Bicycle Commute Challenge
Day 1, Morning Commute (20 miles):
Sunny in Kirkland/Bellevue/Seattle despite predictions of rain, but high, sustained south winds with gusts up to over 40 mph meant I worked very, very hard to creep along at a whopping 13.3 mph. Lots of blowdown and branches on the roads. Crossing the I-90 bridge was a hair-raising exercise in controlling the bicycle so as not to be dashed into the railing or into the lake (not sure if that's possible, but it did cross my mind). I'm still riding the extremely upright hybrid rental bike -- going on Week 7, I think, although I've kind of lost count -- and I would have given my jacket for a bike with drop handlebars today.
Finished the ride by having a guy in a small pickup truck honk at me as I rode down S. Dearborn St. I was out in the lane, avoiding the bike lane because lots of motorists right hook cyclists and I've seen many narrow misses on that road. When the bike lane went away, he stopped honking. Eventually he pulled up next to me -- I was in the far left lane, turning left, and he was in a middle lane going straight -- and he wagged his finger at me sanctimoniously. I shook my head and pointed emphatically to indicate I was in the right place. He rolled down his window and we had the following exchange:
Him: You have to ride in the bike lane.
Me: No, bikes can ride anywhere on the road.
Him: No, bikes have to ride in the bike lane.
Me: I work for the Bicycle Alliance, I know this. Bikes can ride anywhere.
Him: No, bikes have to ride in the bike lane.
Light turns green and we start to go.
Me: Bikes are vehicles!
...at least I got in the last word. It wasn't an angry exchange at all, just one in which we were clearly in totally different worlds, communication-wise.
Commute to Work Month Report #2
Day 1, Evening Commute (20 miles):
Amazingly enough, I had a headwind! This felt so not fair, since I'd struggled against a headwind all morning, and had spent most of the day anticipating a nice easy ride home. Silly me. I left wearing a vest, but when I got to the UW -- there's a stoplight there that takes forever -- I changed into my jacket because I was so cold. I later was quite glad that I did that, because it was raining hard by the time I got home. I was extremely miserable and regretting my decision to ride yesterday.
All in all, Day 1 of Bike to Work Month pretty much stank for commuting by bike.
Day 2, Morning Commute (20 miles):
Amazingly, relatively calm (yesterday's wind gives a different perspective; I might complain about a 10 mph to 15 mph headwind normally, but after yesterday, it's a mere breeze) and scattered sun breaks lit the morning up. After last night's scouring thunderstorm, everything looked freshly-scrubbed and clean. Lots more bike commuters out today, all of them faster than me. I resisted the urge to do some commuter racing, reminding myself that I was on mile 60 by the time I got to work, and I still have 140 more to go this week. Most of those zippier cyclists probably aren't riding that many miles.
Amusingly, got honked at AGAIN in the exact same spot as yesterday. What is it about S. Dearborn and people thinking cyclists have to ride in that bike lane, which is full of debris, parallel cracks, and storm drains? I'm hoping to go 3 for 3 tomorrow -- let's see how long I can keep the streak going. :rolleyes:
Ravenous again when I got to work. Not sure why I'm hungrier than usual; maybe riding against the wind burns more calories? One Clif bar doesn't seem to cut it. Good thing I have oatmeal raisin walnut cookies at work, too. :D
