A rainy lousy day

Yesterday was supposed to be our Botanical Gardens ride but the weather saw fit to put a damper on things. It turned out to be one of those lousy rainy days were it literally rained all day. So needless to say the ride did not occur.

So hopefully today will be better and when I get home after work I can breakout the bike and squeeze in about 20 miles. We'll just have to see.

UPDATE

Well today turned out to be a perfect day for riding. 79F degrees when I started and finished up at 73F degrees. Perfect riding weather. Today I was able to get my fastest pace to date. I rode at a 4:02 pace averaging 14.9 mph over the 18.61 miles. Overall I'm really happy with that ride. Traffic was heavier than I have seen before on the route I chose to ride so it was a little hairy at times. Now I just have to get myself mentally ready for my longest ride ever when I join a few friends on the Tuscaloosa Hot Hundred, where we plan to do a 34 mile stretch!

Also, if any of you happen to ride down Queenstown road in Trussville be alert for a pair of dogs that have no fear of chasing you. I was traveling west on Queenstown probably a 1/4 mile from the series of small lakes when a Chow mix dog lept up from a driveway and started chasing me in the middle of the road. About 100 feet away another dog from the other side of the street came out of nowhere to also chase me. This one looked like a cross between a pitbull and a hound. Both dogs chased me for about 1/2 mile in the middle of the road. I was finally able to pull away from them but it spiked my heart rate pretty good. Just a heads up!

Now that brings me to a little rant. Why is it so damn hard to keep you dogs in the backyard? I've been chased by so many dogs that I'm to the point of buying some pepper spray to take with me on my rides. Normally I can loudly and forcefully yell NO at a dog and they will relent. But these two just ignored me. It may have been enough to keep them at a small distance but it didn't stop their aggressive behavior. I have two dogs of my own and I know what it takes to keep an eye on them and keep them pinned up. But I can't understand the people who just let their dogs roam free. And it's especially bad in this area of Trussville!

Secondly, and I'm sure many of you cyclist can understand my point of view; but why are so many motorists so bloody stupid when it comes to cyclists. For example, not many drivers would pass a slower car in a blind curve. But yet 90% will pass a cyclist in a blind curve! Seriously, you can't wait just a few seconds. Also, why can't you give me a full lane width when there is a completely empty lane to be used? And I'm not talking about a standard 2 lane road, I'm talking about a 4 lane hwy. I've had so many drivers either barely move over or not move over when on a 4 lane hwy and no other traffic. Come on people. I have rights to the road too, I'm sorry if I'm a bit slower than you but that doesn't mean you have to damn near run me off the road! Especially when there is plenty of room.

Blah...enough ranting.

Be safe, watch for dogs and cars, and keep pedaling!