Temperatures: 25°F at 07:55, 27°F at 09:10
Clothing: Top with 3 layers (longsleeve poly-spandex Reebok shirt, skinsuit, closely-woven wool-acrylic cycling jacket); Bottom with 2 layers (skinsuit, quilted tights); ankle socks; old Descente quilted gloves. (Cool, but comfortable body; fingers cold.)
Time: 0:56:xx for 12.5 miles (The times given are about 20 minutes off, as given on my bike computer.)
07:54—departing from home. Only thing notable was the pedestrians I had to pass at the crossing of Salem to Longfellow School. I typically cross the street as normal traffic, then zig-zag onto the sidewalk for about 25 feet, to turn left onto the sidewalk that reaches the dead-ended Superior Avenue on the northwest side of the school. Clearly the group of about 7 was a set of parents herding their children to school, and though I said twice, "On your left, please," I startled at least one child as I passed from street to sidewalk. Reminder: start out earlier to avoid similar approaches to pedestrians trying to get to school by 8:00 a.m.
As I crossed the Monument Avenue bridge, I could tell I would need again the East Monument Street route, as the Miami River was flowing fast and almost obliterating the low dam. I took the gravel path under the YMCA, sidewalk to the Main Street-Monument intersection, crossed and went into Riverscape Park, and saw that once again the river was 3 feet above the bikeway.
08:08—passing the zig-zag up from the Mad River Bikeway. The bikeway was flooded as far as the Webster Street bridge, so I rode south on Webster to Monument Avenue. About a quarter mile after Findlay Avenue, I slodged over the grass to the above-river bikeway.
08:22—passing the west gate to Eastwood Park. Run-off from the hills above the transition at Smithville and Springfield flowed again across the bikeway. It wasn't all frozen today, but enough was to be a bit slippery as I walked over the area. As I prepared to cross Smithville, a bundled-up cyclist came up the street toward Springfield Avenue. "So I am not the only cold commuter," I thought. Then a courteous driver waved me through the pass at Airway. No deer were grazing at the DPL fairways.
08:36—passing the trestle remains at Linden. Another courteous driver waved me through the pass at Woodbine—I hope this indicates a trend for 2011. It was notably colder in the half mile between Woodman and Founders, due to the natural, undeveloped areas south of the bikeway there.
08:50—arriving at work. I had plenty of energy to spare. It's time to take the exertion level up a notch.
