I FINALLY got to try out the shorts!
Today I did my first group ride ever. We went 19.05 miles according to my new little computer, my total trip was 26.67 miles if you count there and back, which I do. The wind was a steady 10-12 mph gusting up to 20 or so. At first it was awful, but then I just resigned myself to Zoomie's easiest gear and it wasn't so bad. I was one of three or four laggers, so I wasn't alone. The group was maybe 20 people total. We started and ended at a brewery, and I celebrated not-dying with a rootbeer and some pretzels.


I wore the bike shorts underneath my jeans. I thought it was too cold for bare legs. Turns out I was only partially wrong- I warmed up quickly but I still don't think I'd've liked that wind on my skin. My nose is very sore from dripping constantly and my lips feel funny.

I'm not sure I like bike shorts at all.

The padding was odd, but I can and did get sort of used to that. What I'm not thrilled with is how HOT I felt. My seat area was sweltering, and then I was wet. Hot and clammy doesn't feel that awesome. By the time I got back home, my jeans were even damp in some places, it was weird. The good news is that I wasn't bothered by any seams or anything, but with damp padding I'm not sure if simply pressure might cause an issue over time. I can't even imagine trying to wear those things in summertime- I think it was 60F today with nearly constant wind so it felt even chillier.

I wonder how I would have done on that ride with nothing on under my jeans??