Admission is the first step

The main reason behind my not commuting recently is that I developed a fear about riding home in the dark. More specifically, I was terrified of riding the unlit 1.25 miles from the campus to the trail. My headlight is more than adequate for seeing the road ahead and my taillight is also powerful and (hopefully) attention-grabbing. Plus, I have multiple weights of reflective outerwear. However, I've had so many close swipes in daylight from jackhole drivers in that distance that the thought of riding in the dark on those streets made me panicky.

It's skeery out there.

The weather yesterday was so beautiful that I HAD to take advantage of it. And you know what? The ride home was actually more relaxing than the ride in. I felt so calm and happy when I got home that I cajoled the Hubs to come out and ride around with me to look at Christmas lights. We cruised up and down neighborhood streets and my love for riding at this time of year was renewed.

I light up the night.

Are you gonna go my way?

I spied him -- I assumed it was a him -- when I was a quarter mile from the stoplight at Waxpool and Smiths Switch. Another bike commuter! Riding in the same direction as me! I hoped that the light would stay red long enough for me to catch up to him. Luck was with me and I smoothly pulled up beside the male commuter. We chatted a bit during the remainder of the red light and then I wound up beating him off the line because it took him a few extra seconds to clip into his pedal.

There was, presumably, safety in numbers and cars gave us a wide berth as we rode single file in the right hand lane. He was more daring than I at entering the campus among the turning vehicles while I waited for the cars to clear before I made my own entrance. He cut through a parking lot while I continued on the street and through the garage. I had parked and was locking my bike as he pulled up to the rack. We bid each other adieu and headed to our respective destinations.

A study in scarlet

Red is a powerful color and one that I work to incorporate into my wardrobe and accessories so that I don't drown in an over-abundance of my go-to blues. Monday's commute made me especially observant of the reds about me:

Blazing in the morning light.

The crimson of dying leaves in the trees and shrubbery along the trail,

The scarlet of the cardinals who flitted away before I could snap their photo,

The vermillion of my new trench coat,

The ruby of a passing cyclist's backpack,

The write-me-a-ticket red of the SUV which passed me on the two-lane portion of Smiths Switch,

The rosiness of my cheeks, nose, and forehead after the morning commute.

Red. It's not just for tail lights any more.

An out-of-the ordinary commute

I hit the trail thirty minutes later than usual because 1) I stayed up too late reading and wasn't ready to bounce out of bed the third time my alarm went off [I am way too fond of the snooze button] and 2) it took a while for me dig out my cold weather gear and suit up for the commute. I'm good with a light cardigan, scarf, and gloves in the 40s, but once the mercury dips into the 30s, I want my helmuffs, arm warmers, and at least a windbreaker. After bundling up and ensuring that I had all the needed bits and bobs, I took off for work.

As I pulled my bike over the curb separating the neighborhood street and small hill to the W&OD trail, two lightly bundled cyclists on heavily laden bicycles cruised by in my planned direction. I overtook them after half a mile and realized they were on a bike tour. The fully loaded panniers and bedroll each had attached to their rear racks gave it away. I called out for them to enjoy their trip and the woman of the couple assured me, "Oh, we are!"

More joggers were out than I normally see in the morning and fewer commuters/trainers. I'm sure that was due to the lateness of my ride. I was surprised that traffic on Waxpool was lighter at 8:50 than 8:20. It certainly feels heavier when I'm in the car. Crossing two traffic lanes to get into the left turn lane for the campus was a breeze. It was also nice not having to fight for a parking space what with several parking lots and access to one of the garages being closed off for repaving and repair. One of the many perks of riding on two wheels.

Brrr

My general feeling about October. Source.

I needed a scarf in addition to my thin wool gloves for this morning's commute. Egad, I love this time of year!

However, because I love to borrow trouble, I'm looking ahead to the dark, damp months and wonder how well Beatrix the C8 will handle slick roads. Her tires aren't nearly as narrow as the Dolce's, but are significantly thinner than the Ariel's. I feel more confident in the hybrid's handling of rough weather -- as if I ride that often in such conditions, but you never know -- than the upright's.

But the practice of that particular theory is at least two months away (unless we get another freak Hallowsleet this year). In the meantime, I look forward to fall's riot of color and chilly mornings. Yum!

Spoke too soon

The deer are back. Despite the broad daylight overcast but still bright skies yesterday afternoon, the first doe of the season jumped onto the trail in front me shortly after Smiths Switch. She stood in the other lane as I slowly approached, and then ambled off to the side of the trail. We eyed each other warily as I passed. I thought about stopping and snapping a photo, but I'm pretty sure she would have dashed away by the time I wrestled my phone from the pannier.

Now that I think about it, I should have quickly looked to my right to ensure that she wasn't a harbinger and several others were lying in wait to ambush me. I'll remember to do that next time.

In other news, the facilities staff is trying to kill me by nearly dropping spent compact fluorescent bulbs on my head. He missed, thankfully, but I shan't be hanging out barefoot in my cube anytime soon.

An unexpected treat

The day was bright and chilly when I left the house and I wound up needing both my sweater and gloves when I set off. It was another friendly morning on the trail and most of the passing commuters said "hi" or "good morning". After I passed under Pacific Boulevard, I saw Bike-to-Work-Day guy heading my way, slow down, and wait for me to approach. He said that, if I didn't mind, he'd like to ride with me for a bit. I didn't mind at all.

I apologized and told him that I couldn't remember his name and I'd been calling him Bike-to-Work-Day guy. He reintroduced himself and said that he'd been referring to me as "Flower Girl". Heh. We chatted about our families and bikes and commutes as we rode into a dense fog just past Loudoun County Parkway -- I'm so glad I brought my headlight this morning! -- until he turned around at Smiths Switch to head back towards Reston.

How fun! Definitely not an experience you can get with a car commute.

More weather induced bliss

Another glorious commute. Oncoming cyclists and pedestrians returned my "good morning"s and Bike-to-Work guy -- I wish I could remember his name! Dave? Doug? Craig? -- hailed me as we crossed Ruritan Circle in opposite directions. Maybe tomorrow I'll holler out "I'm sorry, I've forgotten your name!" Too many syllables, probably.

I remembered to wear wool gloves this morning and my fingers didn't freeze. My chambray shirt, cotton tank, jeans, and boots kept me comfy without overheating me. I'm still working on keeping my speed down when riding Beatrix to work. As I sloooowly approached a jogger, I thought to myself that I could've blown past him on Lily. But Beatrix deserves a gentler pace. I do wish I'd caught up to the cyclist at Waxpool and Smiths Switch, though. I just missed the light.

Traffic was again gentle on the two lane surface road section of my commute and heavy but considerate on the four lane section. I've been too chicken to dive into the left turn lane into the campus ahead of cars and have instead turned right onto a dead end and then dashed across all four lanes when there's a break in traffic, which is something I've rarely done on Lily or Circe. I guess the less aggressive posture of Beatrix makes my riding in traffic less aggressive.

Something else I've been doing is whipping off my helmet once I enter the campus so that my hair will dry some while I still have a bit of a breeze before parking in the garage. So far, so good, and I feel like a rebel. Rawr.

Good things

I'm a little high on life this morning. It's a welcome change from how I've been feeling over the past month or so. Here are the good things from this morning's commute:

• The weather! Blue skies with wispy clouds, bright sunshine, and a temperature of 55F when I left the house.

•  Polite cyclists! Every person who rode around me called "on your left!" as they approached. Plus, a guy I met at the Sterling Bike to Work stop in May waved and yelled "Hi, Melanie!" as we passed in opposite directions. Luckily, I was smiling as we approached each other and he won't think I was a jerk for not yelling "hi" back. I was too surprised and he was already too far behind me to have heard a reply. See Melanie rationalize. Rationalize, Melanie, rationalize.

• My new pedals. Last month, the delightful Dottie of Let's Go Ride a Bike reviewed Dimension Curved Pedals and has been very happy with their grippiness when she wears heels while riding. The stock pedals that came with Beatrix the C8 are slippery as all get out if I wear anything other than sneakers. I swapped out the pedals yesterday and enjoyed a slip-free ride in my heels today.

•  My outfit. Sleeveless purple with cream polka dots knee-length, A-line dress; gold chain and big honking pearls necklace; dark red, faux gator Mary-jane heels. Oh, and a thigh-length, cream, open-weave cardigan for when I cool off and start freezing because of the AC vent blowing on my neck and shoulders.

•  My make-up. Benefit They're Real mascara and Too Faced Vanilla Glow (because I am glow-in-the-dark pale) Beauty Balm. I have searched high and low for a mascara that a) doesn't smudge because of my oily eyelids, and b) doesn't flake into my eyeballs. This is my Holy Grail mascara. It survived last week's humidity and this morning's commute like a champ. The BB is great because it didn't smear and run despite my sweaty, sweaty face.

• And last, but certainly not least, Beatrix the Public Bikes C8. She is finally set up so that function is just as beautiful as form. Granted, I had to change out a lot of stock parts to get to that point, but I can now ride like a lady when the inspiration strikes.

I hope that you have as wonderful a day as my morning has been.

A break

There's been a break in the oppressive heat here in northern Virginia and I took advantage of that blessing by getting in a few miles in the saddle. Saturday was the quintessentially perfect summer day and, after we'd finished cleaning the house, I hopped on Lily the hybrid and did a spin around the neighborhood and a quick grocery shop. The number (and diversity) of cyclists on the roads made my heart leap with joy. There were lots of kids along the quiet neighborhood streets and a few other cyclists who were carting shopping or laundry bags. We smiled and waved to one another and all felt right with the world. Even car traffic was patient and considerate. Like I said: perfect day.

The mileage though -- all three miles of it -- just about killed me. Oof. So out of shape. I  hopped back on for a quick jaunt on Sunday and, happily, those four miles didn't quite kill me. And despite today's oppressive humidity, I rode to work -- I'd have to look in the archives to see when I last did that :/ -- and the five miles absolutely did not kill me. Again, car traffic was patient and considerate. I'm actually sort of looking forward to the uphill ride back home.

Not much new about Beatrix the C8 as I haven't really been in the mood to ride her. I have to tell myself that this is okay and there's no need to feel guilty. She fills a certain niche, just like the Dolce and the cruiser do, and that niche isn't in use at the moment. She's too pretty and stylish to languish for long and I'm sure I'll be champing at the bit to put her rubber to the road.

Adjustments

Still love the new bike. Still working on a name for her. Still writing sentences without a subject.

I realized during yesterday's commutes that I'm sliding off the saddle towards the handlebar. This won't do, especially since it's exacerbating pressure on my wrists and causing my hands to go numb. Scott helped me with testing new saddle angles last night, but this morning's commute showed more fiddling is required. I think I need to raise the handlebar a skosh so I can sit just a bit more upright and not lean on my hands so much. Of course, I'm going to get everything just so and then the new saddle -- I decided upon the Selle Royal -- will arrive. What a difficult life I lead.

The other adjustment is mental. I tried not to race the other commuters going the same direction as me, and I failed. I mean, I failed at not racing: I totally flew past them, skirt billowing in the wind gust. Sigh. I could chalk it up to being overly excited that I'm no longer the only west bound commuter in the morning, but it's really because I'm too competitive for my own good. Just ask Scott about my mother's and my full-contact Scrabble games.

Huh, I just realized something. I'm only competitive on my "underdog" bikes and when I'm on the road bike, I peacefully accept that I'm going to get left in the dust.

More commuters

I saw another bike commuter leaving the campus on Wednesday and he was in normal work clothes. My heart sang. I passed a couple other commuters on Smiths Switch, and the W&OD was positively choked with cyclists. I won't grumble about that, especially when the weather is nearly perfect for being out and about on two non gas-powered wheels.

In slightly less -- or perhaps more, depending upon the point of view -- news, I very nearly got clipped by a car as I rode straight across a street and it tried to turn left. I was looking to my right to make sure I had plenty of space ahead of a van and then quickly swerved to the right to avoid the oncoming car's bumper when I faced forward again. The driver probably had a minor coronary when he realized I was there. My heart skipped a beat, but I continued on fairly unphased by the near incident. Of course, this would be one of the few times I wasn't wearing a helmet and I did consider the potential ramifications of what might have happened. If I were smart, I'd say "lesson learned"...

Bike to Work Day 2012

Happy Bike to Work Day or, as a lot of bike bloggers I read would call it, "Friday". There were SO MANY new-to-me commuters on the trail. And everyone seemed to be in high spirits exchanging smiles and nods and "good morning"s. The Sterling pit stop outside of the Orbital exit on the W&OD was a happenin' spot with Spokes mechanics checking over peoples' bikes, a Bike Loudoun representative, and Bike to Work Day sponsors handing out tees and little first aid kids and water bottles. (I swear, Scott and I are going to need to build a cabinet to house all the free water bottles we score.) A couple of commuters chatted me up because they recognized my bike basket. That was unexpected fun.

A peloton of fellow employees met up in Reston and I declined adding an extra nine-ish miles to my morning commute, instead hoping to join up when they reached Sterling. I saw what I assumed was them as I prepared to continue on to work -- someone at the pit stop alerted folks: "Look out, serious bikers coming through!" -- but was unable to catch up until getting the parking garage closest to the entrance for the campus' fitness center. Ah well. I waved and said, "Good morning," and continued on to the next garage where I lock up my bike.

I'm wearing my free t-shirt now. I wore the "vintage" Bike DC 2008 shirt for the commute not considering that sweat + thin white t-shirt = inappropriate office wear even in a super casual office. Thank goodness I had something else to wear. :)

Happiness is...

The honeysuckle along the W&OD is in bloom. Well, to be honest, it started blooming in late April due to the early summer, but today the flowers filled the air with their unmistakeable perfume. I do love that scent and the memories it stirs.

My paternal grandparents lived about three-quarters of a mile from our home when I was a child. My sister and I spent many a summer afternoon playing in their yard and lots of evenings in their screened-in back porch watching thunderstorms light up the sky. They had an old shed in the back yard which had a dog pen attached to it from the days that my grandfather had a dog to accompany him when he drove around his farms to check the crops. I don't remember when Jodie died, but there were no more dogs after her and the dog pen was eventually swallowed by honeysuckle vines. Mimi and I were terrified of the bees surrounding the shed, but we couldn't help being drawn to flowers. Our grandmother showed us the nectar at the base of the petals and we plucked as many flowers as we could and greedily lapped up the nectar.

I can't remember the nectar's taste, but the scent of honeysuckle transports me straight to my grandparents' yard in Heth, Arkansas.

May Day

It's the first of May (NSFW for language), my eighth wedding anniversary, and the start of National Bike Month. Whoo hoo! I've signed up for the WABA-sponsored Bike to Work Day -- yay, free food and swag en route to work -- and am anxiously awaiting to see what activities the fitness center at work will provide on May 18.

In other news, I -- well, the staff at my LBS -- have made some upgrades to Circe and Lily. Circe got a new stem Friday afternoon and that change has made my road bike so much easier to ride. My hands usually went numb a few miles into a ride; on Saturday, I completed a thirty-two mile ride with no numbness or discomfort. I even felt comfortable enough to ride in the drops a few times and I didn't feel like I would take a header over the handlebar. The new stem has me riding in a slightly higher position which is a lot more comfortable on my overdeveloped ab and my back. As my core strength improves, I'll probably go back to the shorter stem.

Lily got a thorough bath on Sunday. And I do mean thorough. It was a two and a half hour ordeal, but I got every bit of road grime off the frame and out of the cogs and sprockets. Her rims, cassette, chain wheel, and chain practically sparkle. She's not showroom clean, but she's the cleanest I've seen her since taking possession. Unfortunately, when I put her in the two highest/hardest gears, there was some grinding in the chain wheel. I could have monkeyed with the front derailleur, but I let the professionals handle that and I had the mechanic change out the spiky pedals for the combo platform/spds I purchased a few weeks ago. It's going to take a little getting used to riding with pedals that aren't grippy, but I'm happy to have the option of riding clipless while commuting.

Comedy of errors

The weather promised to be beautiful and I had no directly-after-work obligations so today was the perfect day for this fair weather cyclist to commute. Unfortunately, those after work obligations and weekend laziness -- okay, I wasn't entirely lazy; I did clean the house, after all -- caused the MUCH-needed cleaning of my beloved Lily the Ariel to fall by the wayside. Her chain and sprockets are filthy and have been making terrible grindy noises for a while. At this point, I'm kind of afraid to ride her until I've given the chain and cassette some TLC. With those considerations, I rode Circe the Dolce to work.

This is the second time I've commuted by road bike and I find the departure preparation is more intense than the hybrid's. Mainly, Lily is outfitted with a basket and shopping pannier. I dump my purse in the basket and clothes bag in the pannier and hit the road. I typically check the tire pressure every few days or so because she's got a fairly wide pressure range and when I top off, I go to the top of the range. Not so with Circe. She has no basket and no rack. I had to  scrounge up the hub's backpack and stow my clothes in a plastic bag within the backpack -- he keeps some of his martial arts gear in there and it's kind of stinky -- and dump my purse necessaries into the pack. Where are my gloves? Where are my helmet and glasses? Yes, I wear a different helmet and glasses on the road bike. Oh! Tire pressure. Circe's a fickle beast and her narrow tire pressure range requires my checking every time I take her out. Yep, low again.

Is it just me, or does everyone work up a sweat using a little pump to inflate tires?

All right. Got all the gear. Got the bike outside and the front door locked. Ready for take off and I realize that I had taken off the front reflector so I could attach the handlebar bag. No worries, Virginia law states either a front reflector of a headlight and my little wo blinky is on the front fork... except it isn't. Drat! It must've fallen off in transport at some time. Good thing those lights are cheap. Back into the house to find the reflector... crap, where did I put it when I cleaned? After a fairly quick and unsuccessful search, I said screw it and decided to go with a headlight. I dug through the basket in the coat closet and found a suitable light. Good thing I checked to see if it worked, though, because it had no batteries. Good thing I have a stockpile of rechargeables in the kitchen drawer. It took another five minutes or so to actually attach the headlight to my surprisingly thick handlebar.

Is it just me, or does everyone work up a sweat when attaching a headlamp and discovering that they are now running pretty late for work?

After that, the commute itself was a snap aside from the rusted out pickup truck nearly running me down when he tried to make a U-turn at the opening of the neighborhood as I approached the stop sign. Oh, and the indecisive groundhogs who slithered across the W&OD trail and then couldn't decide whether to proceed or retreat as I approached at speed. Oh, and the cars passing me so closely on that last stretch of surface street before the campus that their side mirrors would have grazed me if I'd stuck out my elbow. At least the weather was nice and I was only two minutes late for the conference call.

Two unexpected sights

I was pouty that the space shuttle Discovery's final flight would happen too far east and south for me to see since my office campus is directly north of Dulles International Airport. As it turned out, we got a fly-by when Discovery reached Dulles airspace and flew over the airport before continuing to DC proper. After Discovery flew around DC, it did a final fly-by of Dulles and flew RIGHT OVER my building. Goosebumps.

If you squint, you can see Discovery's nose and tail.

And here I thought that the most exciting thing I'd see today was the tortoise that crossed the W&OD as I rode to work. The shuttle was cool, but I'm still pretty jazzed about the tortoise. It startled and hissed after I snapped the photo and I backed of quickly as it retreated into its shell. Didn't mean to disturb you, little guy.

It wasn't much bigger than my foot.

Thank you!

Many, many thanks to Rootchopper of A Few Spokes Shy of a Wheel for the donation to my fundraising effort for the American Diabetes Association. You've helped put me at 18% of my goal. THANK YOU!

In other news, today's commute was another glorious one. There was a light, warm breeze for most of the trip and birdsong filled the air. I even stopped to listen to a robin perched on the branch of a bare tree. At first I though he was a cardinal because I could see only bright red, but then he turned and I saw the definitive robin profile and brown wings. A couple of commuters smiled at my floral basket (or maybe my bare knees when my skirt hiked up a bit).

Speaking of the skirt, I noticed absolutely no Mary Poppins effect on Smith Switch and Waxpool. In fact, I got more crowded and squished against the curb than usual with vehicles accelerating and passing aggressively. I get more space in jeans and a windbreaker! Hmph. And I am NOT going helmetless to see if that "helps".

I've decided to rename the Ariel as "Lily". I find it rolls off the tongue more easily, and I'm pretty fond of lilies. I'll refrain from renaming her "Tulip" or "Hydrangea" in the future. Maybe.

Bikes and cars

I saw fellow bike commuter at the Smith Switch/Waxpool/Farmwell intersection. Last summer there was a gent in a recumbant I passed a couple of times along Smith Switch, but this is the first commuter I've seen off the trail. Yay!

I need to ask the Women's Cycling Forum for a recommendation of a sports bra with enough padding in the cups so that my body doesn't announce to the world when I'm chilled. It's a fact of life, sure, but it's a fact of life that mortifies me beyond belief. I wear regular bras on casual and group rides, but I don't like sweating so much in them and ruining them for regular use. I suppose I could designate a couple of them as bike bras, but there's got to be a sports bra out there SOMEWHERE that will do what I want it to do. (Sorry about the TMI, guys.)

In non-bikey news, I'm going to test drive a Jeep Patriot this weekend. I've whined and whined about how much I dislike my Highlander and how much I miss Jeepfink. Well, I checked out Kelly Blue Book and checked the payoff amount for the Highlander and discovered that I am well above water: the truck is worth way more than what I owe. The payments, though, are putting a serious cramp on my life. A Patriot with the options I want will cost significantly less than what I purchased the Highlander for AND will have lower monthly payments even if I accelerate the loan as 36 or 48 months.

On the other hand, I feel like one of those d-bags who buys a new car every other year. However, I got my first car (it was used) in high school and sold it six years later. My brand spankin' new Jeep was a faithful steed for thirteen years. My two year anniversary with the Highlander comes up next month which means I could still end up with a total of five years of car payments. That is seriously tempting. I have promised Scott that I will not purchase a Jeep this weekend and ONLY test drive. Next weekend is fair game, though.

Back to semi-bikey news: the Jeep dealership that I've picked for the test drive is just off the W&OD in Leesburg. If I get do get a Jeep and if I like the dealership, that means I could bike to and from there when the vehicle needs maintenance. Heh.

Rawr

Every now and then I talk the hubster into meeting me along the trail as I ride home from work. On Wednesday he decided he didn't want to deal with the gym and said he'd meet me for the ride home. I warned him that I needed to do a little shopping as well, but those stops would be mostly surgical strikes.

I wound up leaving the office later than planned thanks to a last minute IM from the bossman and met Scott just before the blind curve on Smiths Switch. He turned around and fell in line behind me before a FedEx truck rumbled up behind us and then passed us with a WIDE berth. Heh heh heh.

Shopping and banking happened. The test run of my Avenir Softside shopping pannier happened (successfully). Not running down pedestrians happened. Seeing another cyclist in the shopping center happened ("He just left Eastern Mountain Sports so that doesn't count," said Scott). We headed for home and something new and exciting-to-me happened.

We rode up the blasted incline to the Route 28 overpass and I stayed in front of Scott the entire freaking time. I not only stayed ahead of him, I pulled away from him. Dude! Plus, I was loaded down with shopping bags, a tote, and my purse. I didn't need to gear down: I was in my middle gears the whole way up. I was breathing heavily when we got to the bridge, but I wasn't wheezing nor jelly-legged.

This morning's commute was pretty amazing. As rough as I felt on Wednesday morning, it was a complete 180 to this morning. I flew along the trail and street in my upper gears (even on the uphills) and beat my average speed of 12mph by almost 2mph. It. Was. Amazing.