Saturday, April 5, 2014

a ray of hope...

It was another C-O-O-L week for bicycle commuting. But it seems like maybe we've turned the corner, at last. 

Tuesday, with wind chill of -20 C, felt really cold. I fared better in -35 temperatures. The lesson? -- whether it's minus 20 or minus 35, I need to wear winter boots on the bike.

On Wednesday, there was a forecast of 5 cm of snow. That didn't happen, and although Thursday started off cold, it was +4 by the time I rode back to the car. So it looks like there is hope.

I was super impressed with the completely cleared shared sidewalk on 100 Avenue, and now I just read on Twitter that street sweeping has begun, starting with my beloved 95th Avenue -- the bike lanes I ride in after work most days. I have to wonder: this is the very route I spoke to the city councillor about. Not only that, but on Wednesday as I waited for the light to change at the corner of 149 Street and 95 Avenue, there was a cop car right behind me. He saw me move over to give him space to start and saw me maneuver around a pile of gravel and other debris. Could it be possible my predicament was noticed and addressed? Or maybe they always start sweeping on 95th Avenue? Whatever the reason, I am happy to hear that bit of news.

Yesterday it went up to 8 degrees C. I just rode around town for about an hour, using my winter bike, as there is still quite a lot of ice on the trails. Today I plan to head out to the countryside on my hybrid. I noticed that I am behind schedule. Last year I took my first long country ride on March 30, when the temp was only around 0 C. So now I feel like I have an obligation. I am honestly not very motivated, as it is cloudy and not a super nice day, and I am not sure what I should  wear on my feet. But our outside thermometer says 11 C, leaving me without excuse.

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