Sweet 16....

...degrees. 16 degrees this morning. Mayor declares cold weather alert. 8 degrees tonight.

Let the winter games begin...snow this past Saturday, lower temps. 32 for this morning's ride - tied my record of 13 minutes door to door.

Riding Mower

Another flat tire on the bike. This 5-week old set of Continentals has had 3 flats so far. Best time to work on the Vespa this week is 12 minutes. Best ever time on the bike was 13 minutes. The only downside to the Vespa is that is sounds like a lawn mower.

Summer Elegy

I really think it's official - summer 2009 is a complete bust. Here it is July 8, and the skies refuse to clear, the rain will not stop, the temperature is 63.

I was on Boylston Street the other morning and a big disheveled guy with a mammoth gray beard yelled to me "Riding a bike with one gear is like playing a harp with one string!"

June stats are in from the Blue Hill Meteorological Observatory:

It was tenth coldest June on record.

The consistently cool temperatures were due to the persistently low sunshine all month, which measured just 27 percent, or half of the 55 percent typically observed in June. This is the second lowest sunshine ever recorded in June, behind only 25 percent measured in 1903, and this ties for the fourth lowest sunshine (in percent) for any month of the year.

Although not generally heavy, the rainfall was frequent with measurable precipitation occurring on 19 of the 30 days, which is the second highest total for any June.

Got soaked on this morning's bike ride to work. Had broken spoke repaired at Community Bike yesterday. Was told I need new chain ring.

Frydee, Jooon Twenteee Sixth

Here's the third annual June 26 Photo of Kenmore. The Kenmore bus station is finally done after 2+ years, and the sun has finally come out here and there after 2+ weeks.

I'm soaking in it

Potluck

The snow and the curbside glaciers are gone, and daylight savings time is here. But the pain and suffering continues. These late winter potholes can be deadly. And the cold continues - 30 degrees right now.

Foreclosure

The main problem with riding a bicycle in winter is the loss of road real estate for the cyclist. In essence, the cyclist has been foreclosed on. His/her humble abode, the small margin of a yard or so on the right that is such a comfort, is rudely taken as motorists find they have to park a foot or two from the snow and ice covered curbs, and as the bike lanes get taken over by jogging clubs.

Ode To Joy

Ha! Ha! Angled parking - get it? I don't know what I think about this winter so far. Despite the snow and the cold the riding hasn't been too bad. There seem to be many more people riding out the winter on their bikes than in the last three years. Bully for them, I say.

Majestic

This pic is double extra proof that the company that manages the building/parking lot where I work just doesn't give a crap about bikes. That's a handle bar sticking out of the snow. A year ago one of the lot attendants backed a car into my bike and destroyed the rear wheel. They're always messing around with the bike racks - some days there will be two racks, some days three.

Temp has been pretty low the past couple of days. About 6 degrees this morning, but roads are really clear and dry so the riding is fine.