Tuesday, February 28

Morning:
Around 20 degrees, windy. Pretty much the same deal as yesterday. Very little traffic on the roads. Just look at Mass Ave and Comm Ave this morning - barren and COLD.


Evening:
Lord it was cold! I got off the bike while crossing the Mass Ave bridge to take a shot of the ice on the Charles - the pictutre didn't come out so well, but it was gusting so hard that I'm glad I got off the bike for a bit. I rode the rest of the bridge on the sidewalk (sidewalk riding is a rarity for me) so as not to be blown into the roadway. Photo is of my winter roadway crud-encrusted freewheel.

Monday, February 27

Morning:

Ah, what a lovely ride! Temperature was about 10 degrees, windy. I dropped my chain in the middle of Kenmore (see photo of repair in progress). Arctic blasts crossing Mass Ave bridge. A couple of times the gusts nearly stopped me completely. Wind at my back down Mem Drive, and then the phenomenon I call The Land Boulevard Smack-Down. The smack-down occurs when there is a wind from the West that is at your back on Mem drive, but the minute you hit Land Blvd the wind is suddenly in your face. It must be the configuration of the buildings that cause this. Whatever the cause, it's not pleasant.

Evening:

Temberature about 21 degrees. A numbing, uncomfortable ride. Photo is Beacon St.

A Saturday Jaunt

Took the bike to do a little shopping at Whole Foods at Symphony this afternoon. It was snowing very lightly, low 20s, but not bad riding. Photo is of a herd of SAPs crossing directly in front of Uneasy Rider.

Friday, February 24

Morning:
Temp in the mid 30s, very windy. At first the wind was behind me on Comm Ave, but on Mass Ave I got blasted. I was at a near crawl the whole way accross the bridge. At Mem Drive, though, the wind was at my back, so I sailed right quick down to the outcrop, pausing only to snap a pic of road detritus. Once I hit Land Blvd, though, I was blasted again. Got some great photos. First is pedestrian crossing against the light. Second is of a Honda Elelment that cut me off right outside the Dragon (Kenmore). And the third picture is a victim of Mem Drive.












Evening:
Cold, windy, very windy, cold, cold, chilly, very windy, cold, pain, suffering.

Thursday, February 23

Morning:
Nice weather, in the 30s. Again, very little traffic. Got some good on-the-fly shots - the one to left was by accident but it's good because it show the close quarters you can be in sometimes. Second one is Commonwealth. The reduced traffic this week is making the commute a breeze. It's going to rain/snow this evening, though.

Evening:
36 degrees, wet, dark, wet, uncomfortable, wet. Speedy ride home, though. Careening madly over the Mass Ave bridge, with one hand on the bars, I was able to produce this stunning image. It's titled "Get Both of Your Goddam Hands Back On The Handle Bars Before You Kill Yourself".

Wednesday, February 22

Morning:

Warming up a bit - very nice, clear. Traffic relatively light - must be because of school vacation week. The photo is of the Mass Ave bridge going into Cambridge. The cab on the right is just coming off Storrow - have to be careful right here. The best thing about this shot is that I took it on the move while I was actually riding .

Evening:

About 36 or so, clear. Great ride, even through the Sturm und Drang of Kenmore. It's great when the winter is retreating. A little problem with the freewheel - feels like it's going to bust soon.

This picture was taken this evening on the way home and, like this morning's shot, was taken on the fly. This is the end of the Cheese Grater and the interesting thing is that the black blob to the left of the cab is another Rider of the Grater. Yes, it's a rare sight! I pedaled like a mad man to get close enough to capture his image - much like the elusive Yeti.

Tuesday, February 21

Morning:

26 degrees, overcast. I flew to work today - barely stopped at all. Not alot of traffic. Didn't even have time to take a picture - so I have provided you with this fine art shot. Notice the crud. I'm going to clean it up before Spring, I swear.

Evening:

Clear and cold. Here's the Dragon. Note yellow speck to the left of the bus - that's another cyclist. Very smooth ride home despite some chaos in the Dragon.

Friday, February 17

Morning:

Weather: 50s, overcast.

Quality of Ride: I don't remember

Tech: None

Incidents: I can't believe what I saw this morning. A pedestrian crossing Beacon against the light stopped dead in the middle of the crosswalk and just stared at the oncoming traffic. What is it with this kind of pedestrian behavior? I see it all the time. They cross the street when they don't have the walk sign and are then astonished to find themselves in imminent danger of being run down. And then, rather that retreat to curb, or put some pep in their step and run to the other side, they stop dead with a baffled expression, completely at a loss.

Comments: Photo is of middle of Comm Ave - it's all mud. Photo doesn't quite do justice to the pure brown muddiness. It just screams 'February'.

Evening:
Weather: temp dropped to low 40s, very high winds.
Quality of Ride: Great until the Dragon. The winds were shifting all around but basically were with me (i.e. at my back or quartering off my stern) until l hit the Dragon. At that point I had a screaming head-wind all the way up Beacon.
Tech: I must get a new saddle. The run through the Dragon incorporates bumps at the end that are much like a mogul field on a downhill ski run - if you don't 'post' on your cranks, your perineum gets punched like a speed bag.
Incidents: I can't even get into it - another SAP acting foolishly.
Comments: This is my story, this is my chain.

Thursday, February 16

Morning:

Weather: Nice, sunny, low 40s.
Quality of Ride: I'm starting to get tired of winter bike riding. Ride was really quick.
Tech Issues: zzzzzzzzzz
Incidents: None, thank god.
Comments: Photo is of intersection of Park Drive and Beacon Street. There are several things that suck about riding in the winter. The road salt is everywhere. You can taste it as you pant over the Mass Ave bridge, it gets all over your boots, clothes, bike, bike bag. The other thing is the roadside sludge - brown, clay-like, caked up crap that gets all dried up and creates a kind of crud-dust.

Evening:
Weather: 50 degrees, windy, clear, lots of salt and crud-dust blowing around with all the bus exhaust - a heady draught!
Quality of Ride: Maybe I'll take the T tomorrow.
Incidents: Yes, a couple of minor ones. Pedestrian on First Street did her imitation of an animal stuck in the road while an auto bears down on it. I started to swerve around her about 20 yards away, but she was confused by the maneuver and stopped dead in her tracks. After a couple of seconds, she plodded off to the other side of the street. Nearly side-swiped by an box truck at end of Lights Out, and SAP attack near the Beacon/Park intersection. The guy didn't even look to see if he was in danger of being mowed down by 180 lbs of salt-and-crud-encrusted colnago-riding misery.
Comments: Photo is of The Sinkhole at the end of Edwin H Land Blvd where it majestically transforms into Memorial Drive. Before you can revel in the charms of Memorial Drive's Cheese Grater, you have to navigate The Sinkhole which drops under the Longfellow bridge then splits. One fork swings out over the Charles, the other does a 180 degree loop allowing access to both the Bridge and the beginning of Mem drive. I take the loop as the other route reminds me too much of an expressway. I'd go into more detail, but I'm getting tired.

Wednesday, February 15

Morning:
Weather: Clear, somewhere in the 30s.
Quality of Ride: Great - it was going so well that I almost didn't have time to take a picture. Tons of traffic on Memorial Dive.
Tech Issues: None
Incidents: None
Comments: Photo is First Street in Cambridge. After a snowfall it usually remains pretty sloppy in the right lane - you have to be careful.

Evening:
Weather: warm, windy
Quality of Ride: Not good - headwind the whole way, my thighs were burning as I was fighting against the wind , road was wet from melting snow, which means my ass was wet from melting snow.
Tech Issues: No thanks
Incidents: Not tonight, thank you.
Comments: Photo is at the end of Lights Out, looking down to the intersection of Beacon and Park Drive. This is a pretty good run, occasionally marred by SAP encounters of the student kind.

Tuesday, February 14

Morning:

Weather: 32 degrees, sunny, roads wet, nice
Quality of Ride: Excellent - right at the start of the ride at Beacon and Kent St I was behind a fixed-gear rider and was with him all the way to the Comm Ave/Mass Ave intersection. There was tons of traffic but he was flowing through it like water.
Tech Issues: None
Incidents: None
Comments: Photo is of my favorite highway to go cycling on: the Monsignor Obrien Highway.

Evening:
Weather: 35 degrees or so.
Quality of Ride: I rode the Cheese Grater. I was magnificent.
Tech: None
Incidents:
Comments: Photo is mid-way through the Cheese Grater. I rode the Grater like a champ this evening.

Monday, February 13

Morning:

Weather: 22 degrees, feels warmer, sunny, snowed yesterday.

Quality of Ride: Great, although very wet - very little traffic - Boston schools are closed, looks like alot of people stayed home.

Tech Issues: I took my Peugot mountain bike instead of the Colnago. I have studded tires on the mountain bike which makes navigating in the snow a bit easier. Some of the gears are missing a tooth or two, and the front brake squeals, so I have that going for me.

Incidents: None

Comments: Photos - Beacon St, Mem Drive outcrop.

Evening:

Weather: Cold, windy, wet, uncomfortable.

Quality of Ride: Cold, windy, wet, uncomfortable. Suck-osity abounds.

Tech Issues: That same screeching brake. It enhances the cold, windy, wet, uncomfortable ride.

Incidents: None besides nearly being dumped on my ass a couple of times.

Comments: Photos are views of Like A Virgin this evening around 5:25 or so. The first photo really captures the spirit of this atrocity. My path through this maelstrom takes me past the path of the oncoming truck in the second photo. If you are not first out of the gate when the light turns green, you're lost.

Friday, February 10

Morning:

Weather: high 20s, clear. Windy

Quality of Ride: So-so. Lots of traffic.

Tech Issues: None

Incidents: None

Comments: Photo of Mass ave at Comm Ave intersection. Tons of traffic for some reason. Another beautiful day. Headwind accross the Mass Ave bridge, but then wind at my back for the Mem Drive eastbound leg. Very nice.

Evening:

Weather: About 28 degrees, clear, not too windy.

Quality of Ride: Excellent, because no matter what happens, it's always good to be heading home on a Friday night.

Tech Issues: None

Incidents: Nearly taken out by left front fender of Honda Civic while elbowing my way through Enter the Dragon (Kenmore). I don't blame the Honda, though, we were all jostling for position, she was trying to avoid someone else.

Comments: Photo is of an intersection I call "Like A Virgin" - because every time I have to launch my self into it, it feels, as Madonna sang, "like the very first time." I'm not sure this even qualifies as an "intersection" - it's at the confluence of Msr Obrian Highway, Cambridge Street, and East Street. The photo does not do justice to the terror that this abomination can inspire.

Thursday, February 9

Morning:

Weather: 22 degrees, clear, sunny, no wind - perfect.

Quality of Ride: Excellent. Very little traffic.

Tech Issues: Weird thing - I thought I dropped my chain while on Beacon because the pedal spun forward - I pulled over but it turned out not to be the case - possible cog problem in the freewheel? Don't know.

Incidents: One SAP, one Near Door Experience

Comments: Photo is of the Mother of All Intersections - Msr Obrien Highway and Edwin H Land Blvd looking toaward Gilmore Bridge.

Evening:

Weather: 32 degrees, clear, no wind
Quality of Ride: Good
Tech Issues: None
Incidents: SAP on First Street in Cambridge. She was pulling luggage on wheels.
Comments: Photo is of the Mass Ave exit off Memorial Drive westbound. This evening I did the Cheese Grater without incident - it was light enough at 5:15, as you can see, to risk it. This little stretch in the photo is like doing a victory lap - at this point you've made it through.

Wednesday, February 8

Morning:

Weather: 28 degrees, clear, sunny - a spectacular day.

Quality of Ride: Excellent - traffic very light - breezed through Kenmore, Commonwealth/Mass Ave intersection free and clear. Took the Charles river route instead of Mem drive cause the day is so beautiful.

Tech Issues: None

Incidents: Pedestrian on Beacon walked out between two parked cars and nearly into my path.

Comments: First photo is along Charles River looking toward Longfellow bridge. Second photo is intersection of Commonwealth Ave and Mass Ave looking toward the Mass Ave Bridge.





Evening:

Weather: 32 degrees. cool, clear, no wind.

Quality of Ride: Great

Tech Issues: None




Incidents: Two Suddenly Appearing Pedestrians (SAPs). One bolted out from between parked cars (a typical SAP manoever), and one blithley crossed First Street about 25 feeet in front of me after looking directly at me (more typical SAP behavior). It has been my experience that pedestrians don't consider bicycles a threat at all, even though being hit by a bike could kill you, or give you a serious head injury, or break all kinds of pedestrian bones etc. The worst of these situations is this: You're approaching a red light and traffic is backed up at the light so you're screaming along what I call "The Gutter" - that space between the waiting line of traffic and the curb. A pedestrian crosses from the opposite side of the street way before the crosswalk, thinking that they are going to take advantage of the stopped traffic and not use the cross walk. So instead of popping out in front of you from the right-hand curb side, they suddenly appear from the left, darting out from between two cars in the traffic line - the reason this is so bad is that the pedestrian is thinking that once they plant one foot in the Gutter, they're home-free, that they don't have to worry about getting in the way of the cars. I've had this happen several times and have just locked up the brakes and shouted at the SAP.

Comments: Photo is of Uneasy Rider midway through Lights Out.

Tuesday, February 7

Morning:

Weather: Around 32, sunny.

Quality of Ride: Very good - right at Kenmore (see photo), I blew the light while the Comm Ave inbound and Brookline Ave inbound sides had the green light. This can sometimes be dicey because of the merging of the two - but this time an older (early 60s?) bicyclist was crossing Brookline Ave with a confused look on her face just as the Brookline Ave light turned green, thereby setting a block for me to breeze right into Kenmore.

Tech Issues: None

Incidents: None

Comments: Photo is of Kenmore at the confluence of Commonwealth Ave, Beacon Street, and Brookline Avenue. It's far easier to navigate Kenmore inbound than it is to navigate outbound.

Evening:

Weather: Cold, clear

Quality of Ride: Good. From end of First St in Cambridge to Mass Ave bridge was riding with two other cyclist. Always good to have company. Mass Ave bridge was windy.

Tech Issues: None

Incidents: Beacon right before Kenmore silver Honda pulling out of parking spot nearly clipped me. He only saw me at the last minute as I swerved around him.

Comments: Intersection of Beacon and Park Drive.

Monday, February 6

Morning:

Weather: Feels like low 30s - very windy - seems to be coming from NW.

Quality of Ride: A breeze down Beacon St, then alot of clogging through Kenmore to Mass Ave. Wind was at my back down Memorial Drive, which is always a bonus.

Tech Issues: New Technomic stem which has raised my bars about 6" and made the ride alot more comfortable.

Incidents: None

Comments: Photo is Memorial Drive eastbound where it curves out over the river. I usually ride in the road at this part even though it can feel like you're on Rt 93 sometimes.

Evening:

Weather: Cold, biting headwind.

Quality of Ride: Sucked. I was kind of foggy and not paying attention. I almost launched myself out into intersection traffic near First Street in Cambridge just cause I wasn't thinking. Rare for me. I'm usually hyper-aware of everything so as to avoid sudden death by auto.

Tech Issues: None. Bottom bracket hasn't started making noise again.

Comments: Photo is of an area I call "Lights Out". It's on Beacon Street right outside Kenmore Square on the bridge that crosses the Mass Pike. Nine times out of ten the six street lights crossing the bridge here are out. I'm not even sure that I've ever seen them on. It's weird to go from the chaos of Kenmore ("Enter the Dragon") with the cacophony of cars, buses, sirens and bright lights, to no lights at all. So I call that leg of the homeward commute "Enter the Dragon to Lights Out".

Friday, February 3

Morning:

Weather: Steady rain - temp around 42 degrees.

Quality of Ride: So-so. Got red lights most of the way. Made average time.

Technical Issues: None - the bottom bracket has mysteriously stopped making noise. I put some lithium grease on the chain 'cause I have no chain oil.

Incidents: None.

Comments: Photo is Mass Ave bridge heading into Cambridge. The rain isn't so bad - it keeps you cool and I don't mind getting wet. The only problem is when I get to work I have to change my goddam muddy, soaked pants (if I remember to bring an extra pair). Even then my boxer shorts are damp.


Evening:

Weather: Nice temp -probably high 40s - still a little damp.

Quality of Ride: Good - I was taking it easy.

Technical Issues: None

Incidents: None

Comments: Photo is of Memorial Drive westbound before Mass Ave. I call this part the Cheese Grater - notice the lack of space between parked cars and the roadway. Drivers fly down this part of Mem Drive. Imagine getting doored here and falling into the roadway. I think of it everytime I'm on it. I don't do the Cheese Grater at night - I love life too much for that.

Thursday, February 2

Morning:
Weather: was around 33 or so - pleasant, overcast.
Quality: very smooth - got several lights in a row that I never get. Traffic was light.

Technical Issues: bottom bracket making noise, I need to oil the chain.

Incidents: None

Comments: Photo is an onramp to Memorial Drive eastbound. I've been taking my life in my hands for about a year now on this leg of the commute. Most drivers view this stretch as a kind of freeway situation. On some lucky mornings the State Police are out with their radar guns.

Evening:
Weather: very nice, about 43 degrees.

Quality: OK - hit most of the lights.

Technical Issues: Dropped my chain 1 block from home and walked rather than flipping the bike over etc.

Incidents: At two side streets, drivers began to pull out as I crossed in front of them. I have two blinking front lights - one on the bike, one on the bike bag strap, and one of these drivers was looking right at me as he began to pull out.

Comments: Photo is of Kenmore Square at the confluence of Beacon and Commonwealth heading west. I call this area "Enter the Dragon" (Bruce Lee/1973). This area can be pure chaos for a cyclist. Three things are needed to navigate The Dragon successfully:
1) Speed
2) The ability to spin your head 360 degrees (like Linda Blair in The Exorcist)
3) A reliable adult diaper.