tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post670290380346658824..comments2023-12-10T07:53:40.265-06:00Comments on KC Bike Commuting: Bizarre Headwind, lack of coffee, and slownessNoahhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15271155305943176738noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-62223783005298259692007-08-08T13:36:00.000-05:002007-08-08T13:36:00.000-05:00Well, my morning commutes aren't usually too bad. ...Well, my morning commutes aren't usually too bad. The plan is to cut my evening commute in half, taking an early express bus out of downtown. <BR/><BR/>I can get off near a trailhead for Turkey Creek and take the last half of my full homeward commute (a paved MUP to some industrial/business parks that get me close to home)<BR/><BR/>...or I can keep riding the bus to 87th like I did last night, which gets me less than 3 miles from home but forces me to ride on a major arterial AND through two major highway junctions. I only did this because of my broken spoke, but it remains an option I hadn't pondered since last night. I was on 87th early enough that I missed the rush hour craziness. This is actually THE FASTEST way I've found for me to get home aside from driving a car. It's nice to know I can make it home by 4:30 if I must. I'm glad I experimented with this route yesterday.<BR/><BR/>A third option I have is taking the L Bus to Oak Park Mall and riding 3 miles on an even crazier arterial roadway and over a death-slog viaduct. I've done that before, and it's the reverse of my usual morning routine when the weather is bad.<BR/><BR/>At any rate, my point is that most of my miles are coming in the morning so it's really not that bad. I could have done without the headwind this morning, but even so it was a nice ride. <BR/><BR/>Had I left home on time, I would have made it downtown in time for coffee. I forgot to mention that my tardy departure put me on course to be intercepted by a slow locomotive, too. This is the first time a train has interfered with my commute. It's caused at least a 5 minute delay and it's probably the real reason I was so late this morning, as it not only compounded the rush hour situation, but pretty much demoralized me 25% into my commute.Noahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15271155305943176738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-71456582119890466592007-08-08T13:21:00.000-05:002007-08-08T13:21:00.000-05:00I'm impressed with how much riding you're still do...I'm impressed with how much riding you're still doing, given the heat. Mine has been cut down to the bare minimum of commuting, which has been cut by working from home one day and taking my car in for some work today. I need to get out there and ride! Great job, man.Apertomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00148516503920019073noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-35396852444654798722007-08-08T08:28:00.000-05:002007-08-08T08:28:00.000-05:00You're right, temps & humidity levels there were a...You're right, temps & humidity levels there were almost exactly like they were here in VA this morning. I didn't check the NOAA web site for wind speeds. But I wouldn't be at all surprised if they, also, weren't in the 9-12mph range.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37888568.post-74427844928729734432007-08-08T08:25:00.000-05:002007-08-08T08:25:00.000-05:00You're right, temps and humidity levels there look...You're right, temps and humidity levels there look just the same as here in VA. There was even some wind that slowed me down at times, although I didn't check the NOAA web site to see what these were. But i wouldn't be surprised if they were in the 9-12mph range.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com