Consecutive bicycle work commute number 2294:

The last couple of weeks has been uncharacteristically warm for a South Dakota February. Most days have had highs in the 40s, wtih some days in the 50s and low 60s. We've even had a couple mornings that didn't drop below freezing. I've only had 6 commutes this season with a below zero air temperature, and right now that looks like that number will hold. The entirety of our snow came in November and early December. All this to say, it's been a very easy winter of bicycle commuting.

Yesterday the temp started to drop, with the day's high reaching about 35°F. The big news of the day was the wind. I woke up yesterday morning to hear the wind howling. There was a wind advisory issued, with the wind holding steady at about 25-30 mph, and gusts topping 50 mph. A few semis got blown over out on the interstate. Thankfully I fought the wind on the way to work (7 mph average on my road bike) so I had an easy push on the way home.

This morning the wind has died down to a more reasonable steady 15 mph, with very few gusts. The temp, however, was 14°F with a -2°F wind chill. The humidity was above 90%, making the chill feel even more pronounced. After a few weeks of warm temps I had lost my winter skin. While I like the warmer weather, in some respects it's easier if it just stays cold.

I had gotten up early with the intentions of riding the 8 miles to our company headquarters. However, I was fighting motivation. I had pretty much resigned myself to sitting down in my chair and napping for 45 minutes, then riding directly to a client location much closer to my house. I actually started walking towards my chair when my inner voice said, "You wuss! You've ridden through a lot worse than this!"

My inner voice can be pretty harsh at times.

I sucked it up, put on my cold weather gear, and rode the 8 mile trip to our office. I don't think I had worn my ski goggles since January. The wind came at me sideways for most of the ride. I'm not going to lie, I arrived at the office quite frozen. My toes, thighs, fingers and cheeks were numb. But I made it. The pain of the endeavor is temporary, but the sting of quitting is forever.