First commute by bike for the 2005 season...

[Kevan]

Really no big deal, 20+ miles is all to get back home. Fact is our weekend looks to be more suitable for ark riding, so I best get in my kicks while I can.

Gotta go...

[Sandy]

This Friday is an excellent day for you to start the 20+ miles as it is going to be a rainy weekend. You should finish your first commute by Monday and not miss any weekend rides. :)

Sandy

[Kevan]

By the time I got myself dressed, shut-off the computer, dealt with some friendly office catcalls, and got myself out of the building, it was almost 5:30p.m., with an overcast sky that didn't allow me much light to make it all the way home. But a few good things came out of the short ride I had. First, that Serotta is meant for commuting; the paint job simply glows in the dark, while everything was fading into darkness, that fork was the nearest thing to a glowing beacon (No, I don't have a headlight. Yes, I'll fix that.). Second, if you know you're doing something slightly risky, it's good to have a cell phone with you, now if only the coverage was better in the more remote sections of my ride. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, dealing with my red blinky tail light, my saddle bag doesn't sport the hooking loop as do the bigger models so the light has to be clipped onto some part of me, which is perfectly fine. Usually, the light is clipped to a back pocket, but last night I stopped at one point to switch from my light jacket to a vest and in doing so I parked my light to the left cuff of my shorts, positioned at the back of my thigh, light pointing aft. I finished swapping clothes and looked down at the blicking light and thought that this might just be the best solution for sporting a taillight. Now I can glance down and see that it's operating properly and it's now positioned to my extreme left, potentially giving me more breathing space from passing vehicles. With my pedal stroke the light appears to be jumping up and down and will hopefully flag unawear drivers with a, "Yoooo Hoooo, I'm here!!!"

Today, the NE is socked with rain for the entire weekend. One of my pals tried to entice me with a ride, but with temps in the upper 40's, I just don't see the fun in getting wet and cold.

[Kevan]

Bike commuting is getting into full swing and the new-old Serotta is getting its workout. Today, it’s here again, holding up the cubicle wall, waiting patiently for our 5p.m. departure. The staff are still remarking on its paint job. The cat whistling continues…

I’ve made my stance on bike computers abundantly clear; I hate their clutter and distraction. However, this doesn’t mean I’m against training and using my wristwatch for timing. Rather, I have one particular route home where certain points in the ride I can time my progress easily and push myself harder. My route home is petty hilly so an average of 20 mph is not very likely for my talents, but I know I can come close to it as I continue to attack this course ever day I commute it. The straightest route home is about 21 miles and last night I did it in 1 hour fifteen minutes, a 16.8 avg. In the near future, I expect to have the ride shaved by another 5 maybe almost 10 minutes, up to an 18 or 19.5 average. I can feel the winter’s coat hanging heavy on my frame, so I’m looking forward to this riding melting that fat away.

[BURCH]

What roads are you riding in Westchester. I work in Elmsford and before my wife and I bought our first house in Norwalk, I used to be able to bike to work from P'ville, Ossining, and Crestwood (all rentals). I miss those bike commutes. The Bike trail that runs near briarcliff always got me to within a mile of work :) Those days are gone now.

[Kevan]

"What roads are you riding in Westchester."

Every dang road north of 287 would have to be my answer. I've been all over northern Westchester. Being in Chappaqua, just North of Pleasantville, you and I probably crossed paths during our riding. Many of our club rides in fact leave from the Millwood A&P, if you might recall that location. Most of the rides from there head us north on route 100 and from there we can split off in what seems to be a million different directions.

Had a funny run in with Ossining not too long ago where I took Mikemets off into the Tarrytown, Briarcliff and Ossining areas to ride. I got myself so turned around that at one point we rode into this village and I had to ask a passing cyclist where we were. It's great getting lost, even though I never really was THAT lost. Westchester is really an amazing place to ride. Here we are not 40 miles from the Big Apple and we can find little quiet roads where little to no traffic bothers us. I will admit that there are some roads that will test any rider's merit, because of the traffic level, and the conditions of the road, but we try to keep those experiences to a minimum. Suffice it to say the network of roads is so comprehensive; I'll probably never ride every road we got here.

The commute yesterday was again a pleasure; I'm growing fonder and fonder of the Serotta and no longer notice its weight. My timing home was about the same as the day before. I was feeling better yesterday than the day before and thinking I did a better job of jumping out of the blocks, but there was more wind to contend with that I think zeroed out any improved performance on my part.

Now here's a first for this forum... I'm on the route that connects Armonk to Mt. Kisco (the route number escapes me) and I ride up to some sauntering deer crossing the road. They're completely relaxed, taking their sweet time crossing, that I'm actually get pretty close to them. I give a little yell and the two gracefully jump from the road over a guardrail on into the woods. As I pass from where they jumped, I'm enveloped in a fog of deer fart. EEEEeeeeeeeeeeiiiiooooooooooooo!!!!