How Was Your Commute Today?

**ginny** · 10-07-2009, 12:10 PM

It has been cold and windy here. 20F yesterday morning... brrr! I'm not sure I'm ready for winter yet

**Tri Girl** · 10-07-2009, 04:50 PM

Originally Posted by ginny

It has been cold and windy here. 20F yesterday morning... brrr! I'm not sure I'm ready for winter yet

HOLY DUDE!

And it was only 49F this morning and I was quite cold. I'm a wimp!

**Becky** · 10-08-2009, 02:53 AM

Originally Posted by 7rider

It will be singing a mighty song on the ride back tonight - in 25 mph winds, with gusts to 45, oh joy.

You rode in that?!? Dang, you are way tougher than me! (You too, pfunk!) I was in Dagsboro for work yesterday, and just driving in that nonsense was no fun! Needless to say, I left the bike at home...

**7rider** · 10-08-2009, 04:30 AM

Originally Posted by Becky

You rode in that?!? Dang, you are way tougher than me! (You too, pfunk!) I was in Dagsboro for work yesterday, and just driving in that nonsense was no fun! Needless to say, I left the bike at home...

Yeah, loved the headwind. NOT.
Going home last night, a guy on a Scattante came up to a light with me, and passed me going up the MUT, through the parking lot, and out into the neighborhood below ours. He stayed just ahead of me, and something looked vaguely familiar about him. He took the first left, I took the second -- a more meandering route than the road he took, through some houses that ultimately gets back out onto the main road. I realized he was a neighbor whom I had seen go by but never spoke to when I saw him zip by on that main street, ahead of me. He had a good 50 yards on me by then, and I pushed to try to bridge up to him. But...'twas not to be. He dropped me going up that last hill.
He gave me an incentive to push, but I'll blame my lack of success on the headwind. Yeah.

**Crankin** · 10-09-2009, 09:13 AM

I did a measly commute to the commuter rail today, as I had an appointment to see my advisor in Cambridge. Rain was forecast, but I decided to go on my bike anyway, since it definitely would be raining by this afternoon and I would not be getting a road ride in.
I wore an Ibex t-shirt with a wicking type hoodie, my Prana/terry knickers, and stuck my rain jacket/helmet cover in my pannier. It was not raining on the way in this morning, but when I left, I realized I would be cold, since it was 49 and breezy. My core was good, along with my feet, but my hands and neck were freezing going down the hill. I stashed my cycling shoes in pannier and changed into walking shoes after I locked up my bike (I absolutely cannot ride without being clipped in anymore!) at the bike shop and got on the train, which had the AC on

. I had about a 1.5 mile walk to the new department office, which is pretty close to Harvard Square, so I allowed enough time to get a cafe mocha at LA Burdick's. My pannier has a handle to carry it, but it was really uncomfortable, slung over my shoulder, with my helmet clanging around. Oh well.
The train was warmer on the way back, and of course, as soon as I unlocked my bike, it started raining. Just a drizzle, but first, I had to stop to adjust the pannier, which was hitting my foot, and then I had to stop to put my jacket and helmet cover on. I worked up a sweat climbing the hill to my house, with the jacket on, but at least I wasn't wet.
8.75 miles and 3 miles of walking.

**redrhodie** · 10-09-2009, 02:54 PM

I also had rain today, but still commuted my 30 mile r/t route. It was fun, but it seems every time the road is wet, I flat, and tonight it was wet.

This morning, a friend called me and asked if she had just seen me riding by with a camera on my helmet. I had to explain it was not a camera, but a light. I guess it won't hurt that drivers think it's a camera....as if I'm filming them for future court proceedings.

I did notice that the ones who cut me off tonight seemed to speed away a little faster than normal, rather than slowing down and veering into the bike lane like they usually do.

Oh, and the other weird thing was all the construction on the roads. I had a long mile stretch of riding on the brutal scraped pavement they do before resurfacing. It was easy to imagine what the pave' in Paris-Roubaix feels like. Boy, did flat top feel nice after that! I can't wait for new pavement!

**martinkap** · 10-09-2009, 03:03 PM

It was 9:15am in front of Presbyterian-Millstein Building. A yellow cab stopped behind a bus which could not get around a Fedex truck because there was another truck parked in the opposite lane. I decided to ride in the official BIKE PATH between the stopped yellow cab and a line of parked cars. The behavior of the yellow cab did not imply that there might be someone getting out.

Of course, as I was riding by, the guy in the cab suddenly opened a door. I managed to tilt my handlebars to avoid most of the door and unclip one of my feet as I flew off the course. The front wheel of my bike got stucked in the gap between the parked car's wheel and its bumper. I flew on the car's parked hood and then somehow bounced back towards the yellow cab. Because I was still partially clipped in and because I was (luckilly) not riding that fast, the bouncing back was more of a slow-mo weird clumsy fall.

The guy quietly stood there and stared at my performance. No sound, no movement on his part.

"Man, you have to be careful - it is dangerous to open door like that" I told him angrily when I picked myself of the pavement. He continued to quietly stand there. He kept eerily staring at me as if I was Sarah Palin wearing a pink bunnie outfit.

I took one more look at him and I could tell that he is one of the doctors working in the hospital, so I added: "And you are a doctor? Do you know you can kill people like that?" He did not even blink. He continued staring at me while I was putting the chain back on the chainring. He was still not moving while I was riding away. He just stud there and stared !

Seriously, what is wrong with the people? Not even a 'sorry' ?!

Anyway, I am fine, the bike is fine and I learned my lesson.

But maybe I should write a missed connection ad to Craigslist:
"You doored me this morning while I was riding my bike. You got out of the cab and did not say a word. You were cute but speechless - you owe me an appology. I'll take that with a cup of coffee!"

**ginny** · 10-09-2009, 03:06 PM

oh yes! Do the Craig's list thing... tee hee... Very odd that he didn't say a word...

My commute was cold this morning, but still better than a car

**martinkap** · 10-09-2009, 03:20 PM

Originally Posted by ginny

oh yes! Do the Craig's list thing... tee hee... Very odd that he didn't say a word...

My commute was cold this morning, but still better than a car

hehe - I should post it - he was seriously cute even though kind of stunned (or stoned ?

) looking ...

Sorry about your cold - it is coming here too ...

**lph** · 10-09-2009, 11:29 PM

I ran into a pedestrian yesterday morning. I was turning left into the bike path just as she stepped off the sidewalk and into it, without looking up either at me approaching from the front or the cyclist approaching from behind... So we politely and very slowly ran into her from both sides

She cursed so loudly I could hear it right through my earbuds, I smiled at her and called "when you cross the bike path you really need to look up, you know" at her angry back. Then I biked on and went kayaking before work in the sunrise.

**redrhodie** · 10-10-2009, 01:46 PM

Originally Posted by lph

I ran into a pedestrian yesterday morning.

Oh, that could have been very much worse. Glad you're both okay!

**lph** · 10-11-2009, 01:52 AM

Oh, but it was terrible. She bent my folding mirror right into the handlebars!

**Mad Kate** · 10-13-2009, 12:05 AM

Today was my first commute to the new office; it is about 20 kilometres (12.5 miles) one-way or 40 kilometres (25 miles) round trip. Most of the route is on a rural road with a speed limit of 80 km/h, with some rolling hills of about 3 to 6% gradients. Overall, it took me 1 hour, 6 minutes each way. Got caught in the rain without any rain clothes, which wasn’t very pleasant.

**tulip** · 10-13-2009, 06:07 AM

Mad Kate, that is the perfect commute distance in my opinion. When I commuted by bike, my commute was 14 miles each way and I could never get it under 1 hour 20 minutes, which was sometimes juuuuuust a little too long and I'd have to hurry hurry once i got to work.

So sorry you got caught in the rain, though.

**Cataboo** · 10-13-2009, 06:40 AM

I noticed this morning that the speed thing that they just installed in my neighborhood clocked my speed - I rolled past it at 13 mph.

I'm now going to have to ride past that thing over and over and see how fast I can get it to clock me at.

Madkate - I try to keep rain clothes at the office and then some in my panniers just in case.

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