How was your ride today? Week of Dec. 20, 2010

Submitted by pinkrobe on

My CaCl intake is way up this year! Bleagh! How was your ride today?

p.s.: Don't forget to post pathway and on-street bike route conditions in the main bike route conditions forum instead of the "How was your ride today?" postings. It makes it easier for new members to find out what's going on in their neck of the woods. Cheers!

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Detours, Traffic and Iced-up Cassette

Submitted by bclark on

The wind was a bit chilli but the bigger problem was my iced-up cassette about 10mn into my ride. While not totally detrimental it did lead to a fair bit of chain skip.

If you haven't already set-out there is a detour on the south side pathway just east of Crowchild Trail. I'm not sure if the river has overflowed the path or what but you will have to go south arount it. The detour is decently marked.

Also, what was with all the traffic this morning? Both Memorial and Bow Trail were backed way up.

Working hard

Submitted by pinkrobe on

Oy! That was a wind today! I couldn't figure out why I was working so hard on the ride in. I wasn't hung over, I didn't have a flat, and Sunday had been spent half-asleep on the couch so I wasn't tired.

With the reduced ice and snow on the roads, cars are moving faster and taking more chances. Be careful out there...

Good Ride

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

Mental preparedness for a "cooler than it has been" kinda' ride made it feel not so bad. The mind is a powerful tool....if I only can remember to use it. I met up with another cyclist who was super friendly, he greeted me cheerily and was chatting to lots of other people along the way. Must be the Christmas spirit.

Happy Winter Solstice

Submitted by gyrospanner on

It's tomorrow, so when you're riding in, remind yourself that "the days will start to get longer from now on......"

Also, tonight, there is a lunar eclipse starting later in the evening. It's a two sided coin here,

1) If it's clear, you'll get to see the eclipse but it will be really cold riding in in the morning.

2) If it's cloudy, no eclipse, not so cold.

Either way, have a cocktail, it's almost Christmas!

I got up really early last week to see the Geminid meteor shower, but it was cloudy (and definitely warmer than it was this morning!).

Cheers!

I read...

Submitted by Scott on

I read the following today..

It’s believed this is the first time a lunar eclipse has happened in tandem with winter solstice in nearly four centuries.

According to the Rothney Astrophysical Observatory (RAO), the eclipse will begin about 11:30 p.m. Monday and will become full at 12:40 a.m. Tuesday and last for 73 minutes.

It is expected to reach its reddest point at about 1:16 a.m.

Not sure if I will get up or not. Will set the alarm and try though.

I can see!

Submitted by pinkrobe on

I've been fiddling with my bike light, trying to figure out why it was so dim. It seemed fine in the house, but on the road it was lacklustre. This morning, I cleaned my glasses. Huzzah! The light is bright again! The owner is suffering from iD10t syndrome.

Today's ride was easy, and warmer than the thermometer would suggest.

wacky weather & detour drama

Submitted by RichieRich on

-18C going home last night
wake up and it's -6C at my house, -15C downtown.
and to top it off my batteries for my heated socks died!

anyone gone to look at the latest detour along the Bow? how bad is the overflow? The pathway detour is fine but the 2 road crossings have been sketchy w/ motorists yesterday and today. Yesterday I think at at the 2nd crossing there were about 6 of us bikers milling around before a vehicle stopped. Poorly signposted for motorists.

Overdressed

Submitted by Oggie on

Thermometre was showing minus 17 when I left at 6:30 but it felt warmer than yesterday. Passing the bird sanctuary the temperature was already starting to rise and the west winds were starting to blow as I climbed Spiller Road. I’ll be shedding a few layers for the ride home this afternoon.

Riding by the light of the

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

Riding by the light of the moon this morning, how awesome is that!! I did stay up and watch the eclipse, pretty cool, but this full moon right now is spectacular. Another good ride in this morning, I'll be packing away a layer for the ride home looks like.

Nasty Evil Salt Mostly Gone

Submitted by dailybiker on

Last week the city was "kind" enough to overwhelm the pathway with salt along the Elbow River near Stanley Park and also along the Glenmore Reservoir. The resulting slime from the salt mixing with the snow/ice almost caused me to crash twice (nearly hit the Big H by Heritage Park). I also talked to a group of runners by Heritage Park who commented that the salt on the pathway was extremely slippery (but stated that packed snow was fine).

Fortunately, it has snowed since the salt was applied and the city has now cleared much of the salt from the path with the snow. Now there are only 2 effects left by the salt. 1) I can no longer distinguish between ice that was not melted and bare pavement, since both are uniform dark black (my commute is always in the dark, but I use a very bright light). On portions of the pathway that were not salted, it is easy to identify icy sections, but most of the pathway is visibly bare pavement. 2) The massive salt dose will now have a significant impact on the environment and will be washed into the Elbow River.

Why does the city waste my tax dollars to make conditions along pathways more dangerous (not less) and create a significant environmental impact along the waterways (including our drinking water)????

Nasty evil salt part II

Submitted by DD on

Bow pathway (NW), north side. Although I was reluctant to complain about overzealous work clearing the path, I felt I had to call 311 about the salting. It has recently been carpeted from the Shouldice athletic park at least as far as downtown, where I turned off. There is a mix of solid rows of salt and a salt slurry where there was a bit of snow or ice to melt. I appreciate touchups on problem spots, like the Crowchild bridge underpass, but this is crazy. I don't want the city crews or contractors to feel that their efforts are unappreciated, but sometimes less is more and you have to use judgement.

WAAAAAY TOO MUCH SALT!

Submitted by gyrospanner on

I noticed that recently, as well. I wondered why they did it, as the path was clearing off quite nicely on its own with the warmer weather and sunshine we've been having.

Tonight, my bike gets a christmas present - a trip to the car wash for a decontamination session!

I have to agree, noticed last

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

I have to agree, noticed last night going home and wondered why there was so much wetness and realized it was the added salt. I too don't want to complain because I really appreciate that the pathway is maintained and can be easily used year round.

salt

Submitted by 2wheeler on

On my way to work this morning there was a sweeper on the north side of the bow pathway just west of the zoo. What I thought was unusual was that there was no snow on the pathway, but he was sweeping off the salt. Seems like a strange use of resources?

The new SOP

Submitted by DD on

I got a call back from someone in operations a few days ago, following up on my earlier 311 call. He said that they lay down the salt when there is the potential for overnight freezing and then clear it off shortly after (next day).

Gorgeous Morning

Submitted by DarrenB on

Yes, what a gorgeous moon this morning. The sun was just coming up as I left home and that huge full moon was low on the opposite horizon. And you could tangibly sense the warm weather about to roll in today. It might have been cold when I left this morning, but I felt energized today nonetheless. Yesterday was just cold, dreary and sluggish for me. Amazing what difference a day can make! Enjoy the great weather for the remainder of the week everyone!

Me too

Submitted by Scott on

There was a huge frost layer on everything this morning. I was tired anyways so drove in today. Still, was pretty chilly in SE Deer run area I felt.

Awesome out there now though.

Beautiful morning moon. It was HUGE!

Darn weather

Submitted by sherryrunswest on

It didn't cause me any grief on my ride in this morning. However, it has caused a huge problem once I got to the gym/work. I was greeted by a sign indicating that there was absolutely no water to the entire building. So no shower this morning for me. I was able to drip some water to dampen a corner of a towel and dab. Not ideal!

I also work in the same building as the gym so the inconvenience continues, no washrooms for the entire building. The landlord has suggested all tenants go home but I'm far too busy to head home (working at home is not productive, I get distracted too easily!).

Have been told by the landlord of the building that -
"The City will give us no definite timeframe as they are not sure of the water pipe damage. Therefore, there will be no water services to the Building for an indefinite period of time."

I'm surprised that

Submitted by BCDon on

they let you stay there a work. There are some kind of health and safety laws / ordinances / bylaws or something which state that washrooms have to be available for workers and if not then they aren't supposed to be working. Perhaps it is voluntary on the employee part, I don't know.

Oh and keep a small container of baby wipes handy at your desk. They can do in a pinch to clean up and are great to get rid of sticky fingers etc. if you've indulged in something you wouldn't normally.

pleasant surprise celsius-wise

Submitted by theorangejacket on

The weather report that I use said -17 and usually -15 is my cut off for not riding but I wanted to get one more commute in before the Christmas food and drink orgy gets underway for real.

But that was no -17, in fact that really wasn't bad at all! So either it wasn't as cold as my source said it was or else I'm getting tougher! Let's hope it's the latter, there is still alot of winter left!

LOL! very funny, well my

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

LOL! very funny, well my shadow reminded me of the scene of the riders going across the full moon....haha

I have some nice winter riding shots from Januray 2010 but I am hopeless at putting them on this website.

1 year anniversary

Submitted by denimjeff on

today was my final day of riding to work in 2010 and i'd like to share a little...

this was my first full calendar year of commuting to work by bike and i'm proud to say i made it every day! i worked 261 days this year and missed 4 return trips for a total of ~6300 km. this doesn't include the detours, day off rides, trips to the bar/store/buddies house etc.

in a year i've dropped 30+lbs, quit smoking, changed my diet and gotten a completely different perspective on what it means to live in a big city and a new appreciation for calgary.

i want to thank all of you who post here regularly and share you opinions, ideas, tricks, routes and deep knowledge of bikes with us newbies. its incredibly encouraging and inspiring to know that there are other people having the same experiences (good and bad) day in and day out.

so i guess my ride today was pretty great! see you all in '11!

Crazy biker

Submitted by RichieRich on

The "common" person out there thinks 1000km in 1 year is exceptional... so that makes you a Super Hero.

Oh the ~6300km is notable, losing 30lbs is certainly impressive too, but most of all is the fact that you chose to change your life for the better and kept it up is the biggest accomplishment. What's next for 2011?

Congratulations

Submitted by amf673 on

Wednesday was also my last commute of the year and the last commute of my first year of 'cycling to work every day'. I only worked 200 days and covered ~5000 km, but it was up hill both ways, and included one commute to Banff for a retreat/workshop. And I didn't lose an ounce, if anything I am fatter than in January! (Project for 2011.)

I also appreciated having this board for motivation, ideas, discussion and the occasional rant. Sometimes it feels like a one-man-against-the-world on the streets, but this board is a great reminder that we are not alone.

So, now that I've done that, I can buy that Hummer I've been looking at and start whinging about on-campus parking full time.

Happy holidays to all and see you in 2011.

WOW

Submitted by Nosaj on

Very impressed with the 6300km. I just started riding/commuting again after years off the bike in March and was pleased with the 2100km that I made. Still aiming for the goal of 2500km in the first year riding. So again, well done and look forward to hearing how you make out next year. (sorry still learning to post things in the right place)

»

carfree for one year as of this week

Submitted by critninja on

Last year I quit my job (and company car) in preparation to open BikeBike. I felt like I needed to "walk the walk" and I am so happy I am without a car these days. A few observations -

- saved myself a pile of $$$ on insurance/gas/repairs/payments
- feel better physically
- have a better appreciation of my neighbourhood and Calgary in general
- no desire to be a daily driver again
- no idea how many kilometre's I rode and could care less :)
- saved $$$ on groceries because I shop more often and throw less out
- overall - much more relaxed in general!

Happy Holidays!

groceries...

Submitted by Scott on

Having spent 7 months in the rv and riding so much more... I noticed that I am concious about what I buy based on size and packaging. I need to get as much food in my bags and small rv fridge as possible so I shopped more often, bought smaller servings, ended up eating healthier for it (serving/portion size is the bane of us all) and so forth.

I know what your talkin' about.

Good for you on the car free. I'm hoping to build a Tumbleweed this summer or next to continue stickin' it to the man and spending my money on me instead of the system so will need my truck to pull it. If it wasnt for that... the vehicle would be gone.

Motivational buddy. Inspirational too. ;)

2011 plans

Submitted by denimjeff on

i want to keep riding, do a tour with my wife and convince her to go car-free by 2012...we'll see how that last one goes :) congrats to all the rest of you out there for "walking the walk"!

lonely

Submitted by Julie Gregg on

Was on the pathway by 6:30 this morning and did not see even one other cyclist until I was almost at the office.....is it a holiday or something???

i know

Submitted by Nosaj on

The only difference is that i am the paths/roads by 5 every day. I don't often see people. Although on a plus, there are more people in the afternoon. It is always good to see others out there.

Christmas ride

Submitted by ride on

My Christmas came early - I got in a nice long ride on the 24th! Three of us started out from Crescent Heights and dropped down the McHugh Bluff singletrack to gain the river pathway system, then rode out to Bow Cycle for some christmas cheer, greet the staff, and hobnob with other well-wishing cyclists that were dropping in (hi Mike Warren).

It was a bit nippy -12C on the way out (forgot my nylon over-booties), but we could see the Chinook arch in the western sky. During our return leg, the temperature perked up nicely, jumping 4C in the hour before noon.

A two-hour ride is a great way to start the holidays!


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