I rode about 17 miles last night. My pace was slower than usual and my legs were feeling it at the end (and this morning). But after not being on the bike for almost 2 weeks and lots of sitting and eating during that time, I had no expectations of speed. This whole year has been a fitness yo-yo for me -- every time I reached a point where I felt I had built up some strength and endurance, something happened to keep me from riding and cause me to start all over again. But, what matters is just getting out and riding when possible and enjoying the experience of it.

The new outfit that I tried out -- lightweight wool long-sleeved base layer, Gore Windstopper baselayer, Endura fleece jersey -- would have been good for slightly warmer temperatures. It was 45 when I started and a few degrees cooler when I finished, probably closer to 40 in the middle of the ride when I was in neighborhoods with lots of trees and creeks and relatively little pavement. I started with a vest on top of it, was able to remove the vest about a third of the way into the ride, but had to put it back on towards the end. I was comfortable going uphill but cold on the downhills and when I picked up speed on flat roads. The Windstopper fabric does indeed block the wind, but the base layer has a mesh fabric in back and on the insides of the sleeves. This kept me from overheating, but it also made my arms cold. So I will probably not use this same outfit again until the spring when things start to warm up again. In the meantime I want to test the Windstopper base layer with a Pearl Izumi jacket that I have. The jacket has a fleece inside and a wind resistant outside. I always seem to need a vest over it in order to be comfortable, so I'm hoping this base layer will combine well with it.