My Morning Commute

[americancyclo]

@thecyclingeconomist 37443 wrote:

ouch

I always worry about sliding out at the bottom of my garage ramp too. It’s a tight turn and wet conditions make it even worse. Hope you and your gear are ok.

[Greenbelt]

@Certifried 37434 wrote:

thanks, great words of wisdom there. I don’t think I beat myself up too badly, but I do wish I’d ride more. I’m still fighting this cold, and was all prep’d to ride this morning. Once again, I didn’t, but felt my excuse was valid. I’m still coughing up a lot of crap out of my chest. I did, however, stop deciding whether to use my trainer or not based on whether I was going to ride the next day or not. That way, no matter what, I at least got a decent trainer ride in. Actually, the trainer feels harder than a real ride! So I’m still getting my exercise in now, which makes me feel OK about not riding because I’m too wimpy LOL.

Hey Mark, FYI Deena was maybe looking for a pilot this weekend if you’re feeling better. She has her own tandem now. -Jeff

[DismalScientist]

@thecyclingeconomist 37443 wrote:

ouch

I did something similar at about 2 mph in my garage. I’m so glad they hosed down the ramp earlier.:rolleyes: Sometimes even speed doesn’t matter.

PS. Nice lights. You can see them illuminating the street signs in daylight.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@thecyclingeconomist 37443 wrote:

Skip to 2:30-ish for the more entertaining part… stupid reduced coefficient of friction forced my bike to enter into a power slide and me with it…

How did you edit out the cursing without the sound going out?

[thecyclingeconomist]

@ShawnoftheDread 37450 wrote:

How did you edit out the cursing without the sound going out?

No cursing… just another learning experience. Only reason I shared is because it caught me off-guard and I want others to not make the same mistake. Manhole covers are the same: like black ice! I had no idea until moving here. (I used to commute on solely back-country roads, so didn’t have to deal with the city-obstacles)

[americancyclo]

@Certifried 37434 wrote:

I don’t think I beat myself up too badly, but I do wish I’d ride more. I’m still fighting this cold…I’m still coughing up a lot of crap out of my chest.

Remember to listen to your body. There is no iron-clad rule about being the most badass winter commuter (although i guess we do have a challenge going now) and you shouldn’t force yourself to ride. Sometimes I’m so excited to ride the next morning, I have a hard time falling asleep. Other mornings, like today, I stared out the window for a while, waiting for a car to illuminate the roads to see how wet they were. I finally went outside, and when I felt the light, cold drizzle, I said “forget this, I’m riding the tin can on rails.” I had gotten really excited to stop by #fridaycoffeeclub for the first time in two months, but I knew I’d be damp and cranky by the time I got to work. There’s no reason to make yourself suffer. If you’re miserable riding, it won’t help you return to health any quicker either. If you enjoy the misery and suffering is the whole point of the ride however, feel free to knock yourself out.

[jabberwocky]

This morning was some sort of record for “almost getting run over” for me. First was a school bus in Reston that HAD to pass me 100 feet before they had to swerve right to pickup kids (and since they didn’t actually have time to pass me, I never saw their flashing lights, and I was still next to them when they did the cut over part). Second was a driver who tried to make a last minute left across me and didn’t take time to judge my speed (I was going almost 30). Fortunately both our brakes worked. Three and four were both Great Falls idiots who said “screw this blind corner and oncoming traffic, I’m squeezing around you anyway!”

MY commute is weird. Sometimes I go weeks/months without an issue, then almost get run over 4 times in 7 miles.

[Terpfan]

The parking garage floors are definitely the part that makes me the most nervous in the morning. The garage at my work is particularly steep and makes sort of upside down L. I can’t really go down slowly without wearing my brakes down significantly so I try to go slower and cut sort of wide turns. The other thing that always makes nervous are wet leaves with turns at the bottom of hills.

[JimF22003]

A couple of years ago I took a turn a bit too fast on a PAINTED oily surface in a parking garage. I landed hard on my left hip. Within an hour I had developed a hematoma the size of a honeydew melon that didn’t go down all the way for six months… I went to the ER and they took all kinds of pictures etc., but they couldn’t just drain it because the swelling was more than just blood. Now I take that turn REAL slow…

[TwoWheelsDC]

Last year, the completely straight and level entrance to my parking garage was surfaced with some type of sealant that I’m convinced is a new-found, temperature-stable form of ice. One time, I was riding across it completely straight and level, and my rear wheel kicked out about 6 inches before catching and then nearly throwing me over the frontside of my bike. Thankfully the surface has been de-glossed, but it still freaks me out every time I ride over it.

[Certifried]

@Greenbelt 37446 wrote:

Hey Mark, FYI Deena was maybe looking for a pilot this weekend if you’re feeling better. She has her own tandem now. -Jeff

I’ll probably make the 10am ride. Does she have a way to get the tandem to the shop? I’m not sure if I’m driving there, or biking there. It depends on how early I wake up, and whether Tony is coming along or not.

[Rod Smith]

…

[TwoWheelsDC]

I’m going to start calling the stretch of westbound Washington Blvd from Sycamore to Westmoreland the “I-66 north branch”. Jeez, it’s such a mess in the mornings as 4 lanes of cars attempt to merge onto a single lane on-ramp. Thankfully, it only creates a minor inconvenience for me most days, but I did have to jump on the sidewalk this morning because everyone was crowding the right. Other than that though, it was kind of a delightful morning. I think the fog made the temperature really pleasant and, even though I overdressed slightly, I didn’t overheat going up hills or freeze on descents. It also helped that my legs felt really fresh. Maybe forgetting to set an alarm and bolting out of bed to get ready is the key….

[Dirt]

[dcv]

My morning commute sucked. Got all the way to work, literally at doorsteps and slid out on wet leaves on the last turn. Went down fast, as if on ice. Landed funny on my hip and knew I broke something. I laid on the ground unable to get up for about 10 min, finally a coworker walked by and called an ambulance. Had to be transported on stretcher.

Fractured my femur grand trochanter, hurts like hell. Won’t be able to do the Rapha Festive 500.

My next year’s resolution will be to not to break any more bones (last year it was my clavicle). Or at least learn to ride better and not fall off the darn bike again.

[Author]

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