Bike-commute day 38—to work

Wednesday, 15 June 2011.

My start today was the latest ever to get to work: 08:13. Usually I've decided to drive when I have too much to do and can't leave by 8 o'clock. But today was different: Chuck's car is in the drive, and that would mean a bit of musical chairs with the garage. So I decided to bike, no matter what, and pulled out whatever reserves I had to keep intensity up throughout the ride.

A FiveRivers Parks truck was exiting the maintenance compound as I passed out of Eastwood Park, and I stopped them to mention the need to sweep loose twigs on the corner a bit east of the yellow gate. While I'm at it, there are other housekeeping tasks for the bikeway segments that are part of my commute.

• The ramp from the Monument Avenue bridge to the river-level bikeway has many loose stones and twigs, over its entire distance.
• The culvert crossing underneath the Main Street bridge has concrete washed away by the Spring flooding. Though a part of the washout has been filled with compacted dirt, the entire width needs attention with filler concrete or asphalt.
• A relatively small amount of stones litter the bikeway just west of the Findlay Street bridge.
• The intersection of the bikeway, North Smithville, and Springfield Street and the bikeway crossing of Smithville just a tenth mile south of that intersection still lack road markings for the crossing.
• Quite a few dropped walnuts litter the bikeway in several areas between Airway and Linden. I suspect the number will increase over the next two weeks.
• Almost all crossings would benefit from reapplication of paint and better approach signage at Airway, Burkhardt, Linden, Woodbine, Woodman, Spaulding north of the county waste treatment plant, and Spaulding at the crossing to Founders Drive

As I eased into a steady but fast rhythm in the final leg, I passed Gladys on her way to meet Millie for their daily walk. I had no time to stop, but I gave her a big, two-hands-wide wave.
Ride conditions
Temperature: 59 to 61°F at 07:55, 63 to 66°F at 09:30
Precipitation: none
Winds: calm
Clothing: Skinsuit, ankle socks, open-finger gloves.
Bike: Lotus Legend fixed gear
Time: 00:42:58 for 11.99 miles
Heart rate: 132 bpm average, 156 bpm maximum
Bikeway users: 6 cyclists, 6 pedestrians, 1 dog
Here is a playback of the ride.