How was your commute/training ?

[BeDrinkable]

Here's a thread devoted to those of us who brave the heinous (or not so heinous) winter weather to continue the daily commute!

I'll start off ... today was clear, dry and cold with the the temps hovering around 15F (about -10C). It was cold enough that my exposed skin was complaining and I had a hard time seing through my tears. That's close to the coldest I will venture out in, but I'm lucky in that I have a short trip.

[RayMondo]

Ooch, shiver me bones. -10C is plenty. Though if no wind, I don't have a problem with that. For my climbing training, I used to winter ride gloveless on bare Alu bars. That all came to a stop when my gal complained . Subseqently, Hand-warmers, ahem, had to be gloves.

[junodirtrider]

Starry, star, stars on gloriously clear and cold nights. That's how my last few have been. The thing I really like about coming home from work is that the road follows two lakes that are connected like an hour glass. There are only a couple of street lights along that two mile stretch and on full moons, the snowy mountain tops roar to visual life. The lakes sparkle with frost coated ice and all is silent except the light churning of my drive chain and stimulated thoughts of my busy brain.

Upon arrival at the lakeside park, I catch onto the bike path connector that spans the un- ridable section of highway. It passes below the hospital, past the Salmon Creek Resivoir trail, a city water pump house station, and then up a pumpy little rise into a residential street that sits above a 20 ft tall retaining wall. Looking down on passing traffic can be amusing at times, but in the dark, riding without light, I enjoy the thought of not being able to be seen. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind caution, but I can't stand walker, joggers, and cyclist who think they need to display their gadgets and geekdom on the sidewalks and walking paths of society.

The next neighborhood is nearly just as dark. It follows a straightaway road that is separated from the highway by tidal marsh. Beyond the straightaway, it meanders into some of the most aesthetic curves in the whole city while gently attaining an ever so slight rise.

More to come... gotta get to work.

[Visentin]

Pity you didn't start this thread a year earlier when I did my daily 13km and return almost 100% of the time, with a peak by -14°C...
As my son is going to the nursery some 2km away, I used to take him there by bike in the autumn, but now he's got some virus about 50% of the time so I drop him by car. I also drive my wife to her work as she went back to work too... so I get about 1h of driving every day morning ! My dear cycling-commuting times, how much I miss them now...
But soon there will be the February break for both of them, so I'll get two weeks of commuting, alone again, without cars !! Then March, then April.. and I can't wait to pick my son by bike again, he loved it so much...

[RayMondo]

In my commute, wish such "bunnies" would freeze in front of my lights !

[BeDrinkable]

Back to topic, this morning was cool and clear, temps just under freezing, maybe 28F. Unlike yesterday, I was NOT the only cyclist on the road. I saw one other guy!

[Visentin]

how much is Celcius is 28F ?

[AnimalFromSpace]

I haven't commuted by bike since January. Too much snow.

I've been using my CX simply because it's faster. I do a round of errands usually, though on my old MTB around midday. I dumped the bike yesterday on the ice downtown. Also around -2C (28F) but I managed to land in a puddle of water. Soaked hands.

The city on the bike is a huge adrenaline blast.

[junodirtrider]

The city on the bike is a huge adrenaline blast.

Hey, Animal, way to lay it down, man!"
I love city rides!! A couple of my favorites ever is the great San Fransisco and the mile high city of Denver, CO.
Downtown Manhattan sounds like a great place for commuting!!! Way to pick a great profession too.

[RayMondo]

I too remember Downtown Manhattan as being fiendishly cold. Well, happend to turn up there on one of my Badminton tours in the middle of an Arctic blast. Without a windjacket, I spent a couple of days idling around 5th Avenue and the like, in and out of stores to keep warm. Then it was back to a fancy 17th floor amazing apartment next to Trump Tower that a player had a work assignment in the UN. Match training was 2 sets of run down 17 flights and back up again - 34 stories of ass-beating fun. Sure was super fit for my matches. Though the subsequent match in Mexico City at 7,360ft left me gasping

Um, sorry for the diversion. Though I have been back on the bike, bar the manic gales and rains squals here.

[BeDrinkable]

THIS is a Lemurian woman who knows how to fix bicycles using telepathy.

I need a new bike mechanic. She's hired!!

Commute was great. 26 degrees, calm wind, clear skies. The forecast calls for slight chance of snow flurries in the afternoon, but riding in snow can be wonderful.

[Visentin]

First commute of 2011 ! It was expected only next Monday, holidays in Poland (then no commuting for Dorota), but viruses kind of anticipated it. I had to remove in rush the studded tyres yesterday evening, odd since long, and pump back the standard ones.
A warm wind has been blowing during the last few days removing the last puddles of water, but it stopped today to give place again to frost. What's more the Wroclaw city services had to the brilliant idea to clean the streets, which were left with all their snow-remaining rubbish as late as now.
Clear blue sky, dry air, frozen ground, sunrise on the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Odra, my favourite spot. Everything I like !
The works on the bridge over the river Olawa I saw in December are almost finished, but engines dug little ruts in the piece of trail that goes in the forest.
I have rarely seen the level of both the Odra and the Olawa so low. Just like all snow had already melted. Early february, amazing when we think about the June 2010 floodings ! Looks like the spring has already started.
Hopefully in the beginning of March temperatures will be cool enough to drop my son by bike to the kindergarden again when he's back, which he loves.

[BeDrinkable]

Clear blue sky, dry air, frozen ground, sunrise on the pedestrian bridge that crosses the Odra, my favourite spot. Everything I like !

Nice!

[Visentin]

Impossible to go across the Olawa pedestrian bridge this morning !

[Visentin]

An idea: why not creating a commute album for each of us, showing our way to work ?