The Chainlink

I rode today. Did you?

Nice first ride in the COLD.

 

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Permalink Reply by h' Zerocats on February 1, 2011 at 6:17pm

I had to put my foot down twice, when crossing main streets. The rest of the way I managed to stay upright on parkway and sidewalk and a bit of side street. Snow almost to hub-level in a few places. Lots of front end slippage to and fro, but Steven nailed it above.

Thanks to West Town Bikes not a single peep out of my normally sloppy and unpredictable drivetrain the whole time.

Permalink Reply by in it to win it 8.0 mi on February 1, 2011 at 6:35pm

Number of times wind blew me down = zero

Number of times wind almost blew me down = stopped counting!

This was brutal.

 

Permalink Reply by Holly on February 1, 2011 at 6:42pm

What a weather.

 

Left the house at 1:00 pm for dog walks, riding toward Bucktown from Logan Square wondering if all the reports were just fake Armageddon alarmist b.s. It was windy, but ... uh...honestly, it wasn't that big of a deal.

 

As you know, it went bonkers by the late afternoon!

 

Left last dog client's place at Addison and Milwaukee at around 2:45. After the dog walk, it took 40 minutes to get to Revolution (at Milwaukee and California) where we imbibed and rode home on Lyndale fishtaling and laughing the whole way home. (I have an out of town guest who had no qualms about riding today.) I have to admit I was totally motivated because I had a willing co-conspirator to ride with today.

 

Back at the ranch, we both admitted to being entirely inspired  by the hoots and hollers from the window of the Rat Patrol house on Lyndale--"YOU GUYS ARE AWESOME! WOOOOOO Wooooo!!" If any of you folks are reading--thanks for cheering us on tonight!

 

That was scary, crazy and fun!

 

I think it's official. I kinda love bicycling in the winter.

 

Be safe out there.

 

 

Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on February 1, 2011 at 7:29pm
As compared to when it's full of monkeys preening each other?

Gabe said:
Awesome ride home. Damen was like a zoo: Full of monkeys in cages and covered in shit! ;-)
Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on February 1, 2011 at 7:30pm
I rode in and my bottom bracket finally went out, 2 blocks from work so I didn't ride home but given the tail wind I would have had I probably could have done it without pedaling.
Permalink Reply by J.P. on February 1, 2011 at 8:07pm
Yes, I did ride (like a fool). Left the office a 3pm, home by 4:00 for a lousy 7 mile commute. Not too cold, but wind and unplowed streets made it challenging, in particular in Skokie.
Permalink Reply by Robert Underwood on February 1, 2011 at 9:23pm
I rode home at 4:30pm from Evanston to Uptown, and the tail wind was pretty forceful at some points.  I sloshed around quite a bit but never fell over, just rode standing up most of the way for better balance.  This morning was nothing compared to the way home. My ski goggles really helped this time.
Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on February 1, 2011 at 9:24pm
I rode, it was crazy windy but I managed OK.
Permalink Reply by Michael A on February 1, 2011 at 9:39pm
Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on February 1, 2011 at 9:47pm
Today I rode, sideways mostly. Thank goodness for thick tires and upright jommetry.
Permalink Reply by Jane Healy on February 1, 2011 at 9:52pm


Steven Lane said:
I broke a sweat just keeping balance riding five miles an hour. It's weird how snow rides are such a work out at such slow speeds. I guess it activates muscles you don't normally use and gives your brain a lot of extra processing to do. My moment of zen for the day was realizing that slipping is not losing control; it's just another way of harnessing your momentum. Somehow that thought let me keep digging into the slips and slides somehow finding my way back to balance. Good times.
Permalink Reply by ambimb on February 1, 2011 at 9:59pm

Same here -- the slipping, sliding, being literally blown sideways. I rode from the loop north and I was planning to head for the lake at North Ave. just to take some pics but the wind was so incredibly ferocious I just headed for Clark instead. It was like a wall of wind! The swirling sidewinds on Clark (combined with the slush and ruts and lanes of snow that had been pushed and plowed into the bike lane) required constant vigilance. I've ridden in sidewinds that strong before but never in snow. Quite an experience. Way more fun than taking the bus: 

http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/news/local/chibrknews-lake-shore...

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