Cycle Commuter - Adventures in Bicycle Commuting

As I’ve heard it, our June has turned out to be one of the coldest/wettest on record so far. We’ve had only one day above 60°F and have had more rain than the average for October. It’s not even the end of the second week of the month. The winds have looked pretty painful as well. I have to admit, if there’s a “good” time to be injured, it’d be now. When I’ve talked to those that are riding, they shake their heads in disbelief… they’re wearing their winter gear.

I’ve been out a little bit, but not much. I’m missing it… even in this weather. Riding around the neighborhood this afternoon on the One Way, I noticed that my cardio was lacking. My Achilles felt a little tight, but not as bad. The BB on the One Way is in desperate need of attention, though.

Keeping track of Euro ‘08 has provided a nice bit of distraction; my personal favorite is Netherlands, and I imagine we’ll see them, Portugal, Spain and Germany in the semi finals.

And, to wrap it all up… this makes me smile:

I’ve been all about the low mileage since Friday; my Achilles has been getting better, thankfully. This shift to low mileage has allowed me the opportunity to rock the One Way around the neighborhood. I honestly do love riding just to check out all the places in the area. There really are some beautiful little homes around here… and each time I go out, I find a new place that makes me think “Hey, that’s not a bad little place. I like what they’ve done with _______.”

I felt like putting in some miles after work yesterday since I hadn’t commuted by bike. While out, I decided to take pictures of all the flags I saw blowing in the wind. It’s funny how much you notice things when you start looking for them… and there were a fair number of people flying more than one flag, which was pretty cool to see. The ride ended up being precisely what I was aiming for, though it was still a bit chilly and breezy. Can’t win ‘em all just yet, I suppose.

Riding to the station this morning, I caught up to a guy on a Fuji Track bike that was set up as a commuter singlespeed. We chatted a little before parting ways, and it sounded like he had a pretty straightforward commute across town–one that was well suited to the bike. It made me ponder the One Way, yet again.

The afternoon commute was glorious, with plenty of sunshine and a light breeze. Granted, it was just in the upper 50’s (maybe 60), but it was still awesome from the ground up. It’s just a matter of time ’til the bugs come out in earnest and I (inevitably) get stung again. I can wait on that.

I was also inspired to stop by the watering hole for a pint on the way home. While there, one of the owners commented, “Finally nice enough for a half-way decent bike ride, huh?”, to which I replied “Indeed… patience pays off eventually, especially when it comes to seasons.” He chuckled, “Patience is a virtue many aspire to but few have.” “True,” I said, “But with the weather, I don’t really have a choice but to be patient.”

Time and place seem to’ve gotten together and worked something nice out for me, as I’ll be joining up with some friends for an impromptu (and hilly) metric century tomorrow morning… hopefully finishing up just in time for my 1 o’clock bike fit appointment that’s just down the road from where the ride ends. Bike fit is a fascinating matter to me, one that involves all kinds of perspectives, beliefs, gadgetry, etc., and I can’t help but get one done every year or so just to learn a few things here and there.

Been pleased to see that the Argyle Armada doing so well in TdG, and it cracks me up how much attention DZ’s bitchin’ ’stache gets.

My new Chrome Shins arrived today. To make things better, it started hailing. Shins + hail? Damn straight I went for a ride. It was glorious.

I know it’s just the DWR and all, but hey, new DWR is freakin’ awesome when it comes to shedding rain/sleet/hail.

After feeling like crap for most of the day yesterday, I went for a quick 14-mile loop through the park an hour before sundown. I saw hardly anyone there, save the usual high school kids heading to their “secret spot” somewhere off the drive. I’d decided to roll the One Way to see how well my legs would hold up on the multiple hills… definitely a good workout.

Having not commuted by bike, I decided to go for a quick spin after work yesterday. While forcing out a rhythm on a climb, a white truck started coming down the hill. A half-block away, it was steered across the yellow line and directly at me. It straightened out, albeit in the oncoming lane, and revved the engine as it flew by me. The windows were tinted, so I never saw who was driving… but I did have a few choice words for them as they passed.

As I’ve spent more time on the road, I’ve grown more and more convinced that it’s not so much a question of if, but when I will get hit. I don’t want that to be the case, but it’s shit like what happened yesterday that makes me wonder just how wise it is to ride on the roads.

I don’t want to be paranoid about every driver out there. There are far more “good” drivers than “bad”; unfortunately, it’s the ones that could kill me that I’m worried about, and there’s no easy way of telling “them” apart. It’s that “them” thing, too, that bothers me… because once “Us” and “Them” distinctions are made, it gets harder to remember the things that bridge that gap.

I’m sure, too, that most drivers have encountered more than a few “bad” cyclists that either ride in an unsafe manner or behave in a combative manner toward cars. There’s no excuse for bad cycling, either.

Ultimately, I just want there to be understanding between cars (and their drivers) and cyclists… not this sense of distrust and tension.

In other, less dramatic news: at the top of the hill, I was waiting at a stop sign when a guy rode past on a nice bike… I was too busy looking at his bike to notice the incredibly attractive girl on a single-speed a little bit behind him until she’d passed in front of me. Oops.

After two days of “rest”, my legs were itching for some miles. G had said he wasn’t going to ride this weekend—kids, wife and something or another. I’m going to have to talk to him about priorities. So I went out solo for what ended up being a pretty decent climbing loop.

My legs were there. The two days of rest had done their magic and I found myself hammering out a pace that would’ve made grandma proud, in all her biscuit-making glory. As I was flying through the park, I saw a couple of teens approaching the road ahead of me… as I neared them, the girl started yelling out “NINJA! Look, it’s a NINJA!!!” while pointing at me. I couldn’t help but laugh.

Spring is definitely knocking on the bathroom door, demanding its turn in the shower before school starts.

A couple years ago, there was a marketing campaign that thanked the various “elements” that made outdoors activities so enjoyable. There was stuff like “Thank you, rocks…” and “Thank you, snow…” and so on. There was also one that said “Thank you, asphalt…” This, of course, was a bit at odds with the general “save the outdoors” conservational message… y’know, since paving over stuff usually isn’t considered a good thing for the environment. The ad depicted a couple of roadies and what appeared to be a freakin’ beautiful stretch of road (clean, smooth, scenic and devoid of traffic… if only we could always ride in an advertisement world). I’ve always been amused by the ad’s dissonance.

However, yesterday I couldn’t help but echo the sentiment as I turned onto a mile-long stretch of new asphalt with a wide bike lane. The sun was out and traffic had dissipated. I sat up off the bars and just coasted, listening to the whir of the freewheel. In that moment, I was as content as one can get.

Sunday’s outing turned out well, though I doubt I’ll ever do the “official” ride again—too many accidents waiting to happen and too many egos. Funny how everyone has their own take on the rules… like the three guys bitching about nobody knowing how to ride safely, while they rode three abreast and refused to move over when someone signaled they were going to pass (forcing that person to ride in the oncoming lane). My personal favorite was a response I got to saying On your left: “What? You want me to move over, fucker? Fine!” as they swerved to the left, in front of me. Fun times.

The weather was perfect, though… only a few drops of rain, otherwise cool and partly cloudy.

I do appreciate the off-kilt forecasts, I will say that.

G and I took advantage of the holiday and went for a “slow” ride in the morning. I really need to stop pushing myself when riding with him, ’cause he just pushes right back and I end up countering his counter and so on. It’s good and all, except for when you’re genuinely trying to take it easy.

We ended up doing laps on a route that’s just begging for a fast-paced group ride, if not a full on race. Just under 5 miles long, easy to clean (and close off/manage traffic), a quarter-mile-long 11% climb and great scenery. 5 laps sounds torturous enough.

After the ride I enjoyed the clear skies for a while before venturing out on the One Way for some city explore-age and photo shooting.

Many fond memories of that bridge. Pedestrian bridges really ought to be more common.

Haven’t yet commuted by bike this week. The guilt has sunk in, and I’m planning on riding tomorrow and Friday. Possibly even the full 50-mile round-trip. A fun ride Sunday will “kick off” the cycling season in this area… though I have to admit that my current mindstate is that there’s no real “off-season” for cycling; just a cloudier, wetter, colder season with less daylight. I can’t imagine why anyone wouldn’t want to ride in all that.

“Brilliant sunshine” and “Rain and drizzle possible” are part of the 5-day forecast. I’m all for the sun; it’s the rain and drizzle forecast that cracks me up… only around here would you get a clarification of the two types of rain that are possible in the day.

Photo dump…

Went for a short spin in the brilliant sun today and resting up for tomorrow’s early holiday ride with G.

There’ve been all sorts of things I’ve noticed while riding/commuting… such as the empty condos along my route that were the targets of, I presume, paint-filled balloons. For some reason, the combination of the paint splatters and the “Avail” sign in the window amuse me.

That’s about it…

Rolled out at 7ish for a nice 30-miler. It sprinkled only a little bit, but the roads were still quite wet and gritty. Really gritty. It almost makes me wince to see the Double Cross get such abuse, but that’s how it goes. I felt really good on all the climbs, which was a pleasant surprise. Especially since it’s not even mid-Feb. yet.