cthenn

This winter sucks. It hasn't rained in two months, and in place of that, we've been treated to endless close-to-freezing mornings, and a relentless north or northeast wind. For the entire year so far. It feels like every time I go out to ride, I'm riding into a headwind regardless of which way I'm going. And it's been just bitterly bitterly cold in the morning. Honestly I'd rather ride in the rain if that meant we'd warm up a tad. I'll take rain when I go out to ride if the tradeoff was 50-degree temps. These 34 degree mornings are really starting to grate on me! Besides, this state is in big BIG trouble this year if the last rain we get was in December. Wildfires, climate change, Covid, war, when does the world get better, or does it?

GhostRider62

Please re-read rule 5

rumrunn6

it's good to get it out

cthenn

Leinster

I've been out for a few morning rides. It's colder than I'd like for the kit I own as a long-term NorCal resident, but it's not the worst.

I think the bit I most agree with the OP about is wildfires, though. And as far as wildfires are concerned, Rule 5 can suck it.

cthenn

I have poor circulation in my hands, and when it gets below 40 or so, my fingers get so cold it's tortuously painful, no matter what I wear on them. Makes it so hard to enjoy a ride when I'm in excruciating pain.

spdntrxi

Look into hot hands.. or heated gloves.

I have the issue but its my feet. Below 40 and I'm wearing heated socks. My MIL has the gloves (they are more liner looking to me ) and they work well.

blt

For the coldest part of the morning, I'll use handwarmers, but IMO heated gloves work better. I don't own any, but pre-pandemic a friend I was visiting in Redding loaned me some to go out on a morning ride in 27 degree weather, and they seemed pretty nice.

I prefer sunny mornings in the 30's to riding in rain. I can put on enough layers to be warm enough, and so long as I stay out long enough it gets better (though I need to shed layers). My skull cap definitely helps the head. A benefit of the pandemic, I have plenty of different masks I can put on to help keep my face warm in the coldest part of the morning.

I can keep from being too miserable in cold weather (although I've never ridden below 24 degrees in my adult life), it is much harder for me to keep from being miserable in the rain.

I also sometimes use the cold as an excuse to be lazier in the morning and get out later.

In the human and environmental interest of Northern California, I hope for rain. If it isn't raining, I look on the bright side that I can ride dry.

Leinster

So Garmin awarded me a badge for my ride this morning. Petaluma Phil musta seen his shadow or something.



I don’t know what you’d call this season; it doesn’t have rain like Winter would, but it sure as s41t isn’t warm enough to call spring.


in the mornings anyway. The afternoons are roasting.

cthenn

another cold one today! 42 when I left, toes and fingers stayed painfully cold almost the entire ride. We may not be getting rain, but man, these cold morning temps are persistent!

rumrunn6

didn't ride today, just work. but we had freakish snow & hale squalls roll thru today. kinda fun, but darn cold for my short sleeve shirt

Darth Lefty 

We canceled our travel trailer camping trip and stayed home... the weather here in the elbow was much nicer than our planned campsite

Korina

I mean really. Rain, wind, rinse, repeat.

rumrunn6

might see temps in the 80sF soon. what the heck happened to Spring weather?

hi 50sF today, here's hoping shoulder work doesn't interfere with a bike ride tonight

genejockey 

Didn't see any rain where I was, but the "20-30 knots with higher gusts" made me decide to ride in the garage yesterday. I'm too old to fight a 30 mph headwind all the way up Canada Rd!

Probably could have scored a bunch of PRs on the southbound trip, though.....

Darth Lefty 

How beautifully blue the sky
the glass is rising very high
continue fine I hope it may
but yet it rained just yesterday
i think that it may storm again
i hear the country wants some rain
but people say, I know not why
that it will be a warm July

mschwett 

i did a loop today down along skyline, crystal springs, and cañada, and then back up (approx 1pm) the bay trail and all the other ****** roads it connects to over there. the headwind going northwest was BRUTAL. closest I’ve ever come to throwing in the towel and taking the train home.

genejockey 

Yeah. I was on a lot of the same roads today, and it was really bad. I spent a LOT of time in the drops, but I still was going about 10 mph slower than usual most of the way North, while working harder than usual. A whole lot of no fun.

cthenn

The complaining may switch pretty soon. As is the new normal in CA, we go directly from "dry cold winter" to summer. Long range forecast is for above normal temps for a while starting later this week. I'll have to switch out my cold weather gear for slathered sunscreen and a mask for wildfire smoke, probably... At least I have a lot of masks to choose from now haha!

KJ43

As long as the winds die down to a reasonable level I'm good!

Maybe it's just the routes and time of day (afternoons usually) I was riding but there was a stretch there where it seemed like every ride I did was annoyingly windy. This past weekend was great!

Korina

Here on Humboldt Bay we're alternating between sunny, windy days and overcast, occasionally showery days. With wind.

bikingshearer 

My big complaint about the weather is that last Saturday it was absolutely perfect - and I couldn't get out for a ride.

Hey, first-world problems are still problems.

rumrunn6

local weatherman keeps talking about joint pain. I haven't yet found a correlation between weather & how my joints feel. I think higher humidity = higher joint pain

cthenn

Summer heat confirmed! Went up NG after work and completely blew up about 4 miles up to the junction. I never get "pukey" when I ride, but last night was an exception, my body did NOT like this overnight flip in temps! Also, it was warm enough to bring the rattlers out! Next thing you know, all the tarantulas will think it's September...

rumrunn6

wow, brave photo! never mind about what to do about dogs, do we need a thread just for snakes? I doubt any spray, or clever psychology would work