Fall and Winter Commuter Challenge!

[Crankin]

It's 3.9 F out as I sit here. Yesterday was actually beautiful... 25 and 3 inches of new fresh powder. Then tomorrow it will start warming up to about 50 by Sunday.
But, I am afraid the streets will be too slushy to ride. They are in the worst condition I have ever seen since I moved here.

[shootingstar]

Well, lazy me finally tested my work security card several days ago which had to be reprogrammed to allow me access into the locked bike room near the underground parking garage in our workplace building. Now it's working.

So hopefully later this month, at some point when I know there won't be alot of cold rain or black ice... where black ice is ok if the route is flat, but this commuting route is not. Where I work is several degrees colder compared to home ..and it's only a 13 kms. away from home but the work building sits on top of a ridge.

[keepclimbing]

Yesterday was amazing. I was able to wear capris and a lightweight long-sleeved shirt! I left early for work so that I could take a long way and enjoy the morning. It felt so good! But overnight we had a storm. The sewers are still overworked from all the recent melted snow, so the storm caused some serious flash-flooding. The streets around my home were just too dangerous with high waters so I drove today. It seems to have subsided tonight. The temp has dropped again now to remind us that it's still winter, but I'll be back on my bike tomorrow.

[Eden]

Some crazy black ice around here this morning.... I didn't realize it until it was too late to take the bus in so ride I did. Pretty much everything was covered with a very, very thin layer of ice. I made it all the way with no incidents, but it was definitely hairy.

[kfergos]

I wore SHORTS yesterday! I can't remember the last time I didn't wear long pants -- it must be three months at least. It was 58 when I left work in the evening, with stuff melting all over the place. I flew home; made the 13.25 miles in 54 minutes, a winter personal record. This morning was 48 and I hardly knew what to wear. But as keepclimbing mentioned, we had a big storm overnight here too, and the roads are covered in water from rain and melting snow. I can even see grass, some of which is green (how does it do that after a straight month being covered in a foot of snow?).

I sure wish spring would come and stay; the warmer temperatures remind of why, exactly, I'm still doing this. Sometimes it's hard to stay positive when it's the fourth day in a row in the teens, with more snow predicted.

Random factoid: Each of my hiking boots, which I've worn every day since November, weighs about 1.5 lbs. I should be super buff from lifting those while pedaling all winter!

[Geonz]

So nice to be able to ride the regular bikes and leave at the regular time and only wear two or three layers

20 degrees this morning... my poor skin is getting desiccated but hey, it's only a month or three more

[kfergos]

Hey all you intrepid commuters! Is everybody still kicking? Winter's almost over; soon we will be riding summer bikes with zippy slicks at speeds greater than 10 mph (at least for me, winter riding is 3 or 4 mph slower on average than summer riding) over nice clear roads, wearing shorts and jerseys, feeling the wind and sun, seeing other cyclists and not worrying about frostbite, ice, snow/rain, windchill, salt and sand, or any other wintry issues.

Spring is coming, even if we did get more snow/ice/sleet last night here in MA. The weather's been much more rideable the last week or two; highs above freezing and lows above 20 (usually) mean I haven't had to cancel a commute for a couple weeks now. Soon it'll also be time to start training rides for the STP and the Cape Cod Getaway -- I can hardly wait, even if I do end up riding alone most of the time.

So start thinking springy thoughts! It's only a matter of time.

[out_spokin']

Thanks for the encouragement! Just since Friday there's a major difference in my commute - the sun rose before I got to the bus stop today, and I don't need my headlamp to undo the lock to the shed or to get my battery pack attached. Really don't need the headlight for me except for the last bit of my night commutes, though still use it for visibility both ways.

I got on the road bike both days this weekend, and had the funny experience of wondering if I still knew how to dress for temps in the 40s and 50s. Full daylight rides are a joy, but man there's a lot more people on the roads!

[Biciclista]

I have managed to meet my goals every week so far, for February, it was 2 commute rides a week. I also commuted to my painting sessions half the time, which doesn't "count" as a commute, but still involved going somewhere on my bike and getting back home that way too. So it's all good.

[Grog]

Well the Winter has faded around here but I've been working from home every single day and trying to finish my Ph.D. dissertation. I've cycled about 10km in the last 2 weeks.

[Geonz]

When I was free-lance writing from home, I made a point to commute to work every morning. Sometimes I commuted home, too. Starting the day with a 7-9 mile ride meant I was *much* more focused on the writing, and the commute could be any distance I wanted since the destination was the same as the starting point.

The sun is starting to be up when I get up, which is a big help. It's going down later, too Now, I'd be happier if it were warmer than 25 degrees, but you can't ask for everything...

[tulip]

When I was free-lance writing from home, I made a point to commute to work every morning. Sometimes I commuted home, too. Starting the day with a 7-9 mile ride meant I was *much* more focused on the writing, and the commute could be any distance I wanted since the destination was the same as the starting point.

The sun is starting to be up when I get up, which is a big help. It's going down later, too Now, I'd be happier if it were warmer than 25 degrees, but you can't ask for everything...

*Sigh* that's what I intended to do--go to the post office every day to get may business mail. But the cold just beat me this winter. That and my new dog that insists on walks three times a day. At least I'm getting outside!

[keepclimbing]

I've managed to drive a car only 5 days per month. On President's Day I did a 50 mile ride recreational ride and it felt easy (although still very cold). My bike has taken a beating this winter and needed a good overhaul. My LBS was begging me to go ahead and bring it in before the spring rush, so that's where it's been while I've been away on a business trip. I can't wait to get back home and pick it up! I'm so ready for more long rides. I have new shoes, new pedals, and new cleats that are calling my name.

[kfergos]

We're having another snowstorm. When I left the house this morning, the snow was well over my boot-tops, perhaps six or eight inches deep. I struggled through our parking lot, which had just been plowed and only had maybe an inch of freshly-fallen snow on it. But when I got to the road, it hadn't been plowed at all; it was all deep rutted car tracks through untouched snow.

Even so, I did my best. I downshifted and used all of my bike handling skills to stay upright. This meant that I ended up weaving all over the road in my attempts to stay upright -- my tracks look like a drunk's walk, meandering all over as I rode with the way my wheels wanted to go. Ultimately I failed as, going around a corner, I simply tipped over and fell into a huge snowbank. No harm done. I got up and kept going, but I was simply crawling along, still slipping all over and every second only a heartbeat away from hitting the ground again. It was hard going, scary going, and miserable with snow flying everywhere and 15-mph steady north winds pushing me around.

Finally, after 20 minutes, I reached downtown -- 1.25 miles from home. I'd kept going in the hopes that the main street and Route 20 would be cleared enough for me to make decent time. I was disappointed. The roads weren't much better, and there was more traffic, so I couldn't maneuver as much. All the packed-down car-rutted snow was so slippery, so difficult to ride in, I spent every second just trying to stay upright. Looking at the roads, thinking about the 10 or more miles ahead of me, I had to admit this was foolish.

I gave up.

Not that I couldn't have made it; it's just that at a 4-mph pace, it would've taken me 3 hours to get to work. Once at work, I would've had to leave fairly early to make it home for an appointment I have this evening. I might've gotten in 4 hours of work all day. Frankly, I made my best time when I was walking and pushing my bike. It took me another almost 20 minutes to get home again, trudging and shoving my bike along most of the way. An SUV passed me on my way back; the driver rolled down his window and shouted, "You're nuts!" -- not even in a mad way, just in a matter-of-fact tone. I had to agree with him.



I hope winter is almost over.

[out_spokin']

Sorry for all those still stuck in winter madness - and that's quite a photo of your commuter in snow kfergos! You get to chalk that one up to learning more about how you, your bike and the weather interact!

Can't quite believe it's DST already, and just 2 full work weeks 'til the official end of our challenge! I'm once again grateful for it, because I'm pretty close to my goal and this group helps me stay motivated to ride when it'd be easier to get in the car -- I've got to hit almost all of my days left to make it, so I better get to sleep now so I'm ready to ride in the morning!