The Fat Guy In The Back
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Sioux Falls, SD
Posts: 2,532
Bikes: '81 Panasonic Sport, '02 Giant Boulder SE, '08 Felt S32, '10 Diamondback Insight RS, '10 Windsor Clockwork, '15 Kestrel Evoke 3.0, '19 Salsa Mukluk
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Consecutive bicycle work commute numbers 1354:
High wind warning today. Steady winds at 25 mph gusting well into the 40 mph range at times. This morning's temp started at 21°F and will decline throughout the day to drop below zero tonight. Add the wind chill and things are pretty chilly out there.
I had three different destinations today. Thankfully I had some flexibility in them, so I rearranged the order that let me ride straight into the wind this morning and get that out of the way. Then the next couple rides and the ride home tonight will be mostly tail/cross winds.
Because I was going to be fighting a strong wind, I decided to take the road bike. It's pretty rare I ever get to ride the road bike in February, but we've gotten so little snow so far this season that most of the pavement is pretty dry. There are a few icy spots here and there, but with a little care I can either ride around them or cross them without any incident on my skinny tires. Just have to keep a vigilant eye out for black ice, especially after the sun goes down.
The lack of snow has been great from a commuting perspective, but terrible from a drought perspective. As much as I hate having to ride through big snowstorms, we need a handful of major snow events before spring or we're in big trouble.