My Morning Commute

[Harry Meatmotor]

@dasgeh 108253 wrote:

I got to ride through unexpected snow. It was the best kind — enough snow to feel like you’re riding through snow, but not enough to effect visibility, and warm enough nothing was sticking. Yay!

and to the lady who remarked, “I love riding my bike in snow like this!” at the intersection of Jefferson Dr. and 3rd St – you made my day!

[Arlingtonrider]

@Harry Meatmotor 108267 wrote:

and to the lady who remarked, “I love riding my bike in snow like this!” at the intersection of Jefferson Dr. and 3rd St – you made my day!

. . . ummm, that might have been a certain forum member. 😮 You seemed to be enjoying the day too – “It’s best time of year,” I think you said.

[brendan]

@vern 108262 wrote:

I had a late morning commute and had the same experience. But the wind is already becoming wicked out of the north and west.

Indeed. After crossing Maple avenue in Vienna heading west early this afternoon, where I usually encounter the beginning of a fun two mile downhill, I instead hit a wall of wind that nearly stopped me on my tracks. I had to push through a bit and get down off the peak of the hill to be able to coast at all.

Today’s commute out to Herndon was almost as long as the longest ice and snow commutes earlier this winter.

B

[dplasters]

It may have been the cold (virus) that I’m getting over, it may have been the cold wind I road into for the first mile of my commute, it may have been that I haven’t ridden any real distance in three days due to the cold (virus). The first mile or two this morning stole my lungs from me. Literally breath taking.

[dbb]

My Garmin read 9.5F on the mall at about 0715. Bundle up and stay safe.

[americancyclo]

@dbb 108326 wrote:

My Garmin read 9.5F on the mall at about 0715. Bundle up and stay safe.

Mine crept up from 5F to 7F on my short multi-modal commute

[Geoff]

10 degrees by the thermometer on my handlebars.
“7” on the Rosslyn Monolith after I went by at 6:52.
6 other riders between East Falls Church and Union Station.

I’m very glad the wind was at my back. I was toasty most of the way, but the wind sure stung my face when I turned into it.

[Powerful Pete]

Wind behind me on the way in. Temperatures this morning made this commuting thing beyond silly.

I loved it.

[worktheweb]

I grew some serious icicles on the beard this morning. When I got to the Friday Coffee Club at Swing’s I was dripping water as it melted. It was a cold ride, but I was dressed for it. It was definitely good getting hot coffee and seeing friends at Swing’s. The cyclocomputer said the ride started at 10°F and ended at 15°F, definitely lets you know you’re alive

[Powerful Pete]

LOL worktheweb, you know it’s bad when you are riding in temps where I don’t even have to convert F to C…

[PotomacCyclist]

I didn’t ride for a few days, then I decide to ride today of all days. And I’m not even signed up for Freezing Saddles. I doubled up on layers, including tri bike shorts, tights and sweatpants over that. I was mostly OK except for my forehead and cheeks. I had an Under Armour balaclava, but if I pull it up all the way, my glasses fog up immediately. So I left the bottom part down a bit.

The worst was my forehead. Feels like someone smacked me across the head 200 times with an ice stick. There’s no protection from the wind at Gravelly Point and on the George Mason/14th St. Bridge. Yikes! My forehead has never hurt like that before. Maybe I should have tried to pull down the balaclava an inch further… ?

Since I rode CaBi in, at least I don’t need to ride back in the evening. Metro it is for the return trip.

[Terpfan]

This morning I paid my dues for enjoying the NW gusts on my ride home last night by riding into the wind the entire time. And, for what it’s worth, the Potomac did not have that many whitecaps last night! Literally, as I crested the Humpback Bridge, I had to pedal with force to actually make it down that hill. Apologies to anyone who heard me murmuring ‘wtf’ aloud to myself as I exerted effort just to make downhill stretches.

Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t had to military crawl underneath my home’s crawlspace to look at the malfunctioning furnace this morning or if my iphone batter hadn’t died at Key Bridge, where a gust almost knocked me over. I won’t lie though, I decided before the last 3-4 miles of my journey I could stop to have a cup of coffee.

May the winds hold up long enough for me to enjoy riding them home (and forecast says they won’t and may even switch directions, hahahaha).

[PotomacCyclist]

At least you’ll be able to tell your grandchildren about that day when you biked both ways against the wind, on a route that took you uphill in both directions.

But for me, one beatdown from Mother Nature is enough for one day. Plus the heating seems to be broken in my building right now. It feels like it’s 50F indoors.

[dplasters]

The ice on the front of my buff tells me it was cold outside.

[Phatboing]

Today I learned that going tubeless with tires not rated for tubelessness was probably not the most optimal life choice for me.

[Author]

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