Anybody else going to wuss out on commuting because of gale force winds?

I felt exceptionally lazy the last three days and was unable to get out of the house on time to be able to make it to work via bike, so I drove. I rarely EVER drive to work so I've been a bit bummed that I didn't bike the last three days, and now it looks like my usual LFP commute will be all but impossible due to 30 mph winds gusting into my face each morning for the next couple days. I thought about maybe cutting west and riding up through the city to avoid the LFP on the off chance that it might be less windy. However, the wind is pretty much coming straight from the north so I can't see any northern route on city streets being much better than the LFP. The ride home would probably be a blast though, what with that tail wind. There was a storm last year in October that was a lot like this with the super high winds. It was blowing so hard I had to ride the bus up into the loop to run an errand. Going home I got on the LFP south of Navy Pier and had a blast riding home with the massive tailwind. It was blowing so hard that day that I was actually in my granny ring and one of the bigger cogs on the back and was still able barely manage about 10 miles an hour. I suspect tomorrow and Tuesday will be pretty similar to that storm last October. I may just drive both days and consider this week a write-off.

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Permalink Reply by Melissa M on October 29, 2012 at 9:09pm

I plan to bike tomorrow, but I generally keep to low traffic side streets. If the crosswinds get dangerous I'll get off the bike and either walk or switch to CTA. I most definitely WOULD NOT BIKE THE LFP - the National Weather Service is currently predicting 18-23 foot waves on the lake, and earlier they said as high as 30 feet. That means not just getting wet, but likely getting seriously hurt.

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Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on October 29, 2012 at 9:15pm

Just got an email from the city -

Due to high waves, the bike path is closed along Lake Shore Drive from Oak to Ohio.

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Permalink Reply by DanGer 8.2mi on October 29, 2012 at 11:28pm

i'm on my unicycle! 'wave' hi.

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Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on October 30, 2012 at 6:28am

No surprise there.

Julie Hochstadter said:

Just got an email from the city -

Due to high waves, the bike path is closed along Lake Shore Drive from Oak to Ohio.

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Permalink Reply by BritBoy on October 30, 2012 at 7:29am

My ride int this am on the LSP was VERY fast (north to south!) - there were a lot of wheelie bins blown over and a couple of TV film crews at North Avenue Beach by that big fake ship thing. A couple of cyclists headed north were peddling very hard - and there was more than one runner running backwards with their back to the wind. A section of the LSP from Fullerton south was cordoned off - as was the Oak Street 'bendy bit' - and looking at the waves crashing over (which looked pretty impressive mind you0 I didn't fancy tackling either.

Journey home should be fun!

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Permalink Reply by Thunder Snow on October 30, 2012 at 8:06am

Yesterday, I made the mistake of battling the headwinds north, which was slow going in low gear. Today, I'm taking the Metra north of where I'm working, so I can use the tailwind all the way as I cycle from the station. Going home tonight, I'll head to the next town south, again utilizing the tailwinds. I think I've got it worked out.

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Permalink Reply by Lisa Curcio on October 30, 2012 at 8:29am

Okay, I could not bear the thought of the subway so rode in. Of course, side streets and mostly headed south. I can leave the bike in my office overnight, though, and I have the CTA card handy just in case.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on October 30, 2012 at 8:43am

I rode in this morning and it was barely windy. Couple of cross-gusts. but otherwise fairly calm. I was coming from the north riding Broadway, Clark, Wells.

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on October 30, 2012 at 9:00am

Other than the detour around a small bit at Fullerton it wasn't too bad. Got off at North Avenue and went in along State Street. Going along the lake was a real 'leaf on the wind' feeling and I can't imagine how much I'm going to regret biking as I head into the wind this evening.

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Permalink Reply by Joe Schmoe on October 30, 2012 at 9:24am

Rode up Broadway northbound yesterday the whole way. It was windy, but I've been in worse. There were none of those gusts that literally stop you, and no cross-winds to speak of.

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Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on October 30, 2012 at 9:42am

I agree with Broadway not being too bad last night. Definitely had to pedal a bit harder than usual, but nothing really that bad. The windchill really was the worst part.

Joe Schmoe said:

Rode up Broadway northbound yesterday the whole way. It was windy, but I've been in worse. There were none of those gusts that literally stop you, and no cross-winds to speak of.