so I wouldn't need to use up my CO2 cartridge (I'm a cheapo :p). Well, I made it about 4 more miles, then all at once, it went flat. I was still 4 miles from work, so I ended up using my beloved CO2 ;).
On the evening ride, I stopped at the lbs to replace the cartridge. Back on my bike a few miles later, I passed an accident at an intersection that I probably would have been at, had I not stopped at the shop. Then, after I got to my car, another really bad accident on the bridge I drive over. When I think about "what could have been" if I had been a few minutes earlier....
Had I not flatted this morning, I may have been involved in either of those. Just goes to show, you never know when something that seems bad is actually good.
YAY!!:D Finally back to commuting after the summer off (I teach). Feels good to be back on the bike, but I sure forgot how much traffic is out at 4 pm.
Glad to be back at it!!
I moved to a new office in April and at first I could see no way to commute by bike. My old commute was by bus from suburb to downtown Seattle, and prior to becoming a cyclist I drove 2-4 miles to one or another of the park-n-ride lots and took the bus to work. Starting in 2008 I used my bike to get to the park-n-ride a few days a week, and with my short ride (downhill on the way to work) I never got sweaty so I didn't need a shower. Although the rides were so short they didn't really help my fitness, I really enjoyed it and it's better than sitting on my fat a$$ driving.
My new job is in another suburb of Seattle and is 17 miles away...way too far for this rider who is lucky if she averages 11mph on the flat. Add that to no shower or changing facilities in my building or close by.
Last month I met a fellow rider in the elevator one morning and he said that he rides the bus to work and rides the bike home 20 miles. So I started researching using google bike directions and noticed that the interurban trail goes along the freeway at one point, the same portion of the freeway that the express bus takes. And, lo and behold the express stops along the trail!
So today I took my second bus/bike commute. I had my son drive me to an express stop, and then put the bike on the bus. I rode the few blocks to the office in dress pants and changed into my jacket when I arrived (I have to wear suits and/or dressy corporate clothes at work, full makeup and accessories).
On the way home, I changed into shorts and a t-shirt and rode to the bus stop. This time I got off next to the trail and rode nine miles, almost all the way home. I live on top of a big hill that I am trying to learn to love, but I didn't try it today.
This weekend I am trying a new route to the bus in the morning and I am hopeful that it will work. It's about six miles and is mostly downhill, so I will probably be ok with a "baby-wipes bath."
I'm not sure I'll be able to do it in the pouring rain and dark, but I don't mind a little cold, so I'll try it between now and when the weather gets bad.
I still wish for a short, local commute (and applied for a job today that is just that) but am so happy to be out on the trails.
Happy trails everyone!
Back to bike commuting and loving it :) :) :)
Passed two accidents this morning - one on the usually quiet bike path, saw a police motorcycle, an ambulance and a womans bike leaned up against a lamppost. Bike looked fine and no bits and pieces around, so I'm guessing she just took a bang to the head or something and phoned herself.
One more amusing closer to work. There's a tricky roundabout smack in the middle of "Tour de Finance", where a zillion aggressive cyclists looking for shortcuts meet cars heading for the marina and trucks heading out from the warehouse area. One car with a befuddled young driver stepping out, his front license plate on the ground, one guilty-looking middle-aged woman without helmet standing over her bike wishing she were somewhere else, one mtb on the ground and one male 30ish mtb-owner, incandescent with rage, jumping up and down like a lemming and pouring wrath over the poor woman.
Norways biggest mtb event, Birken, is this weekend and people are going slightly insane. I just ascertained that no-one was hurt and quietly went away :rolleyes:
Last night was a most unusual commute. Here's what I saw while riding north on the Burke-Gilman from the University of Washington.
- A shirtless, well-muscled guy pushing a grill up the trail from Pend Orielle Road. Not just a little grill, either. This was a full-sized, man’s dream grill, and he was moving it along at a good clip. The guy I was riding with, Mark, and I commented to each other, “You never know what you’ll see on the trail!” I wondered what grill-man said when he passed people — “Burgers on your left”?
- A fistfight. Seriously. Here’s what I saw happen. Mark and I are riding along behind a couple of slightly faster cyclists just past 40th Ave NE. Then one of the faster riders moves over onto the graveled pedestrian path that parallels the paved path at that point. The next thing I know, the guy on the gravel path (Cyclist A) has stopped and is standing there, shouting. The other guy, Cyclist B, slams on his brakes and skids to a halt perpendicular to the trail, which brings me and Mark to quick stops. Cyclist B picks up his bike off the trail and heaves it into the bushes — and hurls himself at Cyclist A. Or maybe A rushed him. I didn’t see clearly. The next thing I know, they’re literally punching each other in the face, yelling, calling one another filthy names; then they’re on the ground, rolling around in the gravel, pummeling each other, gouging eyes, all-round attacking each other. Mark and a couple other guy bicyclists hurl themselves into the fray and pull the two fighters apart, with no small difficulty. The guys continue yelling at each other until Mark’s repeated shouting “Break it up! This isn’t worth it!” penetrates their skulls. Cyclist B says, “Let me just ask you one question,” but Mark says, “No. Just keep riding or I’ll call the cops.” One of the cyclists says, “This is a free trail!” and Mark overrides their protests, very firmly repeating, “Keep riding or I’ll call the cops” a couple more times. Cyclist A and B exchange parting insults (“Put some ice on that, b*tch!” “See if you can catch me, old man!”); Cyclist B rides off and we take off after him.
The kicker: They were fighting about Cyclist B’s riding through stop signs and Cyclist A’s chastising him for it. They yelled “Red means stop!” and “I stopped at every f*ing stop sign!” “You did not!” etc. Both were well over 30 years old.
I'm kind of hoping tonight's commute will be a little bit less exciting.
Last fall I moved to an apartment 1.5 miles from work. I was previously 13 miles away and I only commuted by bike 2-3 times/wk in good weather. Now I can commute every day even in bad weather and all winter. Still get in some of those 13 mile commutes when I work at the bike shop a couple days/wk though. Today I experienced advantages of the super-short commute. Started making bread in the morning. Went to work. Went home for lunch to put the bread in pans and bake it. While it was baking, I rode to the farm market about 2 miles away to buy fresh eggs and vegetables. Then back to work.
You all are seeing much more interesting things than me, I think I am glad of that! Groundhog, way to go on the commute, and with dress clothes to deal with too. I'm trying to dress slightly more nicely than I used to, and finding that a challenge. DebW, I want to come over to your place for lunch!
What a great commute today - beautiful weather, no wind, and close to my work, they are re-paving the bike path! It was so nice to ride on the return. I have riden that bike path so much that I know every little crack and bump in it and would ride accordingly - now, having a beautifully new paved surface is like heaven.
Seeing TONS of runners out there now. Two big events coming up in Montreal - Oasis, the marathon, and Esprit, the triathlon, coming up in September. I have never shared the path with so many runners before.
I gave myself permission to ride slow tonight, and it was great! Fridays are very busy with traffic coming to the area for the weekend, and lowering my speed just a little made a huge difference in my stress level. I felt prepared for every potential obstacle, and for some reason, there were none. It was really mellow and relaxing, and although I didn't check the clock right when I left work, I'm sure I wasn't even 5 minutes slower over my 15 mile route.
Today I commuted by bike to a meeting. It was only three miles away, so I went in my nice clothes with plenty of time to go slowly and not get sweaty. I stuck to the bike path, which turns into a canal path, which...ends at a stairway??
So I lugged my heavy panniered bike up the stairway to...an empty enclosed lot?? With no way out except back down the stairs...grrrr
Then I noticed a dirt path through some trees, so I pushed my (heavy) bike up the bank and ended up in an empty parking lot, roped off, and isolated and a bit scary underneath an elevated expressway.
By this time I was huffing and puffing from carrying my bike so much, and more than a little bit sweaty! I made my way out of the parking lot through the roped off entrance and found myself only 2 blocks from my destination.
So much for not arriving all sweaty. Next time I'll stick to the streets.