Well I did it on Wednesday, and as I did it, I thought of this thread. It was 37ºF and raining. I didn't even expect rain; it was a surprise. The sun had set. I was underdressed.

Well, it went far better than I would expect. My hands got cold, and near the very end of the ride, they hurt. But that's all that got truly cold.

I've been working on improving my tolerance for low temperatures. I think it's working. In previous winters, one of my biggest challenge was keeping my feet warm. They got painfully cold. Well, unrelated to cycling, at the end of the summer, I decided to find the lowest temperature at which I can tolerate wearing sandals. I'm wearing them with thin wool socks, and I know it looks dorky, but it's comfortable, and most other shoes don't fit comfortably. Well, guess what, I was wearing my sandals and dorky socks on my rainy ride on Wednesday, and somehow my feet did not get cold. I can't figure it out. Maybe it's because my toes are freer to move around? Well, I'll keep going at 37º and lower and see how it goes.

The problem with rain at night is that it's hard for me to see and even hard for motor drivers to see. I was about to take my street route home, and then I realized I could take the park path home instead where there are no motor vehicles. That route is a bit longer, and it's much more exposed to wind, but in cold rain with low visibility, it seems like the best bet. And I survived, so there I go.