How Was Your Ride Today? Week of May 30th

Well, I don't know if I'm overstepping my boundaries here on the site but I see no one has started up the normal all week thread so here goes...

How was your ride today?

Forums: 

least expensive option

That would have been a less expensive option for me.
I went by with my wife, having not been to one before I figured it'd be interesting.
Now I'm back to 13 bikes, I came home with Critninja's Dahon.

Bowmont Flooding?

Not yet. There is a place down near the gravel pit that usually floods a little in June. I meant to check the water level this morning, but I was going at warp 66 and forgot to look...

I'll try to remembber to look tonight!

Anyways, nice ride in and I am glad that our cage doesn't look like the laundry room it was last week. (That was Thursday and there were less than 10 bikes in there!)

Photobucket

Report for Bowmont

There is still a lot of room before the river breaks the bank, maybe 4 feet. Talk to you in a coupla' weeks!

The nice thing is that this is usually just a or minor inconvenience down there, it doesn't affect too many people. OH, maybe I should check with the people who live on Bow Cres. (flooded basements?)....

Zoo path flooded for real?

Does anyone know if the path through the pathway behind Zoo from Nose Creek west to Zoo Rd. is actually unpassable right now? The gates are down, but there appears to be people riding it, and there is no alternative through the big Zoo parking lot to Nose Creek now, due to construction.

Nose Creek

I rode the zoo pathway twice today and it was open. If they've closed the gates then you can circumvent the construction take the detour along the road ( 12th Street Bridge over memorial to St. Georges Dr.) just west of the pathway. At the north end of the hill the road is blocked and a sign says "closed for construction" but that was the bicycle detour all winter. You regain the pathway just north of the construction fence.

zoo path was open this aft

"ride" and i rode through there on our way up the the calgary transit bus barns at 32 ave ne and they were wide open this afternoon.

maybe the river level is coming up quickly and the city closed the path as a precaution???

beautiful morning again today

Nice bright sunshine, a slight tailwind and not a rain cloud to be seen. Saw a couple of pathletes (why do they ride so fast on a morning like this and when they are going into work?). I passed one young lady that was clearly enjoying her ride - said a "Good morning" to her and she had this shocked look on her face 8-)
Hope it is like this next week when I am off - I want to try the ride from Edworthy down to Fish Creek park.

Edworthy to Fish Creek

Which way are you planning on going?

As a loop, my personal preference is to first head south, go through the Weaselhead, and then head south again, eventually entering Fish Creek at the west end and looping back around, eventually heading north back towards downtown.

Skeeters

I did that ride on Sunday (Edworthy to just North of Fish creek). And while I didn't really notice any bugs, the skeeters noticed me as I have several bites. All that standing water is proving to be a very effective breeding ground. No water on the path until after Weaselhead but when you leave Glenmore and travel beside the open dog run on the West (just south of Glenmore), there is some water on the path although you can go through it slowly with no problem or I suppose faster and get wet. There is however, a lot of standing water off to the side, perfect breeding ground for them pesky skeeters.

not sure about the route

I normally would follow the Bow River pathway down to Inglewood and continue on down south but I understand the path is closed right by the Bird Sanctuary, I assume for paving.
Might have to do some recon using my pathway map but your route sounds like a good one. Thanks for the suggestion Critninja.

Awesome but....

WOW!! Didn't get a chance to ride yesterday, as I was working at one of our off site facilities (no shower = No Bike) When I walked into the change room today I was amazed that there was a lineup for showers 06:30 I might add. Glad to see everybody out, but kinda miss the quiet of last week when I pretty much had free reign of the place. My bike was complaining a bit this morning, I don't think it was very happy riding in the rain last week.

Crowbomb again

I did the Crowbomb again last night, on my ride home from MRU to Bridgeland. Since I was riding at 20:30, traffic was light (but fast). The paved shoulder is mainly clear of gravel so it was easy, high-speed riding down the hill and across the river. Once down the ramp onto Memorial Drive, I jumped the curb, and took the bikepath along the river.


(click to view route info)

Incident on Glenmore dam

Rode across the dam tonight on the way home, crossed at maybe 5:20. There was a cyclist down, bleeding from the face and being attended to by 3-4 passers by. Helmet still on, looked pretty shook up. EMS was at the end of the dam on their way to him. Hope everything was ok, anyone know what happened? One though I had was he may have caught that rail that runs along the pathway there.

Ride safe folks. Lots of traffic on the paths (I'm usually on the streets) but everyone seemed to be behaving.

I heard the rail

saw that as well, herad from passerby that it was indeed a rail incident. Calgary Water should come up with a solution to the rail since it used maybe three times a year and it is such a danger trap

Hope the guy is okay.

Rails are bad.

I couldn't figure out what you meant until I thought about it. But that stupid "train track" along part of the Glenmore Dam is indeed very dangerous. I'm particularly cautious of it when I descend towards the dam heading North as the vertical steel barricade limits your ability to adjust your path much. And, regardless of what they say, it is at the bottom of a hill which means you'll pick up speed. It is even worse when there are pedestrians and dogs around.

As a youngster I had an incident at a railway crossing when I inadvertantly (somehow), attempted to veer away from something and my front wheel dropped in beside the rail ejecting me forward onto the pavement. That was before helmets. Fortunately following traffic was able to stop in time but I was dazed and had an ambulance ride. So I've VERY wary (verry verry warry?) of railway tracks and go out of my way to cross them at 90 degrees and completely vertical.

70 km

Rode a loop out to the little airport out by OBCR. Fargin' windy out there! 70 km with one gear. Why do I do this to myself?

'CAUSE IT'S AWESOME!! :-D

Post-Vasectomy Riding?

Okay, this is a bit off topic, but I thought I'd post it here since this thread usually gets the most traffic. After our third child a couple months ago, my wife and I decided that we are done so I got the snip last week (Thursday). The doctor said wait a week before any strenuous activity but I'm itching to get back in the saddle and enjoy the nice weather.

Hoping to ride in tomorrow but has anyone had any experience with this and how things went for you? I'm feeling quite good but just want to make sure I'm not doubled over somewhere along the way in the morning :)

Thanks

A LONG time ago.

Twas a long a long time ago when I got snipped. I don't really recall the specifics of when I did what but it is not terribly invasive surgery and they aren't cutting through any muscle groups. Assuming they went in and cut out part of the Vas Deferens (sp?), I think the ends just get cauterized so no stiching there to pull out. They only use a small hole to go in and grab the Vas to pull it and snip.

I think the worst potential part is doing something while you are still frozen. Once past that you should be OK.

I'm not a physician but if you've given it 48 hours I see no problem with easy exercise.

Did anyone happen across a CELLPHONE??? :(

This may be a long shot, But I thought I'd throw this out here/there.

I lost my cell phone on my path this afternoon, I'm hoping a nice samaritan picked it up. (hopefully a cycling commuter) It is a bell. Double Sided, bigger screen on one side. I can describe the picture on the one side or vice versa. It's all black, & is pretty small & thin.

Gosh, I had such a long route, & I usually check it on the trail often, but alas I did not. Not until the end.... :( It had been popping out lately, I guess it was only in due time. ah sigh..

I've posted the trail on runkeeper, but still trying to figure out how to screen grab it, to post here. So here is the link:

http://runkeeper.com/user/233104764/route/573654 (hope that is viewable)

Issue #1) It's not activated. #2) I am unsure how much longer the battery will work #3) If it was found I hope they try calling my dad, as I gave him a heads up. #4) I am going to try & call Bell & ask them to call the cell. #5) The ringer is off........LOL oh geez. Or, You can PM me & I will give you my number. *FINGERS CROSSED*

& I can't cry over spilled milk, back tracked, & that's all you can do.

I had a great bike. I've been going past the Cavalia tent to Valley Ridge & than found the Bowmont Park Traverse, & I am getting stronger!! YESH!

[EDIT: Added tracklog image]

bad day

Sorry to hear that. Must have been a bad day for electronics... I managed to "brick" my tablet computer yesterday, as well.

At least you had a good bike ride yesterday!

Safeway & Bowness Rd

I have no idea either, I don't recall a Safeway & $1 store on my route....but who knows if it were mine, stranger things have happened. Someone might've figured out there's no dial tone to it & re-chucked it.... :/ I won't think about that.

I tried to have Bell Mobility call it, but they said they cannot & cannot track it even if it 'used' to be on their system. I just thought maybe there was an option there.

RIP-ROARING'

I am happy to post my great ride home! Hammer Time!

Downtown to Silver Springs - Balls to the wall, ALL THE WAY.

Just to get home & watch the hockey game....

Different priorities

Funny, I was going full speed from DT to Bowness but for different reasons. As I rolled out of downtown I could see nothing but dark clouds and lightning in the west.

I managed to get home just as it started spitting, and the pouring rain started 5 minutes later.

I did get to watch the game though, great stuff!

Me too

I got caught in that same storm just as I was heading down Nose Hill drive coming out of Silver Springs. Met up with another biker at the intersection of Nose Hill Dr and Stoney Trail, and we had a great laugh together about the lightning coming down around us and having to bike through the intense rain and hail. A little camaraderie sure goes a long way to reversing unpleasant circumstances -- I rode home the rest of the way with a smile on my face!

Crazy

I have ridden on some questionable roads, but the guy I saw on southbound Crowchild today takes the cake. No way I would ever have the guts to try that one.

what's crazy?

Some parts of Crowchild are perfectly rideable, with wide paved shoulders providing lots of separation from cars. On the other hand, the section from 24 AVe NW to the Bow River is indeed ugly. And as for riding uphill in that area, don't even think about it!

Being On the Road..

Do you actually need to keep up with traffic???? :/ I've been on the road a lot lately. More confidence. IDK how to change lanes properly, because every time I shoulder check, I get honked at. Than I feel bad like I've done something horrendously wrong, I had idiot in red sport car, whiz in front of me & put the breaks on. I had angry honker number two, drive up to me with window down & ride along side of me for a bit.

For the most part, I've had some really kind vehicles sharing the roads. Even giving me the go ahead.

What's going on?

I'm a bit curious to know what's going on - is it technique (things that you can fix) or just bad luck?

1. Do you swerve when you shoulder check?
2. What routes? If you're riding MacLeod Tr. I'm not surprised, but if you're riding an appropriate route...
3. Do you hold your line? On roads that have obstacles along the side - grates, parked cars, potholes, etc.... it's best to hold your line instead of returning to the curb every time it's possible. This way, you are less likely to swerve into the path of motorists (from the motorist's perspective). This may involve taking the lane from time to time.
4. Speed? Travelling the same speed as traffic (or close to it) makes vehicular riding a lot easier. Keep riding and sweat a little and the speed will come easier. Look for the natural breaks in traffic and work with them, sometimes going slower works better (12Ave SW lights are timed for 25km/h - if you go faster you will hit every red light).
5. In moderate traffic don't 'filter' to the front, this forces the same cars to pass you again and again without benefiting anybody (some will disagree, but this works for me). Heavy traffic is different, it doesn't make sense for you to sit in grid-locked traffic.
6. Don't ride in the gutter, you'll barely get noticed there. Cars will constantly try to squeeze past you whether there is space or not. Stay away from parked cars, any door may open at any time. 'The door prize' can kill.
7. Be nice once in a while, I frequently allow patient vehicles to turn right when I'm waiting to go straight, I move over, give them space and wave them through. It's a little thing, but it generates goodwill between road users.
8. Above all - Be Predictable (at all times, but especially in traffic). Minimize the number of transitions that you make from vehicle to pedestrian. If you are riding like a vehicle obey the laws of the road.

Oh, and anticipate the right hook - always assume that a vehicle may turn right at any time. Avoid riding in blind spots to avoid honest mistakes.

But then again, some people are just douches.

Perhaps Poor Technique

I believe it's my technique. Sometimes I'd rather just tail another rider so I can watch how they go.

Also I tried looking up which roads on the city are legal for cyclists, & could not find them. I know they're out there, probably on this forum. I haven't looked hard enough.

1) I don't swerve. The only thing that changes position is my head & my speed. (slowing down)

2) MacLeod Tr. is not an appropriate route? I ride South from Mission Rd SW to about 53 ave S.W. (on MacLeod) b4 my turn off, there's no way I would cross four lanes of traffic there.

My routes to change: are just b4 Blackfoot Tr headed East on 58th Ave S.E. because I don't want to turn off onto Blackfoot Tr.
& than I just stay in that lane. ( IDK if I should be taking the whole lane or just hugging it, I've done both, so far not p'd anyone off that I know of) I feel like I am peddling for life in this spot.
My other changes: North on 11st S.E. to cross onto 46 ave S.E. (to me I thought these were basically 'back roads' off the main drags, safer, slower traffic.

I do slow way down, & maybe that makes them nervous, I'm not stopping, & I am on the other side of the 'white line' in the shoulder.

3) Oh thank goodness, I picked that up from a guy, 'holding his lane' & thought that would be best & safest for me, going down through bowness. I've started taking about 2/3 of the lane on MacLeod South, because the one side is just pothole/crater city!

4) I am always sweating, I am working my heart out, out there for sure! Yea, I have no idea how that will happen to 'keep up with the traffic' As I learned at BikeBike my 'wheel' isn't big enough & I am now stronger than the gears on my bike, & I picked up a hybrid road/commuter at the bike swap with a bigger wheel & more gears, but I need to be fitted, I HATE being on it. It feels off. Anyhow that scares me more being at a higher speed to change.... ( I know that doesn't help being afraid on the road is most likely going to attract the negative & put me in that head space to do something dangerous.)

haha you know your route! I get a lot of greens, it's pretty wicked!

5) check
6) 'The Door Prize Can Kill', yea..

7) I guess I could be nice. x)

Mmm the Hook: I always think I'm going to get nailed by the semi's or some 5 ton. I think I keep pretty clear of them.

3 weeks ago, I had another accident, 2 cars just missed me, cuz I fell head first into their lane. Anyhow one of them stopped for me. I always feel so embarrassed when I go down. I am lucky I didn't get schmucked.

Consider another route?

It may also help to choose routes less traveled by cars, even if they are slightly longer. After all your safety is paramount. Don't be afraid to ask for route suggestions on here, there's an entire thread devoted to it. Starting on side roads and working your way up can be a good way to go.

I also think there is an upcoming commuting class that may be worth attending.

Thanks

I will look into it. We were trying to think of different ways, for me to go. From dwntwn to Deerfoot Meadows Costco & Superstore.

It's just in the past week where I got honked twice in one day...

Try this route

Check out the route outlined by Ride here:

http://www.bikecalgary.org/node/2699

It will get you from Mission Road to 11 Street. Then follow 11 Street south from where it crosses 46 Avenue and it will take you straight to Deerfoot Meadows. There is a bike lane along 11 Street from 46 Avenue to Heritage Drive. The road sees some traffic, but nothing like you experience on Macleod Trail. I find the majority of drivers respect the bike lane, with only the odd idiot.

Similar Route

I'm not sure what your ultimate destination is, but you're riding the same area that I am. I leave from Mission/Cliff Bungalow at about 7:30am every day, my office is near 58th and Blackfoot.

Do you want to meet up for a morning ride sometime? I have a pretty good route that I wouldn’t mind sharing.

Oh yeah - MacLeod Trail - there are so many better routes then taking any part of that road. I wouldn't ride on MacLeod if you paid me. It may be legal to ride on almost any road (with the exception of controlled access hwys like the Deerfoot), but that doesn't mean that it should be used.

Sounds like a scary route

I'd spend some time poking around on Google maps for a bike route that stays off the reall busy routes, get a route from this forum or take someone up on their offer to guide you a little.

Full points for bravery

Full points for bravery CanadianCycleGirl. McLeod Tr. is a scary road. If you can hold a lane there you certainly don't have any issues with assertiveness.

This though would be an example of a road I wouldn't ride on unless I was going about 50 (the speed limit being 60), or at least 45. I would expect too many irate motorists if you took a lane and went slow. For example, I sometimes ride a short stretch of Memorial Dr right by Shaganappi where the speed limit bumps up to 60 for 3 blocks. If I do 40 or less I get honked at. I only feel comfortable if I'm over 45, which I can usually hold for the 3 blocks in question. I would assume the same would apply on McLeod.

In contrast, Bowness Rd is a nice quiet road, and I have no problem doing 20 in a 50 on windy days while taking up a whole lane. I do occasionally get honked at, but they've got no justification for it since there are two lanes and only 1 is needed.

So where were you when you were being honked at?

Sorry, thought I'd answered this

Honks: I believe one was on MacLeod, (although cannot remember now) & another was on 58th ave S.E.

Holding up traffic is a ticket I could get though I am sure? That's what I think about.

I guess I was embarrassed to add that I actually take my double chariot with me too for the groceries. Not that I have to use a chariot for groceries, but that everyone was so eager to help, & I forgot some most likely major details.

So on the way back going up 11st.S.E. to 58 ave is quite the haul, there is a sidewalk there thankfully. I never have made it back up 58th with a full load, so I just continue on 11st going North, where I than follow it onto 46 ave S.E., the lane change that can sometimes be scary is when I need to go from the shoulder into the far lane to turn onto 42ave, that's why mid morning is the best time to go. Not a lot of traffic.

Makes more sense

So it sounds like you are riding on busyish roads with a double wide trailer. I can see why people are honking at you now. I don't agree that they should honk, but from my experiences I would suggest the following reason.

They feel that you are endangering your children (most drivers will assume the trailer has kids in it) by riding on busy roads. I have been honked at on minor back roads while pulling my kids, I can't imagine the dirty looks and thoughts from drivers if I pulled the trailer on a main road. Its nice to know I'm not the only one getting this treatment, I was wondering if I was riding poorly with my trailer attached.

The fact that they honk when you shoulder check is probably because they feel they won't startle you when you are looking at them, and they can then safely tell you what a bad person they think you are.

The good news is that they are probably concerned for your safety (and your supposed children's) which means you are probably much safer than if you have no trailer. The bad news is I imagine you'll continue to get occasional safety honks.

I guess you'll just have to learn to live with it. So far as scary lane changing, I can imagine that being dicey in that spot. I definitely find that at slower speeds (induced by the trailer) that I am much less mobile on the bike, and this makes any sort of maneuvering on roads more difficult (even on back roads).

Sometimes

There are some roads where cars don't expect bikes, and the lanes are too narrow to share. The only way to safely cycle in these places is to take the lane and keep up with traffic. Going downhill on Crowchild southbound toward 5th Ave would be one of these places. That's hypothetical for me though, I can't imagine wanting to ride that road.

There are other places where taking the lane and going slower than traffic will work, but on a major artery you would draw a lot of ire from passing cars, and possibly get run off the road if you meet the wrong person.

So far as your experiences, it is common to swerve a bit when shoulder checking. If you are getting honked at for little swerves, then perhaps the lane is too narrow to share and perhaps you should just take the whole lane. But again, on any road I would only take the lane if I'm going a reasonable speed, otherwise the hassle from passing drivers is worse than sharing the lane.

I find if I'm within 20km/h of the posted speed limit I'm usually fine taking the lane, and on busy roads better to be within 10km/h of the limit. The slower I go, the more harassment I get.

To clarify

This was going south after 33 Ave heading towards Flanders Ave. I guess what I thought I was crazy was that is the spot where transit stops and all the crazies make lane changes to get on or off Crowchild.

Bow River Trail

Was worried that I might have significant detours this morning on my ride from Douglas Glen to downtown due to the weekend flooding. Pleasantly surprised that my normal route was just normal. Some dried silt on the paths in a few spots, but perfect otherwise.

Path was open Friday morning

and there was no sign of any construction people or vehicles. I plan to keep going that way until it is actually shut down. The backtracking for one day is worth the time saved (preferably not backtracking on the way home, all the way down Sanctuary Road)

flip that

I ride a mountain bike with mildly knobby tires and I routinely pass people on road bikes and 700c commuter bikes with slicks.

Wheels and tires help but it's the engine that makes the difference :)

Ha, if anyone other than a

Ha, if anyone other than a fancy looking road bike passes me, some deeply twisted inner voice tells me I have to beat them. I find this especially difficult to deal with on days where I am trying to soft-pedal the commute to save my legs for a big ride.

same here

I hate being passed by anyone that looks like they've stolen their kid's bike or bought 100% of their (mismatched) riding clothing from MEC. It's a character flaw but one I choose to accept rather than improve upon.

Not a fan

I'm not a fan of this attitude, sometimes, when I'm on the path (on my road bike), I'm on my way in from a 6hr road ride. I'm really not impressed with Cat 6 shenanigans on the bike paths. You’re not really a hero for passing me when I’m bagged or riding slower because I’m on the path.

Now if you’re passing me (on your MTB) after riding to Elbow Falls and back then that’s a different story.;)

I should add

I practice good path etiquette and leave a 4ft gap between my front tire and the person in front of me out of respect and self preservation. Moreover, I don't run people down like a pathlete in the after work olympics.

I will however chase down people on the road if I'm on a proper road ride.

What will tick me off is when someone that's really struggling tries to jump on my back tire when I pass because they're looking for a free ride. I also don't like getting pointers on how to ride from someone that looks like they fell off the turnip truck in front of the Bike Shop, bought a matching everything and started riding yesterday. :-P

Passed by Bow Cycle

Normally I don't mind cars passing me as I go by Bow Cycle, but this morning I had a truck on my tail refusing to pass (even though there is plenty of room), and as I contemplated what to do to get this guy to just pass me, a grey sedan whips up on the inside doing about 70. She had to be quick since this is one of those areas where they've build concrete extensions to the corners so there is no inside lane.

I managed to catch her, but rather than get the license plate I just made lots of gestures at her to pull over before she was able to accelerate again and leave me behind.

The only good part was that I completely dropped the non-passing truck. It was probably waiting to turn right.

I really need to start commuting with a camera. Does anyone here know of any good cheap options?

Everything Bad

Everything bad that used to happen on my commute used to happen on Bowness Rd - broken glass, close passes, right hooks, fist fights.....

I'm glad it's no longer part of my route, it always felt like I was taking a detour into the 1970's.

Crappy drivers

Doesn't matter where you go, the crappy drivers exist.

If you plan to use a camera to help "catch" them, you may want to first figure out what you'd do with the video. I say video because in order to catch most incidents you'll need to have it running all the time as things usually happen quickly and when you least expect them and are least ready.

I had a number of ideas but I've since turned more mellow and tend to spend more time figuring out how to avoid them.

In this case, if I had got

In this case, if I had got the license plate I would have reported it to the police. Hopefully a phone call from the cops would help to moderate this persons driving in the future.

I think it would be much more useful to go into the precint and show a video to a cop rather than have to tell my side of the story and hope the officer doesn't think I'm just being over sensitive.

Good for you

I think that the more we, as a group, report obnoxious and dangerous driver behaviour the better off we'll be.

While I'm guilt for not doing this, I am reminded of the social impact of tolerating things that you know are wrong. Women's rights, Harassment and forms of intollerance come to mind.

only got 1

round trip in this week... rode the TT bike to work, which is ok since it's mainly a rural ride, but I did pick up my sick new Cervelo S2... Still searching for a beater to do up for my project bike.