go to the “More” drop-down and click Cycling. switches the view to

- dark green for bike paths

- light green for bike lanes

- dotten green for roads that lack bike signage/lanes/paths but are nonetheless ridable.

it’s not perfect, but a very nice first version! bye bye mapmyride…

I’ve been building up to this for awhile and gave it a go today: the round-trip from home to work.

it was abbreviated by a couple of miles each way since I had to meet a biking buddy and was behind schedule, so I drove to his house and we started from there.

but from his place we rode the 11.5 miles in, along the Southwest Corridor. and on the way home, I tried reversing the Jamaica Plain path (13.7). it was a bit steep (for me) through Olmstead Park, and I almost had to stand up on the hill in front of Faulkner Hospital, but after that it was a quick trip down VFW parkway and Route 1 to Dedham Square. Interestingly, the route home was faster than the way in despite the extra distance. Next I’m going to try the Hyde Park route to skip Bellevue Hill (though it didn’t seem that bad this morning).

I was most pleased that the cars were so considerate on VFW. there is a nice healthy shoulder except at the intersections, and they gave me the right of way there.

It was 26 miles round trip. If I had started from home it would’ve been 30. Now that’s a healthy ride each day, if I can work up to doing it every day!

I reported a pothole at the beginning of the inbound Washington St. bike lane in Roslindale using the Hazard Reporting tool on the city’s website:

http://www.cityofboston.gov/contact/?id=179

I submitted the request at the end of the day Monday, expecting to hear back maybe in a few weeks. But I got a note back from Nicole Freedman, Boston’s Director of Bicycle Programs, on Friday morning saying that the pothole had been fixed.

Needless to say, I was floored. I rode by to check, and sure enough the pothole was gone.

dropped my car off in Needham for repair this morning but still needed to get to work. green line to red line = unfun. I so rode up Needham/Centre st and then Beacon pretty much the whole way to MIT.

I was amazed at the bike lanes in Brookline on Beacon St., especially near the Chestnut Hill Reservoir. Not only are the bike lanes nice and wide, but they are separated from the car lane by 2-3 feet of stripes.

absolutely fabulous. sort of makes me want to move northward…only sort of though

Next pickup is definitely a Xootr Swift

it looked cold, but by the top of Bellevue Hill I was sweating so badly that I had to take off my balaclava and shirt – left the baselayer and jacket on.

stuffed them both in my basket and continued on. when I arrived at my destination in Allston, I couldn’t find either of them. they must have bounced out during a big bump – maybe the crummy pavement on Washington St.

I knew I should’ve gotten a bag instead of a basket. argggh.

in happier news, a BMW pulled over next to me and asked how I liked the Trek Soho – said he was thinking of one.

stopped by Foxboro Bike for no particular reason, found that they had Shimano mountain bike shoes for half off. was in a real hurry so I grabbed a pair in what I thought was my size.

got home and realized that they were a bit big. oops–or so I thought. but then I remembered that my toes are always cold, even when I put on the booties. so I tried two layers of wool socks, and they fit in these shoes just fine.

so now I’m hoping I can *finally* keep my piggies warm.

picked up some SPD clips for $15 and some shoes for another $15. forgot to pick up a 15mm wrench though, so I can’t install them. 9/16 is too small and 5/8 is too big. can’t find my adjustable. grr…….

I have probably been a bit more vocal than necessary about my two-wheeled commuting exploits. but they did pay a divided other than vanity this past week.

the parents of my son’s best friend are, unbeknownst to me, are or have been active cyclists. and the dad works barely a mile away from MIT, just across the Longfellow bridge in Boston.

this morning was our first caravan! it was great. I feel much safer with two of us following each other. I think cars (and even trucks/buses) are more cognizant as we are harder to miss. we’ll do it again soon.

wasn’t sure I’d ever try it, but I left the house on two wheels when it was below 20… 17 degrees, to be exact (-8C)

to my amazement, I was hot not cold! turns out the l.l. bean fleece + the columbia ski shell is too much. maybe I would be OK at 10 degrees then. next time I will go back to the stock columbia liner.

ok, well, the piggies were a bit cold even though I had felt liners, wool socks, and booties. maybe I need to get the warm packs. fingers were fine though.

every time I leave the house for the 13.5 mile ride it seems a bit crazy, but what a feeling to roll into the office! now if I could just find a path with more straightaways…