2cam16

NASTY out there right now. I was lucky to get my ride in this morning. It was in the yellow and 50's on Canada but halfway up my climb through Hudart I started smelling the smoke. It got worse as I got higher. I heard this is through Saturday. Be safe out there,folks!

genejockey 

I was looking at Purple Air earlier today, and it was clear that there was a layer of smoke at higher elevations, so that it was red all down the spine of the Peninsula while being green or yellow in the lower lying areas. I suspect the C&V Ride SwimmerMike and I postponed from last Saturday till tomorrow will get scratched again.

cthenn

who's going out today? Oranges/reds out there, really no relief except the flats near Berkeley and parts of SF...it's borderline for me, I might go out with an N95 and do a shorter, easier ride today. Tomorrow afternoon it may improve so I can hopefully get a longer one in tomorrow. First smoked out day this fire season, sucks, but not nearly as awful as last year!

genejockey 

I'll be taking the dog for a walk because it's not so bad in San Mateo, but given that even LRAPA-adjusted AQI is >100 down in Woodside and Portola Valley, I'll be Zwifting if I ride at all today. Crossing fingers for tomorrow.

skidder

FWIW: Waiting for the hills to 'explode' down here in/around the Los Angeles basin area. The scrub brush on the hillsides is tinder-dry right now; one spark could cause an epic firestorm. We had one fire this past week in the Lytle Creek area (San Bernardino area, I-15 below Cajon Pass) but fortunately the winds didn't pick up, it got contained, and the smoke is blowing it eastward out toward the desert. Stay safe and healthy whichever part of the state you're in.

Barry2 

AQI=BAD

FulGaz to the rescue

Barry

cthenn

ended up doing a 45 mile ride, longer than I thought it was going to be. There was a pocket of decent air on the PA map near Crockett/Rodeo, so I masked up from home until I got there, then did a few laps up Crockett Blvd. In the end, the good air was really only down near the water, so it wasn't great for most of the ride, but at least I got out, and didn't feel too badly afterward. Hoping for better tomorrow!

2cam16

And I thought today was going to be better. It's at 100 in my area and 100-up in the Woodside area. Not the way to start my ride week. Be safe people.

stephr1

I'm down Sunnyvale/Mt. View way and it looked like the text book definition of smog - smoke and fog/overcast.

The numbers didn't look great on Purple Air but in my area it didn't seem to be too bad (actually good in small pockets) so I went out and did my near -sunrise ride this morning anyway. There was a small area I rode thru that did smell like smoke, but it didn't smell like wood (as in forest) burning so not sure exactly what that was.

genejockey 

I looked into it a bit. The Purple Air sensors apparently have a large, but very consistent bias with wildfire smoke, so that they tend to give higher numbers than more sophisticated monitors. For that reason, I PERSONALLY use the LRAPA adjustment when I use Purple Air. Right now, for example, in Brisbane where I am, the unadjusted Purple Air numbers are in the 80s and 90s. LRAPA adjusted numbers are around 55. When I look out the window, the sky is blue and I can see the trees and brush on Mt San Bruno pretty clearly, with only a bit of haze in between. I would not hesitate to ride in this air - except I'm at work.

I bring this up solely for information! Everyone has to make the decision for themselves what AQI they're willing to ride in, and whether or not they want to use any adjustments for the Purple Air numbers. They're your lungs, after all! When SwimmerMike and I made the decision the last two Saturdays to put off the C&V ride, we used the straight numbers out of an abundance of caution and we'll continue using those for the group ride. Cross your fingers for this Saturday.

Barry2 

You should find that THESE PurpleAir settings are close to the EPA numbers.
PurpleAir got the conversion directly from the US EPA.

Barry

genejockey 

Whatever adjustment you use, the key is always to use the same one.

cthenn

it's like having a power meter. Doesn't matter the actual number, just learn what number the AQ start to affect you. No matter the adjustment. I don't use any of the adjustments, and so I know what unadjusted value I start to feel bad, and what I can ride in.

Korina

As a former SoCal resident, I feel ya. Be safe.

cthenn

AQ has done a 180 from yesterday. Best day in weeks, actual blue skies and clean air. Today it's back in the 100's and supposed to continue like this (or get worse) for the next few days. And another heat up for Sunday/Labor Day, in addition to the smoke. We get stuck in these repetitive patterns which always seem to fall on the weekends. Very frustrating.

genejockey 

Looking at Purple Air and graphing some of the nearby stations, it looks like the AQI went from 17 at 9 PM to around 65 by midnight (LRAPA adjusted).

2cam16

The chances of it getting bad always at the end of the week is puzzling.

genejockey 

You seem to be unfamiliar with Murphy's Law and associated Corollaries.

cthenn

It's the same during winter, when it rains, always on the weekends. Perhaps I shouldn't complain, considering what we're going through, but storms always seem to roll through on the weekends. Then I get to watch the sun come out while living my best cubicle life during the week...

genejockey 

I'd pay real money for a winter storm, right about now.

spdntrxi

heat pushes the crappy air down

2cam16

Another bad start to the day. There goes another ride cancelled. Be safe out there.

genejockey 

I got one of those "Congratulations on a year of Zwift!" emails the other day, which reminded me what was going on a year ago, and why I signed up for Zwift in the middle of the dry season. And now I'm back on Zwift again, in the middle of the dry season.

Joe Bikerider

Stop complaining about rain. Get a bike with good fenders and embrace it. I know it might seem hard to go out the door into a storm. I’m looking forward to it.

2cam16