OK, last night we laid out all of our bike clothes, chemical heaters, and all other gear one needs for riding in temperatures of around 25. I kind of knew I wouldn't actually do it, but...
DH went out to see if he could fit both of our bikes in the back of his SUV without putting the rack on this morning and we kind of lost our will. It was 17 at the time, predicted to be 24 at ride start. We both felt better making the decision to hike. Five people actually rode and 11 of us hiked, about 5.5 miles. Nothing hard, and I was cold, even hiking. I think I needed a different mid layer and definitely did not have the right stuff on my hands. But, I felt like I got a good work out. Got back and had a very small piece of veggie lasagna and some hot cider. The cyclists were just getting back when we were leaving. It seemed like a very long time for 30 miles, but perhaps they stopped. I made the right decision.
However, I will admit only here that we bought some battery heated cycling gloves last night. I've been watching the sales and the price, while crazy, was considerably less (almost half off) that unusual. I was really worried about my hands in the cold, because riding with thicker gloves or lobster gloves impairs my ability to shift. Now I will have no excuse, because I am reasonably happy in the cold with all the other parts of my body.
Happy New Year, Catrin!