Strange ride home last night after work. There was a bad accident on one of major commuter routes in Raleigh, and the road was closed to all traffic for something like 7 hours. So the cops were detouring traffic down roads that normally don't have many cars. Unfortunately, several of these roads are on my route, so I was riding in bumper-to-bumper traffic on streets that are usually nearly empty. I normally don't filter ahead at intersections and such but made an exception in a couple of cases yesterday due to the abnormally heavy traffic. One of those cases was where some cars were blocking an intersection because they pulled ahead before the light turned red while the traffic was at a standstill. I wasn't going to sit through two light cycles or more because of that.

This morning was my first commute using my new winter jacket, a Pearl Izumi Gavia. I actually wore the jersey for the first time last weekend on a group ride, but it was too warm for the temperatures (mid-40s) and I sweated a lot. It wasn't much cooler this morning (upper 30s) but I'm riding a lot slower and stopping at traffic lights on my commute so need warmer clothes. The Gavia worked like a charm. With just a wicking t-shirt underneath, it kept me warm but not sweaty. I was particularly impressed by its performance on downhills, as I've got several where my speeds top 30 mph and it can get quite cold. The Gavia totally blocked the wind out. This afternoon will be the real test, however, because it will be much warmer (mid-50s) and I'm curious to see if I will get all sweaty. One of the reasons why I bought the Gavia is that it's available in high-vis yellow, which I wanted for riding in traffic. It's a form-fit jersey, so I bought it one size larger than usual, and that seems just about right for layer extra clothes underneath on really cold days.