Yoshi

I go on group training rides with a few of my friends on thursday mornings before work (for those in the NYC area, we usually ride on River road). I missed most of December (and since I organize these rides, so did everyone else). A new year means getting back on track, so of course I committed to ride today.

Of course today also happens to be the coldest day in the past three years (I think). The temperature hovered between 14 and 16 degrees F. Everyone who said they were going to ride wussed out. I decided to skip River road and just do laps in Central park. I managed to do two laps before my inadequately covered feet told me to stop (that and the frozen solid water bottles). Apparently I need to HTFU.

I took some pictures when I got home:

goodall

I made it a mile into my 20-mile commute before I realized that not having a barclava was going to be a big problem. Turned around and came home. It was only around 20 degrees F here. Then I sulked about how big a wuss I am.

botto 

you're sick. truly sick.

Yoshi

My commute to work was much better - I learned my lesson and managed to keep my feet tolerably not-cold. My hands were cold but only started to hurt by the time I got to work.

Everything else was totally fine. In fact during the training ride my torso was perhaps a tad too warm.

wfrogge

On a day like that why bother? Of course this comes from a guy that lives in a location with only 5 days below freezing each year.

Yoshi

It's true, I probably shouldn't have bothered. It's mostly that I wanted to start up the Thursday morning rides again and today it just happened to be absolutely freezing.

Plus I get to tell all my friends to HTFU.

substructure

Tomorrow morning's 43 mile (one-way) commute will be 19-20F. Should be fun.


edit: BTW, good job on hanging with it.

gfrance

Two more laps than I even thought of doing.... you win.

briscoelab

Riding in truly cold weather really sucks hard. CX nationals a couple weeks ago had them temps about 8-9 degrees for the races... brrrrrrr!

Last week i rode here and my toes froze together by the end of the ride... shifters froze up.... water bottles were chunks of ice... good times

kill.cactus

I have the same Descente gloves. How do they work for you? I find they are completely inadequate for anything under 40 unless I'm really pushing. There is simply no insulation in the fingers!

Yoshi

I find they are okay down to about 30. Definitely inadequate for 15 degrees. However that jacket I'm wearing has mittens built into the sleeves that made it tolerable (although I was barely able to shift).