therodabides

I don't know how it is possible to have a headwind and a tailwind, but I was heading east today on Washington and when I was crossing the highway I had a huge gust of wind behind me to propel me up the incline and just when I reached the top, I got a wicked headwind that slowed me down. Nice commute, little above freezing, sharp crystal like snow, wet pavement. We dodged the worst of the projected snow storm, but my clothing was still a little wet from last nights slop. Better than being in a car or a crowded bus!

duckbill

I really dislike taking the car to work but with the insane weather we received last night along with the 70 kilometer an hour winds forecasted for today I joined the other cage drivers for my commute. It is not the snow / rain mix falling from the heavens so much as trying to peddle through it into extreme head winds plus the four wheel drivers are experiencing their first major storm of the season so they tend to drive worse then usual. I looked for bicyclists on my way in to no avail but did see two different sets of ribbon tracks in the fresh snow. One set was waffle, (mountain bike), and the other thin road tire prints. I will have to make sure I do not eat too much today without the means to burn it off.

EKW in DC

Fortunately the rain had all passed by the time I left for work at 7:45, though puddles abounded. Warmer than I expected. Realized once I stepped outside I wouldn't need my gloves this morning. Makes me curious to find out if anyone will get me those Cascadia fenders off my Amazon Christmas list!!!?

bpeder

What a slog in the SW Metro of the Twin Cities/Minneapolis and St. Paul this morning... 10" of new snow, and north winds 25 to 35 MPH. 8 degrees F. I ride north, staright into it. New goggles fogged immediatly and the "fog free" face mask was warm but not fog free. Sometimes I think a good winter beard is the best bet, but that sure won't help the ladies! Put the Velociraptors on last night. Glad I did. Bike paths were not plowed yet. With snow still falling and increased winds in the forecast, the plows will only work to keep driving lanes open. The shoulders had that packed but semi mushy powder that causes you to ride on the brink of disaster just about 100% of the time, and what pavement you could see was icy. Had to share with cars which is always nerve racking and arrived soaked in sweat, but it's better than surrender. I always arrive at work angry when I can't ride and an angry customer communication rep is worse than worthless... Hopefully tonight the plows will have been able to clear the shoulders or maybe even the paths. Watch your step out there friends!

HardyWeinberg

warming up, 8F vs 6F yesterday. Tried tripling up on gloves but it was an utter failure, had to stop <1/3 way in to strip out the layer I added (mini-fleece liners inside wool liners inside gore-texy bike gloves, the fleece ones were the offender).

dwilbur3

Second day in a row of low 20s (F). It's bad when Sacramento's colder than Vermont! I had 4 layers so only my feet were cold. It wouldn't be so bad if they'd heat our office a little better.

TheLifeOfBryan

70°F air was a welcome change, and the 20mph tailwind was awesome. The last turn near the office kinda sucked; suddenly I topped out at 11mph in first gear. Not really looking forward to the ride home.

TwoHeadsBrewing

Yep, pretty much the same temp up here...my face was a sheet of ice for the first 10 minutes of my ride. After the blood was flowing it was OK. I wish my gloves had a terrycloth thumb strip, to wipe away the tears. I get up to about 16mph and I start tearing up like crazy.

Minerva

For all those in the East who rode today - you get a gold star. I just had to laugh on the way in - with pounding rain, sleet and roaring winds, the floods on the roads made me feel like I was fording rivers all the way to work! Some people at work got angry with me for riding in, others were bemused and mystified. Regardless, I still made it to work on time and my choice to ride was the topic of conversation for all. I just shrugged and smiled. I enjoy a challenge.

paul2432

COLD!! -10F (-23 C). It actually wasn't too bad except for my glasses icing over. I pushed them down on my nose a bit and looked over the top. Got a fair number of "you road today?!?!?"s.

Paul

caloso

27F and bright sunshine. My hands were a bit chilly (I left my ski gloves at my folks' place at the lake) but other than that, it wasn't too bad. It will be up in the 40s this afternoon and that would be an ideal time to go for a long ride. Too bad about this whole having to work thing.

Stryver

WooHoo!

I thought it would be really nasty. Before I put my raingear on, I peeked outside and it was dumping buckets of water. When I was dressed, and walked out with the bike, it was drizzling and windy. Stayed that way all the way in. With running water covering every quasi-horizontal surface.

asphalt junkie

This forum gets really interesting this time of year. There's ice and snow on the roads here now and I've got to get some new tires so I can get back on the road and chime in with my own stories.

neilfein

49 degrees F when I left work. I stopped at the Dentist on the way home, so I got in an extra half hour of riding today.

katcorot

chilly ride today, -5C. pretty cold for our area. Getting more and more funny looks from people when I happen to use the train. Mostly about how I seem to wear so little in the chilly air. Using MEC cycling jacket and pants, great at keeping the rain and wind out. Forcast says snow starting this night and continueing for next 4-5 days. Should be fun, have to watch the cagers more. common sense eludes them here on the white stuff.

fletchh

Not too bad this morning, dry and at 30 F ( -1 C). The wind was a bit much, but only when I rode on roads next to hwys, then it was like a wind tunnel.
Tomorrow promises to be colder. The rain yesterday was rough, but the temps held, so it was bearable.

crazyed27

10F...-6 wind chill...I am leaving in 5 mins!

pharasz

Um, sorry to report to all you guys, it was mid 60's and dry, with a tail wind the whole way in. Wore my bike sandals - open toed and no socks. Drained my gatorade bottle as I was pouring sweat the whole 18.5 miles in. This makes up for all those rides home in August with 96 degree temps and 90 percent humidity.

RidingIsGood

20° (F) and light blowing snow, overcast. Still, it was pretty in its own way. And, I'm on a bike, so life is good.

truman

Cold and dark and dry. The sun's up, I've been here for half an hour and the thermometer says it's only 24F. I'm guessing it was a hair under 20 when I left the house at 6:15. I need better gloves - the rest of me did okay, but my fingertips were ouchy.

HardyWeinberg

33% warmer! 8F vs yesterday's 6. Peasoup fog pretty freaky vs the blinding sun of the rest of the week. Inversion setting in?

Gotta say, between the 33$ increase in warmth, adding an earband thingy, and not dropping my son at his school (in-laws in town, so not futzing at the bike rack w/ him, running into the gym and yakking while dressed pretty fully), just hopping on the bike and getting to work was pretty painless (literally, I had enough function in my fingers to unzip/unpack etc... as soon as I walked in the door).

2su

it was 2 degrees F this morning when I headed out... wind gusts greater than 40mph.

It was a decent ride... only saw 4 other commuters. I should have put on warmer shoes... my freewheel acted up a bit. I need to clean it out.

last nights ride home from school was beautiful... around 9pm... temp in the teens, and about an inch of snow packed on the side streets. such a quiet fun ride. Cold too.

chephy

Heh, interesting ride today. 15 degrees Fahrenheit, 35 mph winds and some snow and ice on the roads for a good measure. The best part was the long bridge I normally take: it's completely open to winds from every direction, so things can get very interesting, especially as natural wind gusts are superimposed upon the artificial ones created by passing busses and trucks. At least it has a bike lane, and it's even been sort of plowed.

fletchh

It was cold this morning at 16F ( -8C), but I stayed toasty. Dealing with foggy glasses, as I do every year. I had to go slower on down hill today, because of black ice, so that adds time to the ride. All the empty warehouses back here are kept tunnel dark during the week, but on Mondays, when I come in, this place is lit up like a stadium. I guess weekends are when people break into empty warehouses. Empty buildings are an interesting concept.

crazyed27

18 right now and no wind, not too bad!