3 MPH slower
 

This morning before the sun was up I headed out for a 40 mile ride. Checking my time upon my return home I found my average speed was 3 mph slower than usual. I really dislike the cold, but I HATE the 25 to 35 mph wind gusts that seem to come non-stop around here from late November until mid May. :notamused: My only consolation was that I hit the 600 mile mark for December - a new high for me this time of year. I'm evenstarting to think "bent" so I can get a fairing. ;)

Getting a "bent would give you a good excuse to work on your buddha belly and the santa beard this time of year.

So how many extra layers did you put on for the cold weather?

As soon as I start feeling like the Michelin man- I leave the computer at home.

I'm heading out to ride my mtb up to 6000' elevation, if I can get there without having to hike through too much snow. I'll wear a pack to carry the layers needed for the descent. I attribute my slower speed to riding the mtb but unfortunately, my hr is pretty high on the climb so in reality I'm really out of shape instead.

Winter clothing adds more weight and drag. Maybe not a major factor, but you'd expect it's got to slow you down a bit.

Just 3 layers. Polypro base, fleece over that, and windproof outer shell. But I like the idea of leaving the computer at home.

I'm the same way. All those layers and cold hands have a detrimental effect on my riding. My average speed is about 1.5-2 mph slower no matter how hard I try to speed things up. :o

Yeah, I'm always slower in the winter, too. And I ain't all that fast in the summer.

There is some truth in the fact that cold air is more dense and therefore harder to ride through. Cold air will offer more resistance and you will be slower for the same power output.

I like that explanation. I can tell my buddies 'that's my story, and I'm sticking to it!'

You Californians need to realize that 60º isn't considered cold. lol

I agree--I just wish it WAS 60! Been foggy and 48-50 for a while here. Not cold by East coast standards, but when you are acclamated to warmer temps, it FEELS cold.

Takes me much longer to get warmed up in cold weather too.... so more of your ride may be spent at lower warm-up speed, driving the average down.

So many excuses as to why we ride slower at this time of year. ALL are valid unless you live in San diego- and then you have the scenery to look at along the Prom. Bikini Babes are so distracting

I noted about a 2 mph decrease on my ride yesterday, with higher than normal HR. I was feeling really badly out of shape (and probably am). Amazing what two weeks off the bike can do! LOL But the trainer is set and ready to go, so at least I can work to rebuild the aerobic base without suffering the indignities of a much lower average speed. (Yes, I know the average is meaningless).

Out of curiosity, I wonder how many BFers start their computers AFTER warming up and if that makes a significant difference on the average. I run mine from start to stop, BTW.

Merry Christmas to all.

Slow? Fast? WTF? There's just breathing heavy, outta breath, and burning lungs. Otherwise, you're just on a recovery ride (or a ride with your 7-y-o)....

I concur with taking off the computer. I took my computer off a couple of years ago and haven't missed it. I rode for years before they even made the first computer. It was a bit of a novelty back in the '80s when I got my first one. But in the end there is not much point to it.

If it's dry, anything over 40F is nice weather. The first day it's 40 and sunny, you see college kids riding in shorts. I think whenever you put anything on your legs it definitely is slower, but the wind is really going to slow you down. Why beat yourself up over it?

I am doing better in the winter if you all can believe that. Ridding in 65 to 75 degrees I do better than in 105 to 115 degree weather. Go figure.

And get the required flannel shirts as the uniform?

When you read stuff like this you really know you're in the 50+.

Funny, I always preferred temperatures above 110; it made my knees feel good (as in not bad). I don't have the muscle strength to tear up my knees anymore, so cool temps are fine now.

I could not ride last week due to helping with Christmas, had great plans for today but it is snowing. I would say I would be much slower today, if I was crazy enough to go out.

3mph slower for me too. Temps around low 50's