No riding Here!

[Selkie]

I feel your pain here in the DC area. For the last 2-3 weeks, we've had a couple snowfalls and cold temps (highs in the 30s). Yesterday, it went up to the 50s so I took my bike out to my favorite paved trail. Unfortunately, it was icy every place there was shade. Not fun. I'd get going, feeling good and then encounter a big stretch of rutted ice pack. I stuck it out about 45 minutes then turned for home. It hasn't rained since our last snow so there is sand/salt all over the roads, too. I live in a urban area and riding on the road is not pleasant due to rude, unsafe drivers who have zero respect for cyclists (I saw the aftermath of a cyclist getting hit by a car so I'm wary of risking any real road riding around here). Hopefully, we'll get some rain this week to clean everything up and the temps will stay about 35 degrees. Spring can't get here soon enough.

Denise---I hope you didn't drink out of that water bottle!

[DeniseGoldberg]

...Spring can't get here soon enough.

Denise---I hope you didn't drink out of that water bottle!

Suzanne -
Nope - once the water bottle had a coat of sand and salt I gave up on it. Luckily it wasn't that warm, and I had a good drink from a clean glass when I got home!

Today was a different story though... it was a good 10 degrees cooler than yesterday, but that wonderful sunshine pulled me and my bike outside again. This time I stayed on route 125, which although it carries a bit of fossil-fuel vehicle traffic has a wide shoulder which was clean and dry. So I did an out-and-back ride with a few repeats of some sections of the road. I was happy since I was out on my bike, and my bike was happy since I stayed on dry pavement!

I'm with you though - the real spring can't get here soon enough!
--- Denise

[spazzdog]

It was beautiful this weekend, but I did not venture out on my bike. It's wearing road slicks and I wasn't about to chance the big "BOOM" (the sound of my body hitting the pavement).

I did, however, set up my new trainer (Kinetic Fluid) and begin my "pedal to Cinderella" in earnest. Got a good 45 min in and definitely need to do some seat adjustments - I'm slanting down at the nose a smidge too much. Love the new trainer... it's so quiet compared to my old Cyclops wind. And I'm set up on hardwood floors.

[newfsmith]

I took advantage of the predicted post-super-bowl calling in sick to try my route to work for the first time again today. There are only 3 places left where the road narrows to a lane & a half, of course one of them is about a half mile long. I'm back in business after the longest weather related break in 5 years of commuting. I'm expecting lots of leg cramps tonight (sigh).

[CorsairMac]

welcome back to the wonderful world of commuting newf!! Its gotten to the point I'm not commuting anymore - I'm obsessed! and joining a Virtual RAAM isn't helping the addiction any!......now I'm planning my commute to maximise the miles for the RAAM ride!