Part of my 22 mile commute involves approximately 3 miles of MUT. It's been warm in Chicago this week and it's brought everyone outside to enjoy the 60-70F temperatures. This means that, all of a sudden, there are PEOPLE on my trail. That makes those 3 miles a little more challenging (and sometimes a little interesting).

Heading home yesterday I passed two <i>very fit</i>, tan, twenty-somthing ladies out jogging on the trail. About a 1/4 mile beyond the female runners I encountered three Orthodox Jewish men riding along on their hybrid bikes going the opposite way. They were in full black hassidic clothing with their braids flying in the wind. I couldn't help but think of the clash of cultures on the MUT and imagine how hot these guys must be in their dark formal clothing. I also wondered what they thought of the gentile lady trailmates they were about to encounter!

At the end of the MUT, where it dissolves into the street, I had my third strange encounter of the day! An older woman (probably in her 60's) had dropped the chain off the 12t sprocket on her cassette of her touring bike. Clad in an old white Bell Biker helmet, she had flipped the bike over on the grass and was yanking on the chain trying to remedy the situation. With good karma in mind, I pulled over and helped her get the chain back on the cassette and into an easier gear so she could pedal away. It was the first time I had helped out another cyclist in a while and it felt good...

Anyways that's all my ramblings for a Friday morning... Have a good ride home and a good weekend!

I also wondered what they thought of the gentile lady trailmates they were about to encounter!

They probably thought "Oy! Would you look at those shikses! They must have a lot of chutzpa to go out like that...."

It's the little things that make my commute interesting to me (since there's nothing exciting about it) and this is a great combination of little things!!!

I'm almost embarrassed to admit some of the things I notice and wonder if they'll be there the next day... On my commute, it's rare to see another cyclist. If I saw either of what you saw, I'd post it immediately; if I saw both, I'd call Fox News....

Tx.

With a 2 year old daughter at home commuting is the main way I get my miles in so I tend to cherish the daily ride.

I've got a guy that I roll past every morning who takes his CAT out for the morning walk! The cat has a full harness on and the guy keeps him on a leash. I nearly rear ended a car at a stop light the first time I saw it. Neither the owner nor the pet look too happy about the situation at 6:45am each morning...

I'm almost embarrassed to admit some of the things I notice and wonder if they'll be there the next day... On my commute, it's rare to see another cyclist. If I saw either of what you saw, I'd post it immediately; if I saw both, I'd call Fox News....


Know the feeling! When I spot the very odd cyclist commuting to work, I go into pursuit mode & attempt to catch them. It may seem silly but definitely helps me work on my pathetic attempt at sprinting or TT spinning.

Hah!

On a beautiful warm day a few weeks ago now when the snow was just melting, I took the scenic route home by hitting the trails in the river valley. I had hoped that the snow packed on the trail would still be firm enough for decent riding but I was wrong. The trail closely follows the river and I met a couple of marathon canoeists (from the club I am part of) paddling downriver just a few meters from me. A minute or two later, I passed a cross-country skier. I thought that was a weird overlap in outdoor pursuits.

Cheers,
Bryan

I go into pursuit mode & attempt to catch them. It may seem silly but definitely helps me work on my pathetic attempt at sprinting or TT spinning.
I'm a little competitive when it comes to the morning commute. Every cyclist I see down the road is a target to be gunned down & reeled in. The other cyclists must be getting faster though, my 4 year run of being unpassed during the commute ended last spring and now it seems to happen about once every couple of months (usually on a bad day). I too figure that the sprint and chase are good training.

I'm a little competitive when it comes to the morning commute. Every cyclist I see down the road is a target to be gunned down & reeled in. The other cyclists must be getting faster though, my 4 year run of being unpassed during the commute ended last spring and now it seems to happen about once every couple of months (usually on a bad day). I too figure that the sprint and chase are good training.

So true! If I spot someone ahead of me I go for the pass. I must be the champion racer against people who aren't racing. I get passed maybe once every 6 months, and it is usually by the same guy: some little guy on an old Trek who lives in my neighborhood. He must be as silly and competitive as me, and we are fairly evenly matched. We take turns attacking, drafting, and passing each other but I don't think we have ever spoken a word in three years. I was out for a walk with my wife last summer when I saw this guy across the street, walking his dog. We did the acknowledgment nod thing, and if we weren't going opposite directions at the time it probably would have become a footrace!

I must be the champion racer against people who aren't racing.

LOL!!!

That's the way I feel. On one hand I'm proud of being faster than most of the other commuters out there (most of them fair weather only types); on the other hand, I'm just glad there aren't more fast people who share my commute route.I'm much less cocky about being fast now that I ride once in a while with folks who truly are fast and they leave me looking like a kid on a trike trying to catch their draft.

Cheers,
Bryan

I'm a little competitive when it comes to the morning commute. Every cyclist I see down the road is a target to be gunned down & reeled in. The other cyclists must be getting faster though, my 4 year run of being unpassed during the commute ended last spring and now it seems to happen about once every couple of months (usually on a bad day). I too figure that the sprint and chase are good training.
I try that stunt very time as well. But admittedly, at 6:30am, there aren't too many cyclists out there at that time of the day.
On the return trip, there is this one fellow on a top of the line Opus (might even work there too) & he goes like the wind, I have never successfully even matched his speed all last season (cx tires with 55psi are not good for this type of stuff). This year, I am outfitted with more aero wheels & am using a more road biased tire, Vitorria Randonneur Cross (still can go on trails too) & 80psi. I hope to run into him one evening & test my luck.
The morning riders tend to ride hybrids or MTB & I can them, not all that quickly sometimes as I spot them a 100-200 meters ahead of me on the straight roads & into the wind, of course, making for a hard pursuit but fun nonetheless. Once I catch them, I stay in their draft until I am rested & then go by with a wave or nod.