Chilly Friday Ride

Yesterday I went for a chilly 21.5 mile ride from my apartment up to Cotati and back. When I woke up is was an icy 30 degrees out. I knew I wasn't ready to hop on my bike right now, so I decided to wait a little and give it time to warm up a bit.

By about lunch time is was up to about 45 degrees, so i decided it was time to brave the cold. I donned my cold weather cycling gear, so that I was basically covered from head to toe. I tried out some new wool socks that I got at Performance Bike the other day. 

I felt that it was very fitting that they were called 'the blaze' since my cycling team is called the South Bay Blaze. I've never worn wool cycling socks, but I have some for snowboarding so I figured they would help keep the toes warm. I also put on my Pittsburgh jersey in honor of the cold weather.

With the ride being predominantly flat, I was able to keep up my speed. That helped make my ride go faster, but it also made my ride even colder with the wind. Looking at my Strava, I hit a max of 26.8 and averaged a speed of 15.6 mph. Not too shabby.

The elevation chart is quite deceiving. It looks a lot more hilly than it actually was. That is why you have to look at the height scale of the chart. This is the reason I stopped paying attention to the elevation charts for our ALC training rides. I would see the elevation chart and start to freak out. Then I'd do the ride and realize that the hills were not actually that bad.

Anyway, back to my ride yesterday. As I was on my way back, it started to sprinkle. I just hoped that I would make it back to my apartment before it really started to rain. I've ridden in a little rain before, but when it is 45 degrees out, the last thing I want to deal with is being wet.

There was something I had passed on my way out to Cotati that I figured I would stop and take a photo of on my way back, but  by the time I got there, I could barely feel my toes so I thought that it was more important to get home and warm up and get the photo. It is something that will be there for a while, so I can catch it later. As I pulled into my complex I remembered that there is hot chocolate in the front office. I knew that was a great way to warm up so I parked the bike outside the front door and brewed up a cup. Nothing beats hot cocoa after being out in the cold. It took me back to all the winters my sister and I would go outside and play in the snow when we were kids.

Now that I'm all warm, I feel like it was a good ride. At the time, battling the chill, I might not have agreed.