My Evening Commute

[Dickie]

Was not my finest. It started OK as I stopped off at Bikenetic to see Dirt and talk new cross/commuter tires as mine are completely shot and flatting all the time. Dirt was not around but Jan was glad to help out. I left informed but without new rubber for now. Back on the WOD and being careful to elude the dreaded FCPD I slowed at the Grove St. crossing only to be passed by a dude with absolutely no regard for the stop sign. He flew through the intersection just as I was getting clipped in without even a look. He then pulled the ultimate DB move, passing (and nearly clipping) two woman with strollers as they crossed paths with a gentleman walking towards them… yep, four abreast with him at speed. The gentleman yelled and put his hands out for protection and the ladies screamed. I slowed, apologized for his behavior and chased the scum down. As I got next to him (and gestured for him to remove his headphones) I became possessed by a sudden calmness (weird). I decided to politely explain what I had just witnessed and suggested better methods for future situations… he tolerated my intrusion and then I flatted. DANG IT! Luckily it was directly in front of the “Free Air” station on the WOD so I rolled my bike to the station, leaned my steed against the air machine (you can see where this is going), started taking off my back pack when I watched my bike slowly roll forward and fall against the pole…. result:

Needless to say, wasn’t a great ride home.

Topic

[OneEighth]

Knew I should have ridden the bike with the basket up front…

[rcannon100]

@OneEighth 114098 wrote:

Reason: And your little dog, too!

I dont know. My little foster dog is pretty ferocious!

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[komorebi]

Today is the 1-year anniversary of my first bike commute! At this time last year, I wasn’t sure how the logistics of bike commuting would work but I was willing to give it a try, so I biked into work on a Sunday, left my bike at the office overnight, and then biked home on Monday evening. It’s a good thing that there was better weather and fewer gnats on this day last year, or I might not have continued commuting.

A few random statistics from my first year of commuting:

— Items of reflective or illuminating clothing or gear acquired: eleven. (Four types of lights, three ankle bands, two types of reflective stickers, one vest, and one pair of cycling tights.)
— Photos on my phone of spectacular sunrises over the Potomac that I otherwise wouldn’t have seen: forty-two.
— Coldest commute: about 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
— Warmest commute: about 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
— Number of times that I thought to myself, “Wow, this is crazy fun!”: nearly every time I commuted.
— Number of times that I thought to myself, “Okay, now this is just crazy”: two. (Once when dealing with extremely gusty crosswinds on the 14th Street bridge, and once when discovering for the first time that sleet really stings.)

Best of all, I’m stronger, happier, and healthier in ways that can’t be quantified but that I can definitely feel.

[dkel]

…was one of the ones that makes bike commuting awesome:

1) night commute (always great)
2) perfect temperature—nice and cool
3) had the trail almost all to myself, until…
4) I was startled out of my reverie by what appeared to be a bunch of bunnies on the trail, but it was actually five or six baby foxes! They were naive enough not to get out of the way very quickly, so after slowing suddenly(!) I got a good look at them, and they were so cute!

Anyway…bikes! Right? Awesome!

[Sunyata]

@dkel 114746 wrote:

…was one of the ones that makes bike commuting awesome:

1) night commute (always great)
2) perfect temperature—nice and cool
3) had the trail almost all to myself, until…
4) I was startled out of my reverie by what appeared to be a bunch of bunnies on the trail, but it was actually five or six baby foxes! They were naive enough not to get out of the way very quickly, so after slowing suddenly(!) I got a good look at them, and they were so cute!

Anyway…bikes! Right? Awesome!

I love stories like this. You would never in a million years have been able to get that close to adorable little foxes in a car or on the metro (or, even notice them!). 😎

[ShawnoftheDread]

So you’re saying that because of your bike you were possibly nearly bitten by an enraged, rabid mother fox? Yeah, yay for bikes.

[Steve O]

@dkel 114746 wrote:

…was one of the ones that makes bike commuting awesome:
but it was actually five or six baby foxes! They were naive enough not to get out of the way very quickly, so after slowing suddenly(!) I got a good look at them, and they were so cute!

Anyway…bikes! Right? Awesome!

Notwithstanding Dread’s cycnicism, over the years on my commutes I have had the opportunity to see (insects and everyday animals like geese and rabbit and squirrel not included):

• Deer (yawn)
• Fox
• Snake (long, too–across almost the entire CCT)
• Bats
• Owl (flying along with me, very cool)
• Raccoons
• Turtles
• Egrets
• Herons
• Vulture
• Eagle
• And a fleeting, unidentified animal that I like to believe was a cougar, even though there are none reportedly living in this region

[mstone]

If we’re taking orders, I’d be happy smelling fewer carcasses.

[KayakCyndi]

Cannot come soon enough. I SOOOOO need a/another bike ride today.

[Powerful Pete]

@KayakCyndi, remember tomorrow is May 1st. Ergo a holiday for the entire world (with the exception of this country). So vested with the autority of no one and nothing at all, I hereby grant you tomorrow, Friday, May 1st, 2015, as a day off.

If your employer has any issues with this they can PM me and I will respond. On Monday. Following my long weekend.

Hah.

[vern]

Nothing like hearing that zizzzz sound in the air as lightening flashed directly overhead to quicken up the pace on the home-bound commute.

[slowtriguy]

I was riding along this afternoon, feeling my itchy eyes and stuffy nose. I looked down and thought, ‘My tire isn’t usually that yellow…’ Nothing like a little pollen to make my grey tire a bit brighter… Thanks nature. Or something.

[dkel]

@Steve O 114782 wrote:

Notwithstanding Dread’s cycnicism, over the years on my commutes I have had the opportunity to see (insects and everyday animals like geese and rabbit and squirrel not included):

• Deer (yawn)
• Fox
• Snake (long, too–across almost the entire CCT)
• Bats
• Owl (flying along with me, very cool)
• Raccoons
• Turtles
• Egrets
• Herons
• Vulture
• Eagle
• And a fleeting, unidentified animal that I like to believe was a cougar, even though there are none reportedly living in this region

My favorite thus far was what I thought was a giant, green beetle that matched speed with me, until I realized that it was a hummingbird. It flew along just in front of me for about 10 seconds, and then veered off; I could have reached out and touched it. Just magical!

[vern]

@slowtriguy 114853 wrote:

I was riding along this afternoon, feeling my itchy eyes and stuffy nose. I looked down and thought, ‘My tire isn’t usually that yellow…’ Nothing like a little pollen to make my grey tire a bit brighter… Thanks nature. Or something.

Haha…as I was riding home (before the rain) I looked down and noticed that my front tire appeared to have a yellowish hue, but then I decided I must be imagining things. Apparently not.

[consularrider]

@Steve O 114782 wrote:

Notwithstanding Dread’s cycnicism, over the years on my commutes I have had the opportunity to see (insects and everyday animals like geese and rabbit and squirrel not included):

• Deer (yawn)
• Fox
• Snake (long, too–across almost the entire CCT)
• Bats
• Owl (flying along with me, very cool)
• Raccoons
• Turtles
• Egrets
• Herons
• Vulture
• Eagle
• And a fleeting, unidentified animal that I like to believe was a cougar, even though there are none reportedly living in this region

What, no coyote yet? Also the osprey (both the bird and the plane).

[Author]

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