First sub-freezing ride of the season: Got out in 26°F to do a 25 mile solo ride. Lottsa black ice out there!

Impressive. Fifty degrees and I'm thinking I should find an indoor hobby.

Commuted again today. Not quite as cold as yesterday but still sub-freezing for the inbound leg. Supposed to get up to a balmy 40°F for the return tonight!

I must confess, one of the things I enjoy about winter cycling is how few other cyclists are on the paths. Sadly, the local infrastructure can barely accommodate the current load of two-wheeled commuters, and on the nicest days it's a struggle to get home without killing oneself or someone else. Almost makes riding in car traffic preferable! (Almost...) But send the mercury down into the 20s and the MUP is my oyster.

Finally got a break from the rain today so rode some hills:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4847/...b45df65b_b.jpg
IMG_6263 by 2cam16, on Flickr

Wasn't sub-freezing yesterday down here in sunny FL but it was a freezing Florida morning of mid 40'sF when I started riding at 12:17AM. First segment was 45 miles and back to house to warm up, eat, remove lights then back out for another 60 miles. Winds were 10mph to start then 15+mph at the finish.

Question
 

I travel quite a bit....do you guys consider riding a stationary as an entry for this thread? Thanks....

Rain! I'm not geared up for riding in the rain, so I'm bike-grounded. All day yesterday, today and tomorrow, although I may get a break in the weather mid-morning tomorrow.

Had a very interesting day early in the week because I did three decent rides in one day, a first for me. I started with a quick uphill ride, down off the mountain, down around the corner then up to a high point where the road goes over a shoulder, then turn and return, about 40 minutes. Then later I had to return a library book, so another quick six miles there. On the way back I realized I'd forgotten a second book also due. Wavered between riding and taking the car because it was the end of the day, kind of tired, already ridden twice, but what the heck, let's just try. Two hours rest, two slices of pizza and back to the library, which was one of my best rides ever. Felt smooth and strong, I knew the route and the moves and the shifts because I'd just done it, I was already stretched and warmed up and rested, it all clicked.

And later in the week a 25F morning drive-time hilly loop. Traffic is becoming a problem on our two-lane farm roads, where the farms have been replaced by houses. At one point there was a 1/3 mile line of cars behind me before I pulled off to let them pass. (We're a designated sacrifice zone. The houses are going up so fast I swear they're just throwing down little house-shaped mats, adding water, and fwoomp, new houses!)

All that with my new Take-A-Look mirror, which is incredibly great. It's changing my bike life.

I'm finishing too wet, need to figure out how to vent better without a pain-in-the-a$$ strip stop 20 minutes in.

Club ride today: I wound up in a group of seven for the first 30 miles of surprisingly gnarly dirt, then after lunch three of us took the paved road return which came to exactly 15 miles. So 45 total.

Now I need to clean the bike. :(

It snowed here 7-8 days ago. Only a few inches, but the temperature hasn't gotten much over freezing, and there is still ice and snow in many places.. Last winter the snow would be melted and gone by noon. A few times it took 2 days. I tried to go out a few days ago, but some of the roads were solid packed snow, so I turned around after just 2 miles. I went home and put the studded tires on my MTB, and today I was able to ride 24 miles. Several places were still solid ice, but the studded tires role over them without any trouble. It was very cold on the way home, I had to stop at my daughters house and use her hair dryer to warm up my hands and got my gloves hot.A real life saver.It was so cold my cellphone wouldn't work. Next time I'll carry it in the rear pocket of my jersey.

Mostly using the indoor trainer this week. Been dizzy from upper respiratory congestion and ear congestion. Doing 30-45 minute intervals and 90-120 minute moderate effort trainer sessions while watching TV and movies.

After two weeks with a constant sinus headache I finally went to the doctor. Got an upper respiratory inflammation, not quite an infection but felt like my head was filled with concrete and porcupines. Shot me up full of prednisone, sent me home with more and antibiotics.

Feeling a bit better now. Might tackle a real ride tomorrow if it's not too cold and rainy again -- was in the 30s today, but I'll try anything above 40 degrees. Already put fenders on the city bike and switched from a Lycra covered saddle to a more rain resistant saddle. I'm ready if the body cooperates.

Ten miles this afternoon - sunny but coldish in upper 30's. Yesterday - 14 miles on a club Santa-themed ride. Colder than today - below 30. I was late - started after others had taken off. Missed a turn or two and got disoriented and cold (toes). Ended up going back to the start and enjoyed a hot mocha at Mickey D's on the drive home. Was good to get out and ride on a day that I probably wouldn't have ridden because of weather.

15 Kilometers on a mild -7 Celsius afternoon, mostly on plowed MUP...a few pictures from the last part of my ride through downtown, Prince Albert, SK, Canadahttps://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...1848c4a2bf.jpg
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30 miles Sunday night, chilly in the 30s but nice evening group ride with friends.

30 mile group road ride on Sunday.
Monday off
Commuted to work today, for The Usual ~19 Miles™

Another muddy hills ride this morning with Facebook HQ in the background:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4892/...81aac750_b.jpg
IMG_6319 by 2cam16, on Flickr

27 miles on the road bike Tuesday evening. Leg cramps every time I pushed it so I just loafed, looked at the holiday lights and stopped at Sonic for burgers. Pretty good evening.

Sonic burgers...food of champions. :)

My first ride in a long time, and decided to get out into some really windy, cloudy 45F weather, Got in 45 minutes for a quickie.

18 miles today as a bike commuter. Above freezing in the morning and all the way up to lower 40's in the PM plus sunny!
May have been my last-ever bike to work ride as I retire at the end of the month. Depends on the weather - the bike commuting, that is.

10 miles on a rainy Wednesday night to check fender adjustments. Seems good.

Did 24 miles today on a beautiful low 70s day here in Southeast Florida. A little windy here on the beach road.

A hill workout in the hood on Monday, first time on the bike in snow, even though none of it was sticking. (Yeah, that doesn't count.) Hard freeze overnight, so walked early Tues morning to check out road conditions then did a bike-n-hike later in the day. It warmed up to about 50F midafternoon, so I dressed thinly, but man did the temp drop off after the sun went down.

And now I'm sick, probably from a family member, probably a cold, but it's rough and my nose feels like I snorted black pepper. Riding is out. :/

33 mile road ride with the missus.

26 miles on the road bike Saturday afternoon. Still feeling a bit of post-surgery blah. Maybe I'm just impatient. Cool, clear evening, felt chillier than it really was. Gotta find another version of this old rural route. Recent development is making it too dangerous, too many impatient drivers now.