Does Anyone Feel They Failed By Not Riding Today?

Just curious.  A friend told me that today. 

I didn't ride and I'm ok with it. I took the bus and read a book.

I don't mind snow or rain, but  the threat of 70 MPH wind was enough to put me and my good book on the bus.


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Permalink Reply by Dario on October 26, 2010 at 12:57pm
I rode in the wind and rain and actually felt great about it.  About 6 miles.  So no, I don't feel like a failure. 
Permalink Reply by Scott on October 26, 2010 at 1:07pm
I ride in almost everything, but not today! I heard even higher winds tomorrow, true?
Permalink Reply by Michael on October 26, 2010 at 1:09pm
I agree with the philosophy of biking if it is not raining, but this did burn me, well I guess soak me, one day...

I was outside, saw lighting, counting 20 seconds before hearing the thunder and thought to myself, I can make it, it's only 3 miles to work. I bike off hard and get to maybe Halsted and Milwaukee and it starts raining. By the time I am at Lake it is pouring hard. When I arrive at Wabash and Monroe I am completely drenched.

I take my dripping jacket and soggy shirt off outside my building and put on the sweater I had strategically brought in case of complete wetness. I go inside to buy some horribly cheap (in quality not price), mass produced socks and underwear from the local CVS. I locate the undergarment section and examine the wears on the wall. The only size socks they have are womens 7" and the only underwear are mens XXL whitey tightys (so not my style).... hmmm what do I do at this point? Find the pantyhose that fit me, buy them and wear them dry and proudly all day long!
Permalink Reply by A.K.A Paul on October 26, 2010 at 1:25pm
I think that when I ride on days like this, it helps me to better cope with riding on days like this. There's a part of me that does the math on how far we are into fall/winter season (calendar wise) and if I would have not rode today it would make it easier to talk myself out of riding the next time we have adverse conditions.

While I dont think I would have felt that I failed by not riding today, I think I probably feel better that I did.
Permalink Reply by Fred Noinaj on October 26, 2010 at 2:23pm
Yeah, I left my place at 6am... worst 3 mile bike ride of my life. The rain really stung my eyes, and I could not hold a straight line for a second. The wind almost carried my bike away when i was stopped and standing over it. Be glad you didn't ride. :D



dan brown said:
good thread.
I've ridden in high winds (maybe not 50+ mph);
but this morning it was dark (at 6:30 am) and raining and the forecast called for dropping temps.
all of the above translate into not much adventure...I can handle the CTA once a month (like Ryan)
Permalink Reply by Mike Zumwalt on October 26, 2010 at 2:34pm
I rode in to work I was smiling as a portion of it I wasn't even pedaling what with the tail wind. I did the bike rack on the bus home though.

30 minutes to work Hour and 15 home. Bleh!
Permalink Reply by Vilda on October 26, 2010 at 6:20pm
Love ya Kellie, can you make medals for me, the other Gabe and Kevin too?

I left at 820 am, was a lil cloudy and hardly raining a bit. I had packed for the worst cause I have 2 more rides after the initial commute. Pannier and back pack were loaded and all for nothing. This is Chicago. the Weather report shoulda read "It's October in Chicago." ;-) Good ride! ;-)



Kellie said:
Like Gabe, I had the option to wait it out...so i did. However, I did have a moment by Montrose and Sheridan where I was frozen in time by the southern winds!

And, I'll make my own damn medal! :)
Permalink Reply by lauren sailor on October 26, 2010 at 10:59pm
according to The Great One, your bicycle cannot hydroplane. getting blown over by the wind, though, totally physically possible.

as for me, i was TOTALLY FLYING in the wind today. i mean, LITERALLY flying.
my flights into and outta midway were both delayed, but i made it ok :)
Liz said:
Riding a bike to work isn't a competitive sport. Taking a day on the bus much better than getting blown over by the wind and hydroplaning on wet pavement, or getting hit by debri. While I'm glad that people who did ride in made it safely, they don't get a medal for doing it.
Permalink Reply by Gin on October 27, 2010 at 3:03am
I love this response. Crystallizes one of the tenets of Bike Winter. The more you tackle crazy weather, the better you are at coping with it, the more likely that you will also be in the saddle when the clouds break and the winds calm. This is not to say that anyone should feel bad for sitting some days out. Not at all. But--as a general rule--if you want to get more skilled/rugged/adventurous with all season riding, when in doubt, roll on out.

That said, Michael for the first time took Miguel to school on the bus yesterday morning. Nice to know the option is there. But, on the way home later in the day, I know he was wishing they had biked. We use the trailer for raining/snowy/super cold days and the bike seat for clear, above freezing days.

Not Nathan Fillion (aka Paul) said:
I think that when I ride on days like this, it helps me to better cope with riding on days like this. There's a part of me that does the math on how far we are into fall/winter season (calendar wise) and if I would have not rode today it would make it easier to talk myself out of riding the next time we have adverse conditions.

While I dont think I would have felt that I failed by not riding today, I think I probably feel better that I did.
Permalink Reply by Chris B on October 27, 2010 at 3:19am
It was really windy this morning but not gusty.

Surviving a bad weather day may be due to skill and make us better, it may be due to luck. Can we know without having a bigger sample size of riding in thousands of horrible weather days?

I don't feel bad for sure after reading this article, a branch was blown off a tree and impaled a woman in her car. She survived:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/10/lake-villa-woman-impaled...
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on October 27, 2010 at 3:44am
I find practicing cyclocross also improves bike handling skills. Seriously.



Gin said:
I love this response. Crystallizes one of the tenets of Bike Winter. The more you tackle crazy weather, the better you are at coping with it, the more likely that you will also be in the saddle when the clouds break and the winds calm. This is not to say that anyone should feel bad for sitting some days out. Not at all. But--as a general rule--if you want to get more skilled/rugged/adventurous with all season riding, when in doubt, roll on out.

That said, Michael for the first time took Miguel to school on the bus yesterday morning. Nice to know the option is there. But, on the way home later in the day, I know he was wishing they had biked. We use the trailer for raining/snowy/super cold days and the bike seat for clear, above freezing days.

Not Nathan Fillion (aka Paul) said:
I think that when I ride on days like this, it helps me to better cope with riding on days like this. There's a part of me that does the math on how far we are into fall/winter season (calendar wise) and if I would have not rode today it would make it easier to talk myself out of riding the next time we have adverse conditions.

While I dont think I would have felt that I failed by not riding today, I think I probably feel better that I did.
Permalink Reply by Liz on October 27, 2010 at 4:56am
Ok while technically not "hydroplaning" wet pavement is still more slippery. There is less traction on the pavement, since the coefficient of friction between rubber and pavement is about half its normal value when wet. This means that half the force that is normally required would push you side ways. Lateral wind force is then vastly increased with high winds. I'm comfortable with either of these conditions alone, but combined it makes it harder to maintain control of a bicycle. Especially when going over areas such as bridges where higher wind gusts are possible and the contact area between the tire and grating is small and the coefficients of friction between wet metal and rubber is very low. While going for it isn't terrible its a calculated risk. Tall light riders are at greatest risk in a windy wet condition, since the wind forces would be high over the "side area" of your body and the lateral resistance of the tires would be lowest.



lauren sailor said:
according to The Great One, your bicycle cannot hydroplane. getting blown over by the wind, though, totally physically possible.

as for me, i was TOTALLY FLYING in the wind today. i mean, LITERALLY flying.
my flights into and outta midway were both delayed, but i made it ok :)
Liz said:
Riding a bike to work isn't a competitive sport. Taking a day on the bus much better than getting blown over by the wind and hydroplaning on wet pavement, or getting hit by debri. While I'm glad that people who did ride in made it safely, they don't get a medal for doing it.

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