This morning, for the first time ever (I think, and granted it's only been 2-1/2 years), I turned around and gave up. Our outside thermometer said -10 F when I first got up; the car indicated an outside temp of +4 by the time I drove in. I got about 1 mile out biking, my hands were freezing, and I had discovered my shifters were hardly working. By the time I got back home, my hands hurt, and I almost passed out from the exertion.
I have ridden in this temperature before, and not done too badly (~5 mi. each way, stopped once to warm up), but I had three factors all working against me this morning:
- Last year, I had nice bulky gloves that were big enough to wear a knit wool sub-layer on the really frigid days. Sadly, I lost those a few months ago.
The new pair is not big enough for two layers, and this morning I proved that the one layer themselves are not enough in this temperature.
- I think the problem with my shifters is that I failed to clean the chain after last week's trips, and probably the slush and stuff froze things up, both temperature-wise and from grit. I've got to start taking better care of my chain!
- I'm just getting over a minor cold, so probably my energy and stamina are not yet back up to par.
So I drove the mini-van in, and to add insult to injury, I turned on the seat-warmer!
At least now I can say I know my limits, despite what some people might think to the contrary!