2009-2010 Fall/Winter Commuter Challenge is on!

[7rider]

4 for 4 this week. I was taking a risk today because they were calling for a chance of a wintry mix this afternoon if the temperature dropped a few degrees. Turned out that it was in the low 40s with sunshine - nicest ride home all week.

Well, I opted to take today off the bike, expecting that wintery mix in the a.m. But it never happened. But, that's okay. Two days for me this week is two more than I've gotten in a loooong time!
And, the continued temps above freezing mean those blasted icebergs are getting smaller each day.
Yesterday, riding home, I decided to cut the corner off where the worse 'bergs are by riding an abandoned roadbed. I drop down a muddy hillside off a sidewalk, across a patch of dirt, to get to the old road. On my flat bar road bike. With skinny tires. In January thaw bog. The rear end of the bike bogged down in the mud and then skidded and fish-tailed all over the place. I felt like I buried the rear wheel up to its axle (I REALLY need to lose some weight! ), but I got through, up to the gate, around and home. Whew!

[blackhillsbiker]

4.5 for 5. We took my bike to the shop at lunchtime to get the brake fixed. It's still leaking. The day turned very nasty and wet so I was glad of a ride in the car tonight.

Deb

[pfunk12]

Wow, 7...sounds like an interesting ride yesterday! Glad you made it home okay. The ice on my route is all melted. And two commutes this week is great. Sounds like everyonen who is posting is doing well with the commuting.
I've attached a photo of the icy stretch that I had to deal with for almost 2 weeks. A 1/4 mile of the trail. I never thought it would melt!

[kmehrzad]

Wow, 7...sounds like an interesting ride yesterday! Glad you made it home okay. The ice on my route is all melted. And two commutes this week is great. Sounds like everyonen who is posting is doing well with the commuting.
I've attached a photo of the icy stretch that I had to deal with for almost 2 weeks. A 1/4 mile of the trail. I never thought it would melt!

That's one ugly ice patch. There were several patches similar to that (not quite as bad) on the W&OD, riding NW. I'd have a very narrow path of pavement to ride on which required a lot of concentration -- I suppose this is where roller training would come in handy.

[blackhillsbiker]

I've been really glad of the studded tires lately. Lots of ice in the mornings.

Deb

[7rider]

Melting snow revealed a lot of broken glass on the sidewalk on which I must ride 1/2 mile (.8 km) from our house. DH is heading there now with a pushbroom to sweep it away from me. Whatta guy!

[pfunk12]

Awwwwwww...that is sweet!

Melting snow revealed a lot of broken glass on the sidewalk on which I must ride 1/2 mile (.8 km) from our house. DH is heading there now with a pushbroom to sweep it away from me. Whatta guy!

[Melalvai]

I'm clicking the "like" button here! I just wrote an article for our newsletter about how advocacy sometimes means writing a letter, or donating to the Bike League, or even picking up a snow shovel...or a broom!

[7rider]

I like snow. I really do. I grew up in New England. Snow is a part of winter.
But last winter, we got next to NO snow...and I was able to bike ride all season long. This winter, it seems it's snowing TONS...and the level of whining and griping from the radio hosts, the co-workers, and just about everybody else, has reached a fever pitch.
And my bikes sit unused in the basement.
And my LBS lent me a set of handlebars to try on my commuter to approximate the Seven Tiberius bars, knowing that I'm really jonesing for a Seven commuter (yeah...when the money tree bears fruit!) but I'm unsure about these new fangled handlebars they're making. So....I have these new bars - which I'm sort of dubious about - that my DH put on my commuter yesterday. Gads, the bike looks funny! But, who knows WHEN I'll actually be able to ride the blasted thing again???
Dang snow. Best left on the mountains and xc trails.....

[pfunk12]

I hear ya, 7. I grew up in northeastern PA and we would get tons of snow. Can't say that I like it so much now that I'm old! We got spoiled these past few years with the mild winters so we're paying the price this year. Snow this past Saturday, last night and another major storm on Friday?? I've been commuting much more than you - probably because you have more common sense than me. But it's still rough. I hope that all of the snow melts next week so you can try out your new handlebars.

I like snow. I really do. I grew up in New England. Snow is a part of winter.
But last winter, we got next to NO snow...and I was able to bike ride all season long. This winter, it seems it's snowing TONS...and the level of whining and griping from the radio hosts, the co-workers, and just about everybody else, has reached a fever pitch.
And my bikes sit unused in the basement.
And my LBS lent me a set of handlebars to try on my commuter to approximate the Seven Tiberius bars, knowing that I'm really jonesing for a Seven commuter (yeah...when the money tree bears fruit!) but I'm unsure about these new fangled handlebars they're making. So....I have these new bars - which I'm sort of dubious about - that my DH put on my commuter yesterday. Gads, the bike looks funny! But, who knows WHEN I'll actually be able to ride the blasted thing again???
Dang snow. Best left on the mountains and xc trails.....

[Melalvai]

This is long...but it was a long ride (for a commute).

I had to go to Jeff City today (30 miles away) because I agreed to do the Missouri Bicycle & Pedestrian Federation booth during the Conservation Day at the Capitol. I didn't want to take the car, because my husband & daughter get out of school at 3, and I was going to be in Jeff City for most of the afternoon. (They don't bike. It's really their car.)

So I left at 7:30 and biked. It was cold! I started to wonder if I'd made a mistake because my hands just wouldn't warm up. I had my heavy gloves on but not the mitten shells. But they finally kicked in after the 3rd hill or so.

There is a lovely rail-trail between Columbia and Jeff City, the Katy Trail. There's another route using the quieter highways. But I took the main highway, Hwy 63, because it's the most direct route. 30 miles, versus 37 on the quiet highways, or 40 on the Katy.

On my work horse of a bike, 10 miles is a difference of an hour. But Hwy 63 between Columbia & Jeff is awfully busy and scary. It's not an interstate but pretty close to that. I've ridden it before, but that was early on a Sunday morning. I had work week traffic.

It was actually a pretty decent ride. The shoulders are SO wide--quite a novelty in shoulder-deficient Missouri. They were in good condition. And they were clean. A bit of road kill or litter here and there, but I wasn't constantly dodging debris and potholes.

I had my route all worked out, but for some reason I hadn't thought about the bridge. There is only one bridge over the Missouri River into Jeff. It has a bike lane--on the other side only. (Whose idea was that, anyway?) I've ridden that bike lane wrong-way before, which is how it is supposed to be ridden, but I hated it so much, that I just do what everyone else does, and ride on the highway across the bridge. Of course you lose the shoulder too on the bridge.

The worst part of the bridge though is that it is a bridge. I'm scared of heights, especially over water. I don't know why. I'm fine in a boat. Even in a car crossing a bridge I get nervous. This bridge is SO high, and with 60 and 70 mph traffic, it is really terrifying.

Somehow I'd managed to forget about that until a few miles away. I was absolutely gripped in panic! I took some deep breaths and focused on some other thoughts (anything else--just not that bridge!) until I got to the bridge. I kept my head down and kept my eyes focused as close in front of me as I could without actually not looking at the road!

Because once you get on that bridge, there is nothing you can do. The cars will hit you or not, and they are going so fast it's out of your control. So I just do my best to absolutely ignore them on my left side, and the water on my right side. I think there might have been a lot of ice in the water because it was easy to pretend it was concrete. I didn't look too closely.

Now, getting through Jeff City was another matter. Wow, does that town have hills! Just outside of Jeff I was pleased with how good time I'd made and anticipated getting to the U-haul rental 15 minutes earlier than I'd thought. I thought it would take me half an hour to get through town. It took me the half hour PLUS the 15 minutes I'd banked.

I wanted to ride home, but I also wanted to spend some time with my family today, so I rode about 10 miles out of Jeff until my husband got out of class and found me on the highway, and we pulled over and loaded the bike on the car and went home.

[Tri Girl]

wow- great job on riding to Jeff City in somewhat undesirable conditions. While that was a long post- it was well worth the read! I kinda felt like I was along with you on your ride. Glad you made it over that bridge without a full-blown panic attack!

[pfunk12]

I agree with Tri Girl. Good job, Melalvai! Way to conquer that bridge.

[out_spokin']

Sorry to hear about snow challenges, but great job on the bridge Melavai!

I've got pretty typical Colorado dry weather, and am 3 for 3 again this week. I did get through 3 one way wettish snow the past week and a half, which were tempting to just opt for a telecommute day but am really glad I made the effort. The downside is that my bike is an absolute MESS. Poor thing rides the front of the bus and the highway spray has been gritty and plentiful. I seriously need to get on the overhaul - my goal for the weekend is to at least get the frame wiped down, chain clean and lubed, and at least one hub overhauled. We'll see how it goes!!

[Melalvai]

The downside is that my bike is an absolute MESS. Poor thing rides the front of the bus and the highway spray has been gritty and plentiful. I seriously need to get on the overhaul - my goal for the weekend is to at least get the frame wiped down, chain clean and lubed, and at least one hub overhauled. We'll see how it goes!!

I wipe down the chain, drivetrain, and rims frequently. Otherwise in this weather, I just let it build up. I have a theory that the muck on the bike protects from the muck that isn't yet on the bike.