Bicycle Commute Challenge

[kfergos]

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.

[XMcShiftersonX]

Good for you for sticking up for yourself. I'm always amused by motorists who make it a point to scold cyclists but don't actually know the rules of the road. I would say overall cyclists know the rules of the road better than most motorists. Just an observation.

[TsPoet]

I'm impressed with you for riding today! Here on the other side of the state we are having sustained 30 mph winds that seem to be swirling from every direction. The dust in the air has all but obliterated the sun.
I was going to ride today, get ride to work month off right - but I'm glad I chickened out!
Tomorrow won't be significantly different. Maybe I can start the month off on Wednesday!

[Biciclista]

good for you! i wimped out today, but 'm glad you were out there
AND you defended all cyclists.

AND got the last word in..

[kfergos]

AND got the last word in..

That's the most important part.

Hopefully tomorrow will be more conducive to riding for everybody. It is a tad disappointing to start off Bike to Work Month with a day so blustery that only crazy people choose to ride.

[Biciclista]

That's the most important part.

Hopefully tomorrow will be more conducive to riding for everybody. It is a tad disappointing to start off Bike to Work Month with a day so blustery that only crazy people choose to ride.

not just the crazies, also the oblivious.. (at least at my office)

[kfergos]

not just the crazies, also the oblivious.. (at least at my office)

Goodness, that's a scary thought. The only cyclists on the road today were (a) Crazy but experienced commuters like me; or (b) Totally oblivious non-cyclists unaware of how dangerous it was. Sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[bikerHen]

My DH rode to work this morning, before the wind really started kicking up. We have 30 to 50 mph gusts now. He has wisely asked that I come pick him up after work. TsPoet, I think all your dust has arrived in Spokane. It's getting very ugly outside. bikerHen

[kfergos]

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.

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.

[BikingNurse]

My DH rode to work this morning, before the wind really started kicking up. We have 30 to 50 mph gusts now. He has wisely asked that I come pick him up after work. TsPoet, I think all your dust has arrived in Spokane. It's getting very ugly outside. bikerHen

Oh it was so nasty yesterday. I got really scared at one point here in ML I was on my way home and this gust of wind actually scooted me and my bike over! I was so glad to get home! And I made it with out being nocked off my bike!

Today was much better! Except for Mr. Jerk driver who decided he needed to pass me in a round a bout and almost squish me!!

[kfergos]

Day 2, Evening Commute (20 miles):
Nothing exciting happened on this ride, except that I had a headwind again. I did see two people I knew riding on the trail.

Day 3, Morning Commute (21 miles):
Rode in on the Burke for something different and averaged about 1 mph faster than I usually do in the mornings, so even though it was 1 mile longer, I actually got to work just slightly sooner. I assume that's because (a) it's flatter, with only a very gentle uphill trend until you get to the UW; and (b) once I get in among other commuters, the "commuter racing" syndrome kicks in and I have to keep up. I rode "with" a guy on a recumbent from the UW all the way to downtown; I passed him on uphills and he zoomed by me on downhills and flats. It was fun to keep catching up to him at stop lights (the great equalizers in cities) and continue our little conversation along the way.

[Melalvai]

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?

They don't realize that. The good thing is that if they are honking at you, they are seeing you. Better to be honked at or yelled at than hit.

On the other hand, getting honked or yelled at is demoralizing. IMO it is the worst experience about bicycling. So I go ahead and note every license plate and report it through our Motorist Contact Program. Check and see if your city or state has that sort of thing. I don't care what the result of that is, it is just incredibly empowering to report the incident, however minor.

You might also check if there's a place to report debris in the bike lane. Our city has a website, you can report debris and in my experience it gets cleaned up promptly.

I have a spot like that in one of my regular routes, where I was taking the lane appropriately and getting honked at. I found an alternative way to handle the area without feeling like I was sacrificing my safety. Or I might look for an alternative route. But sometimes there isn't any other realistic option, or the other options are worse.

Good luck, and kudos for riding in bad weather!

[kfergos]

They don't realize that. The good thing is that if they are honking at you, they are seeing you. Better to be honked at or yelled at than hit.

On the other hand, getting honked or yelled at is demoralizing. IMO it is the worst experience about bicycling. So I go ahead and note every license plate and report it through our Motorist Contact Program. Check and see if your city or state has that sort of thing. I don't care what the result of that is, it is just incredibly empowering to report the incident, however minor.

Melalvai, that's a good point -- I'm glad they are at least seeing me to honk at me! I don't assume they know there's debris/danger in the bike lane, but I'd appreciate some leeway.

The same guy honked at me this morning. Thanks to your suggestion, I remembered to get his license plate number, and I'll try to find somewhere to report this. It's amusing that he's honking, too, because honking is illegal except in an emergency here in Washington. So he's breaking the law while erroneously telling me I'm breaking the law.

Day 3, Evening Commute (10 miles):
Rode west on the I-90 bridge to do an errand in Bellevue after work. Holy moly, I'd forgotten the crazy west wind on the bridge! Why does it seem like there's always a wind blowing to the west on the I-90 bridge, almost regardless of which way the rest of the wind is going? Anyway, it was a slow and grueling ride into Bellevue, riding south and west against a southwest-ish wind. Happily, it didn't rain on me, so I completed my errand dry and comfortably. Still, I'm glad it was only 10 miles. My legs felt like cooked spaghetti.

Day 4, Morning Commute (20 miles):
An amazingly nice morning. Virtually calm (What a relief!), with high clouds and not many people out for some reason. I took it easy and rode at a gentle 13.9 mph pace -- not exactly smokin', but it was pleasant to arrive not exhausted. Found a pair of sunglasses on the I-90 trail that looked like they'd just fallen, since they were in perfect repair. If you lost a pair of sunglasses on I-90 this morning, let me know.

As I mentioned above, the guy in the pickup truck honked at me again and spurred me to write this blog post. I'm going to grab some of the stickers we have that has the RCW number for "bikes are vehicles" and carry them with me. This is 3/3 being honked at this week in this place. It's so odd: I've ridden this route numerous times without a problem, and suddenly this week I'm honked at every time I ride on that road. Something to do with Bike to Work Month? Random chance? Who knows? I'll just keep riding and see what happens.

[Biciclista]

This has been a rather exciting commute week, hasn't it? For me it was wind and thunderstorms on tuesday, narrowly missing a hailstorm, then yesterday it was a steady rain, not heavy at least. Today MIGHT be the first day this week I don't get rained on.
I am impressed that you got that guy's license plate number. could you tell me how you do that???

[kfergos]

This has been a rather exciting commute week, hasn't it? For me it was wind and thunderstorms on tuesday, narrowly missing a hailstorm, then yesterday it was a steady rain, not heavy at least. Today MIGHT be the first day this week I don't get rained on.
I am impressed that you got that guy's license plate number. could you tell me how you do that???

It really has been a heck of a commuting week, and alas, not the best for encouraging non-commuters to try riding, either.

To get the license plate number, I read it -- he was ahead of me but not far away for quite a while, thanks to traffic; I'm not 100% sure of the last digit, thanks to my out-of-date glasses prescription -- and then just kept repeating it to myself. That only worked because this happened mere blocks from my work, where I was able to write it down real quick before I forgot it.