How Was Your Commute Today?

[Melalvai]

I had a great commute yesterday. I had tail winds both ways. The bike path is finally totally clear, but still empty of other people. Every street light was green the whole way. How cool is that?

You must have pleased the traffic gods. And the more finicky weather god. Tail wind both ways?? Impossible!

[laura*]

Today I had my first loooong bike commute where I needed to keep to a schedule.

Distance ridden: 35.47 miles
Ride time: 3:10:09
Average speed: 11.19 mph
Max speed: 33.44 mph

I rode on busy streets, deserted streets, wide streets, narrow streets, straight streets, twisty streets, bike paths, dirt trails, flat terrain, mountainous terrain, and even had to tilt my bike under a fallen tree. I also took the bike on two buses and two trams.

Right now I'm too numb to hurt. Tomorrow I'll probably hurt ... and feel real good.

[redrhodie]

You know you have a head wind when you wonder if it would be easier to turn around and circumvent the globe to get home. But getting there in the morning was a breeze!

[Tri Girl]

today i had my first loooong bike commute where i needed to keep to a schedule.

Distance ridden: 35.47 miles
ride time: 3:10:09
average speed: 11.19 mph
max speed: 33.44 mph

i rode on busy streets, deserted streets, wide streets, narrow streets, straight streets, twisty streets, bike paths, dirt trails, flat terrain, mountainous terrain, and even had to tilt my bike under a fallen tree. I also took the bike on two buses and two trams.

Right now i'm too numb to hurt. Tomorrow i'll probably hurt ... And feel real good. :d

nice!!!

[redrhodie]

What a gorgeous day! It was near 60º, and I wore no jacket for the first time this year. I stopped by the lbs in the morning to have them check the bar alignment of my Soma, and took my Eddy, which was already in the shop getting new bars, the rest of the way to work. OOooo, the new bars are nice!

Stopped by the shop again at night to drop off the Eddy, and pick up the Soma, but it turns out it has leprechauns living in the headset, so it wasn't ready. They're making some kind of knocking in there. Not good at all. So, I rode the Eddy back to my car, and will pick up the other bike after the leprechauns have been evicted. I think I have to bring them cookies or something or they won't leave.

I was nervous riding the Eddy back to my car. The roads are full of sand and lots of glass, and since the bike had been in the shop, and I wasn't planning on riding it today, I didn't have a tube with me. I felt like I was asking for it, but I guess I got lucky. Made it back, no problem. Luck of the Irish? Not really sure if I'm Irish, but I guess everyone is on St. Patrick's Day. Hope you all had good rides, and avoided the leprechauns.

[7rider]

Welp....The new grocery pannier works (except for the busted snap!). I loaded it up with a dozen bagels, bananas, cheese, and salad for my ride home today (with DH, on his racing bike...oh...I also had 2 quarts of hazelnut creamer in my pannier and new insulated shopping bags on order so I can keep cold stuff cold this summer - yay!!).

So...me on a heavy commuter with two equally heavy panniers on the back. DH on his lightweight ti bike. Yeah, not an equal fight. It was a hard ride home...even tho' DH insists "I'm here to ride with you, so I'm going to ride WITH you...I don't have to go fast or anything."

Anyway....Spring has sprung in MD. Southern facing hills have daffodils IN BLOOM! Yeah. And the woods by our neighborhood had frogs croaking away. I don't think they were Spring peepers yet...they didn't sound right. Are there other frogs chirping at this time of year???

Yes, RedRhodie...What a great day (outside, anyway....).

[HillSlugger]

I got out for my first commute of the year; low 40's in the AM and low 60's for the ride home. Very nice.

First commute using the Light and Motion helmet lights I bought on impulse back in December. Also very nice: small, powerful front light and a rear/side blinking light; much better light, feel, and balance than the converted handlebar light I was using.

Also, first ride since getting the bike tuned up (+new chain and cassette); so very nice to have good shifting and gears that don't slip and skip.

[Becky]

What an awesome ride home today! DH and I rode from work to the bike shop to pick up a bunch of stuff that we'd ordered, and rode home with the whole mess. DH had a pair of fenders strapped to the top of his rack and panniers!

We did 25 miles for the day and I felt strong despite the beating from the wind

[Melalvai]

I mention this here because sometimes I have these "deep thoughts" during my commute. (Probably not all that deep.) On my way home today I had this thought that humanity does NOT shine when the world is our oyster. When we have access to cheap resources we get greedy and do horrible things. Cheap oil & cheap bananas today, but it was cheap land when Europe was discovering Africa and the Americas and India and China.

The more we have the less we share. When we are struggling we are generous and compassionate.

This is probably a huge overgeneralization to the point of not being true at all but maybe it can help us value our struggles as we look for work and try to make ends meet.

[7rider]

My deep thought yesterday during my ride home was:
"Sweet potatoes? Are those sweet potatoes? WHY is there a pile of sweet potatoes on the side of the road?????"

[lph]

The more we have the less we share. When we are struggling we are generous and compassionate.

To a certain point, I think. Desperate people will also do desperate things in self-preservation. But I do think that a little struggle makes us feel vulnerable, we need other people's support and are more likely to offer support back. If you never experience really needing anything it's harder to imagine that someone else needs something more than you. And our capacity for wanting more is umlimited.

I was thinking something similar this weekend. We help run a local ski slope for kids and teenagers. The municipality pays the electricity and other bills, local parents work for free. Entrance is free for members and we charge a symbolic fee for a year's membership - less than half the price of a day ticket at a commercial ski slope. We loan out skis and snowboards and helmets for free. The slope is open 4 times a week, freshly groomed with professional equipment and big jumps. We lend out shovels so they can build their own jumps, help the newbies onto the lift, make sure no-one's squabbling in line or being mean, comfort the ones who hurt themselves, call parents if necessary.

Even then, we have parents coming in grumbling about not getting a discount if they have several children, or why can't we offer ski instruction as well, and can they try for free for just one day? It's amazing.