Yup, we have seasonably cold weather now. It is about 38ºF, and it is very windy. Very, very windy. Windy, I say. It's also damp and overcast. It's not a day that invites us to be outside. Yet I figured if I dressed well, I would be OK, and I was right. The report was that the wind was coming from the southwest, which is rare for mornings, and it's also ideal for me. As I expected, the wind is very gusty and shifty. I think I had a tail wind most of the way, but I did face gusts in my face as well as lots of crosswinds. It takes quick reflexes to handle all the quick changes. I have my panniers on the front of my bike now, and while it means I have to steer the bike hard to put it back on course, it also resists turning in the first place, and overall, I like it a lot.

Here are my GPS tracks. My average speed is a little lower than usual, but come to think of it, that's normal for winter. I can't complain. I really didn't push myself, either. I concentrated on being comfortable.

Yesterday was even worse. I sang in a concert, which is something I do a few times a year. I rode Citi Bike about five miles to the concert in my all-black clothes. A small woman near me in traffic, also on a Citi Bike, shrieked of alarm when a crosswind hit her. After she passed the corner, the wind picked up a city garbage can, very heavy metal, and flung it into the street, right through the space where she just was. The can landed in the middle of the big avenue. Pretty ominous. But we both survived. I see these things as adventures.