March 1st Rides

Well, I hopped on my Trek commuter for the first time since the snow became deep, back in December.

I loooooove being back on my bike! :D

I have to say, though, riding on the trainer definitely didn't help me ride around town to do my errands :p Apparently I am much slower than pre-winter or the traffic light timers are different... ;)

The high today is 22F and the cold air hurts my lungs :(

On the bright side, I am exhilarated to be back outside (at least until the next snow...) and it is beautifully sunny (deceptively so, it being only about 3 F with windchill...)

Ana, be careful about exerting your lungs in those temps--especially if you haven't covered your nose and mouth. If you have a balaclava or a scarf (I use a polar Buff to cover my nose and mouth) it will protect your lungs from damaging cold air. If you do a quick search, you might find the actual air temp is much lower than you anticipated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ana

The high today is 22F and the cold air hurts my lungs

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That is seriously cold! We've been out for several weekends now in Atlanta, but I'm a wimp and 45F is about the coldest I can tolerate. I don't know how you breathe at 22F!!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by tctrek

That is seriously cold! We've been out for several weekends now in Atlanta, but I'm a wimp and 45F is about the coldest I can tolerate. I don't know how you breathe at 22F!!

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It's really only bad when I'm going up hills..everything else is fine :)

Hmm...lung damage sounds scary. I will definitely look into that :p :( It seems like if I were to damage my lungs, it might have happened in high school when we would do continuous suicides up the slope for soccer practice... :p

22F!!! I couldn't function in that kind of weather, much less ride my bike. I'm such a cold weather weenie. :o

My sister lured me over to her house this morning for brunch and bloody marys. Any plans for a bike ride today went right out the window! :D

I went out with DH and a friend on the MTB yesterday morning. After crashing on the ice three times in 10 minutes (with studded tires), I opted to head home and ride in the basement where it was not snowing, there was no ice, and it was warm :D.

SheFly

Dachshund and I did a recovery ride after Saturday's Team In Training slogfest up the Swiss Alps. (OK, we didn't really ride up the Swiss Alps on Saturday, but our legs sure felt like it.)

Anyway, on Sunday we cruised on beautiful Calaveras Road for a little rain riding and relaxation. What did I learn?

- Kool Stop salmon brake pads stop you pretty darned well in the wet
- My helmet rain cover looks silly and slides down my forehead, which is a bit annoying when you have PMS
- My maroon Swobo wool jersey isn't colorfast
- Leftover pasta, a glass of wine, and a fire in the fireplace are the ultimate in post-rainy-ride recovery

... down here instead of the usual one, but anyway, today, 3 March, another 12k on the flat, going down to the drops for a minute at a time and practising changing gear and braking. Getting closer to a hill ride :D