La Vie Northwest: socks, sandals, and snow
It’s snowing today in Seattle, which a full 78% of the population is not able to deal with, even though it happens every year. I rode in, as always (I commute, therefore I am) and on my way I passed a fellow cyclist in sandals and wool socks. At least they were spd sandals. Merckx bless the northwest.
We got 10″ of snow last night and now we’re expecting 50kph wind. Fun, fun, fun.
Uni Coach is telling us not to ride if it snows on wednesday… If it snows
Rule #8Rule #9 will be hallowed don’t worry (I’ve lost one of my full fingered gloves too… track mitts all the way)Woops… I mean Rule #9, please correct that Frank
@Nathan Edwards
If you really want to man-up and Rule #9 Wednesday, don’t wear any gloves.
The Seattle area collapses with 2 inches of snow on the ground. Complete traffic mayhem. I did drive today, took two hours to cover 17 miles. Since I grew up on the East Coast, I find all this pretty amusing.
I should have ridden as usual. Some pics from the last snow I bike commuted through: http://yoeddy.blogspot.com/2008/12/snow.html
SPOT.FUCKING.ON.
For a guy whose article to days-in-the-saddle ratio is about 2/365, you sure nail them when you do. Seattle is in a deadlock. I drove in (as usual) with a bald-tired Toyota behind me following me more closely than I’m sure they would had the roads not been icy. I don’t understand how people drive in bad weather.
Reminds me of another great tale…
After today, I got the turbo set up, and cleaned an polished the steel and carbon bikes. They are put to bed, and the Rain Bike now holds court.
@Jarvis
With the weather we had today, true Rule #9 is to do it in shorts, like the crazy fucker I saw ride by me as I walked home from the store. I would have taken a picture, but my fucking iPhone wouldn’t work withe gloves I had on.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world we are experiencing a 32 degree celsius or 89 fahrenheit day here in Melburn. Bike no.1 weather…
Call me a puss, but I’ll move to Florida before you see my ass in the snow on my road bike. Seriously. Rule #5 or not, fuck that. Cold is cold is cold.
I didn’t know Birkinsock made an SPD sandal? Jesus, that’s half the reason I had to leave the PNW, all the fucking women in wool socks and Birkinstocks and unshaved legs. So uncool.
Don’t weaken JT, stay on the bike always.
There’s something going on with the sock, spd sandal thing here in Portland too. I’ve been keeping tight lipped about it, but there’s a movement and I’ve been watching it in horror.
Oh and I saw a girl at the grocery store, wearing a cotton v-neck sweater and cotton non-cycling tights (I didn’t catch the shoes), and no gloves who was bright pink carrying only a helmet and a wallet.
@Dan O
You know, I find this funny, because I was coming down I-5 this evening and I pass this douche in an SUV going 5 mph in the far left lane. Low and behold he’s got New York plates and I’m thinking “why is a New Yorker driving slower than my grandfather?”
No snow here – finished a crit at 7:30pm and the temp was still 33 degrees Celsius!
No snow here – finished a crit at 7:30pm and the temp was still 33 degrees Celsius! And summer doesn’t start until next month…
I grew up in the snow in upstate NY then lived in Wash, DC for a few years. It blew my mind how stupid people were about dealing with the snow. One year we got 2′ on Presidents Day. The city had two plows. One was stuck, the other was trying to pull it free…no chains on either truck. Wow…
Yeah, what the hell is going on with cycling sandals? There is a dude who shows up to a pretty damn competitive Thursday night group ride in them. I want to tell him to get fucking lost.
I’m wintering 615 miles south of where I’ve spent the past three winters. No complaining out of me this year! (not until I go to the Czech Republic for Feb/March, without a bike. I need to get a bike with couplers. Oh well, lots of ice hockey and Czech beer for two months! I should be in absolutely awful shape for spring cycling. At least I really can play up the two months away angle this year…)
@Gianni @michael
Hah, yeah that shoe company “Keen” makes a SPD compatible shoe/sandal abomination. They are a Portland company, too… figures.
My girlfriend’s dad likes that shoe brand and is a daily bike commuter all year around, but thankfully he has the good taste to roll with old-school toe clips rather than try to pull off that weird Keen bike shoe business.
judging by his shoe choice, he may already be lost.
But if he drops you like a used hanky, then don’t complain!
Yeah, I do think he is lost. I guess this guy is more of a randonneur than a road cyclist. He usually rides a touring bike, sometimes with a bag or two on it.
He just seems a bit out of place at a fast ride with a bunch of roadies.
He stays on at the start, but cannot follow the accelerations. Never been dropped by him. He’s usually out the back of the ride after the first five or ten miles.
I don’t know whether I appreciate the fact that he’s trying and doesn’t do so poorly, or to be annoyed that he shows up with the wrong bike and gear. He has a nice, custom touring bike, so I don’t think he’s cash strapped.
Anyway, at least the guys in sandals are worth a smile!
Miserable, shitty weather here on the East coast of Canada…snow, freezing rain. No damn way I can get out on the road bike today but the new cross bike and I might head out for a ride later this week, depending on ice on the roads…when it snows out here it snows, unlike a lot of places where an inch or two falls and everyone freaks out, forgets how to drive and becomes a pussy. Check out this pic of my driveway last year to give you and idea of the snow out East…nasty.
At least the weather is an excuse to hibernate at night and drink copious amounts of beer…
Jim already has a place of honor on this site, but I think he should be dubbed with the title Poetus Velominatus.
Always as relevant as he is concise. I think of the “Szzzz” post whenever I go through the U District.
As all Seattle area folks know, the evening commute on Monday night was complete insanity. We’re talking total gridlock and multi hour drives to cover a few miles. Mind boggling.
I left work at 4:00 PM, big mistake, then sat going nowhere for 30 minutes trying to get on I-5. Second big mistake was then cutting though downtown to hit 99. After an hour, I was stuck near the Seattle Center. I parked the car and grabbed a pizza to kill time. Attempted to get on I-5 north once again – forget it. I cut back through downtown to my office. Parked once again and waited until 10:00 PM for another attempt. I-5 was still gridlocked, so I took I-5 south to 90, then 405 north. Got home about 11:30 PM. Passed numerous abandoned vehicles. Loony tunes, man.
Dude I work with, lives a few miles from me – made it home in 90 minutes on a road bike. Smart (and hard ass) award to him. Dumb ass award to me. I should have ridden the (mountain) bike in as usual.
I dunno about you all, but I’d opt for a training camp in the Dolomites this time of year.