Winter driving conditions
It seemed much worse than it actually was when I looked out the window this AM before heading out to ride. The NOAA weather website was showing a temp of 24F at Noon with temps expected to fall further throughout the day. It was do or die. Either suck it up and get out there....or sit on the rollers in the basement. I opted to layer up.
Thermal jacket? Check.
Booties? Check.
Lobster gloves? Check.
Thermal bibs? Check.
Wool socks? Check.
Beanie? Check.
iPod? Check.
Before my scheduled 1.5 hour ride I took down a quick warm snack of almond butter and agave nectar. Then it was to the basement to layer up with all the thermal gear.
Yesterday it was 65F...I was riding in shorts. Today....this crap.
Here is some of nature's wind stopper...a small layer of ice. After 15 minutes of riding on wet roads, the road spray combined with the wind chill made a thin coating of ice on everything.
After 45 minutes of riding...I had major ice build up and a bike that would not shift up or down.
Meh. After 1 hour of riding....I spun home. I had a bike that was only working part of the time. The ice was giving my shifting a mind of its own.
Looks like one more day of this weather....then temps in the mid-50's. Today was not bad in terms of the temps. I was super warm....and sweating. Mechanical functionality was an issue. Today would have been a perfect singlespeed day.
I am ready for some snowshoeing!
Jeff Kerkove said at 3:03 PM
