My Morning Commute

[Certifried]

sucked I drove today, despite knowing the weather would be nice. I ate at the “Original Pancake House” in Bethesda yesterday, and by afternoon was feeling pretty nauseous. I’m not sure it was the food, nor do I really have any idea what the issue was really. Still feeling a little “blech” today, and woke up way too late to ride.

Just another manic Monday.

Topic

[vvill]

@hozn 124855 wrote:

Yeah, it is too hard to remember and too much work to think about in the morning so I just have rules now that I follow. (E.g. below 60° knees get covered, mid 50s arms & ears, 40s feet, etc.). I am delicate and not really looking to make my commute an exercise in masochism.

Yeah the only time I’ll not bring a layer like that is if it’s a long ride where I really won’t need it for more than a few miles, or if it’s a race/event where I won’t have the opportunity to shed any layers. My temperature thresholds might be about 10F higher than yours though (70F minimum for knee warmers, 60F for long sleeves, etc.)

I’d rather not be freezing cold even for the first 10 minutes on a commute. Guess I’m getting old.

[Anonymous]

Was cold, then warm, then freezing, then eventually warm again except for the toes which are just now thawing out. Was wearing summer shoes but winter socks. Not quite sufficient. Yes, I know 95% of you think I’m nuts for needing to break out the winter boots in the low 50s. But I do, and it is almost time.

There’s this weird temperature thing that sometimes happens on my commute where the temperature drops sometimes as much as 10 degrees right around miles 10-12– conveniently just as I am getting nicely warm and sweaty from a bit of climbing and then hit a 30mph descent. brrrrr. Today, according to strava at least, it only dropped 7 degrees, from 61F to 54F. I don’t know if I’m just getting far enough out in the burbs to escape the urban heat island, or if there is some other weather pattern that occurs, but I don’t much like it.

[lordofthemark]

Ride this AM was great, and as stress free as I have ever had, at least until Eye Street where peds and drivers were doing more than the usual number of silly things. I added my light windbreaker to my biking outfit, which worked for me. Even Maine Avenue was good with the lighter traffic.

Sounds like yesterday was good also, but it being Yom Kippur I could not take advantage of the light traffic for the papal visit. On the other hand I am now inspired to go FAST.

[chris_s]

Nice weather, a FastFriendlyGuy sighting and a friendly “Nice Bakfiets!” from a passing cyclist. Hard to go wrong. This afternoon I will try out a new “pick the kids up straight from work in the Bakfiets” maneuver which may become the new Thursday routine. *crosses fingers*

[TwoWheelsDC]

@Amalitza 124868 wrote:

There’s this weird temperature thing that sometimes happens on my commute where the temperature drops sometimes as much as 10 degrees right around miles 10-12– conveniently just as I am getting nicely warm and sweaty from a bit of climbing and then hit a 30mph descent. brrrrr. Today, according to strava at least, it only dropped 7 degrees, from 61F to 54F. I don’t know if I’m just getting far enough out in the burbs to escape the urban heat island, or if there is some other weather pattern that occurs, but I don’t much like it.

4MR does this pretty drastically in the Glencarlyn area when you’re riding the W&OD westbound from the river. It seems most noticeable on those rare warm winter evenings or in the evenings of spring/fall, when the days are warm but the nights are cold. You’re nice and warm and enjoying the ride and then you cross Columbia Pike and boom, temperature drops 5-10 degrees in a matter of seconds.

[colleen]

@TwoWheelsDC 124874 wrote:

4MR does this pretty drastically in the Glencarlyn area when you’re riding the W&OD westbound from the river. It seems most noticeable on those rare warm winter evenings or in the evenings of spring/fall, when the days are warm but the nights are cold. You’re nice and warm and enjoying the ride and then you cross Columbia Pike and boom, temperature drops 5-10 degrees in a matter of seconds.

Also on the MVT right after passing the Marina going south onto the wooden boardwalks – the temperature drop is usually a welcome change for me in the evenings, right before tackling the big hill into Old Town.

[GovernorSilver]

As I was crossing the Rt. 1 to Washington St I noticed the bridge itself also had broken glass all over it. City of Alexandria manages this bridge, right? Already called VDOT about the broken glass on the MUP along Rt. 1.

Rode on the sidewalks along Washington St. Traffic was indeed higher speed. Somewhere north of King St. I encountered pedestrians walking two and three abreast so I switched to the road – by this time and location car traffic had lightened up considerably. I didn’t have to be on the road long before reaching Abingdon and its access to MVT. I think I might do St. Asaph or something – a street with stoplights and slower traffic would be ideal.

Took my normal route up 15th, then Madison through National Mall. Got all the way to 3rd St NW before encountering the metal barricade. I didn’t want to get in trouble with the cops for salmoning on Madison, so I took Maryland -> 4th St. -> Pennsylvania -> Constitution -> etc. to K St. I Idaho-rolled through some red lights to get to 3rd St. baiskill was right – the cops, soldiers, and whatnot were too occupied with other things to chase me down and ticket me.

Pleasant morning ride overall.

[hozn]

@vvill 124867 wrote:

Yeah the only time I’ll not bring a layer like that is if it’s a long ride where I really won’t need it for more than a few miles, or if it’s a race/event where I won’t have the opportunity to shed any layers. My temperature thresholds might be about 10F higher than yours though (70F minimum for knee warmers, 60F for long sleeves, etc.)

Well, it was only 57F this AM, so on the cusp of arm-warmers decision, but I regretted not having them. Especially riding through Hunter Mill valley; temps drop at least 5F through there. In general riding westward means getting colder. I wore ear warmers, though; there’s nothing worse than cold ears!

Seeing people year round on the trail, in what is ostensibly comfortable clothing, has taught me that everyone is different when it comes to temperature comfort. I see folks riding in jackets in the sunny afternoon when it’s in the 60s and think that they must be completely bonkers. Then I see folks riding in shorts in near-freezing temps and figure they must be freezing. And sometimes the red skin and blue lips confirms that they actually are freezing … and then I think they’re just idiots

[GovernorSilver]

People cycling in shorts when it’s under 50F wouldn’t surprise me anymore – not as much as women in cocktail dresses/miniskirts/short dresses and bare legs walking at night when it’s under 40 F.

[worktheweb]

This morning I was stopped by the Secret Service at 15th and Independence, about 5 minutes later the Pope drove by on his way to the Capitol. He was smiling and waving. Aside from that there were no other issues on my route. Pleasant morning.

[bentbike33]

@Amalitza 124868 wrote:

There’s this weird temperature thing that sometimes happens on my commute where the temperature drops sometimes as much as 10 degrees right around miles 10-12– conveniently just as I am getting nicely warm and sweaty from a bit of climbing and then hit a 30mph descent. brrrrr. Today, according to strava at least, it only dropped 7 degrees, from 61F to 54F. I don’t know if I’m just getting far enough out in the burbs to escape the urban heat island, or if there is some other weather pattern that occurs, but I don’t much like it.

I think it is a confluence of a higher density of trees or other vegetation, calm winds and (mercifully) lower dew points. I regularly find 2 cold spots on my morning commute: at the Rt. 7/I-66 cloverleaf, and (more prominently) along the W&OD in Falls Church City, especially between Great Falls St. and Little Falls St (this one you can even get in the afternoon sometimes). The process of transpiration in plants (releasing water vapor into the air) pulls the temperature closer the dew point in highly vegetated locations.

[DaveK]

@worktheweb 124911 wrote:

This morning I was stopped by the Secret Service at 15th and Independence, about 5 minutes later the Pope drove by on his way to the Capitol. He was smiling and waving. Aside from that there were no other issues on my route. Pleasant morning.

Did we meet? I was chatting with a couple of people at the intersection…

https://twitter.com/notthatdsk/status/647035693135491072

[worktheweb]

@DaveK 124932 wrote:

Did we meet? I was chatting with a couple of people at the intersection…

https://twitter.com/notthatdsk/status/647035693135491072

It looks like you were a block away. I was at 15th and Independence on the SW corner. Good shot — my camera got before and after, but not the pope himself.

[KWL]

@DaveK 124932 wrote:

Did we meet? I was chatting with a couple of people at the intersection…

https://twitter.com/notthatdsk/status/647035693135491072

The Pope is being driven around in a Fiat 500L? At first I thought “Fiat – Italy…of course” then realized the 500L is built in Serbia.

[TwoWheelsDC]

@KWL 124949 wrote:

The Pope is being driven around in a Fiat 500L? At first I thought “Fiat – Italy…of course” then realized the 500L is built in Serbia.

I think it’s a visual pun on absolute papal authority.

[Author]

Replies