november rides....outside and inside

[Crankin]

I got myself out the door and did my group's 23 mile ride before the Chanukah party. There was a 33 mile ride that was supposed to be at regular pace for the group, but then someone added in the shorter ride. Hence, the longer riders were going to be averaging 16 or so. I looked at the route, and said no way, so I suited up and and planned to be going slowly. But, I was surprised, although at the end we slowed and my average was way low, it did not feel slow for most of the ride. I stayed behind the leader (or 2nd behind him), and since there were only 8 or 9 of us, we stayed together, as there was no downloaded route for this ride. We didn't need to use human arrows, either, just waited twice. It wasn't like we were riding anyplace i hadn't been, except for one neighborhood in Acton, where I haven't been in years. My kids had several friends there, but never ridden there. The ride was pretty flat, with enough small hills to keep me busy.
We got back before the other riders and the hikers. I was able to clean myself up a bit without tons of people clamoring to get in the bathroom. Food was awesome (this group likes to eat), but I was restrained. I did have a glass of wine, 2 PM, though! I did not stay for the Yankee swap, which often goes on for hours.
A very pleasant day, and I am glad I went. My only annoyance was the one guy who always is half wheeling me, passes me, and then I drop him when we get to a hill. He calls out "car back, 2 cars back, 3 cars back," as well as other unecessary things. But, I think he got the message today, without me saying anything...

[ny biker]

I got myself out the door and did my group's 23 mile ride before the Chanukah party. There was a 33 mile ride that was supposed to be at regular pace for the group, but then someone added in the shorter ride. Hence, the longer riders were going to be averaging 16 or so. I looked at the route, and said no way, so I suited up and and planned to be going slowly. But, I was surprised, although at the end we slowed and my average was way low, it did not feel slow for most of the ride. I stayed behind the leader (or 2nd behind him), and since there were only 8 or 9 of us, we stayed together, as there was no downloaded route for this ride. We didn't need to use human arrows, either, just waited twice. It wasn't like we were riding anyplace i hadn't been, except for one neighborhood in Acton, where I haven't been in years. My kids had several friends there, but never ridden there. The ride was pretty flat, with enough small hills to keep me busy.
We got back before the other riders and the hikers. I was able to clean myself up a bit without tons of people clamoring to get in the bathroom. Food was awesome (this group likes to eat), but I was restrained. I did have a glass of wine, 2 PM, though! I did not stay for the Yankee swap, which often goes on for hours.
A very pleasant day, and I am glad I went. My only annoyance was the one guy who always is half wheeling me, passes me, and then I drop him when we get to a hill. He calls out "car back, 2 cars back, 3 cars back," as well as other unecessary things. But, I think he got the message today, without me saying anything...

It's sometimes a fine line between calling out helpful information and being annoying. I know one person who always yells "Car back" in a very loud voice, even when there are only one or two people riding with her and we're all close together. But then there are the people who ride in front of you without giving so much as a hint about potholes and debris that you need to avoid...

Wednesday was chilly and cloudy here with fog expected at night, so I did my weekly hill ride on Thursday instead. We're having this unusually warm weather right now and it was in the low 60s with sunshine yesterday. But it was also kind of humid, especially after the sun went down and temps dropped to the high 40s, which were the conditions when I was riding. I was warm when I first started out, where I ride alongside a highway. But as I rode into the neighborhoods with less pavement and more creeks, it got noticeably cooler. On hot summer days it's great to reach the cooler part of the ride, but this time of year it can make it tricky to figure out how many layers you need. Fortunately last night I was dressed more or less correctly and was mostly comfortable, though it was chilly going downhill. Originally I planned to do the shortest version of the route but since I know I will probably have to start riding indoors soon, I decided to only take some of the possible shortcuts. In all I rode about 17.5 miles.

It was nice to see all the houses decorated for Christmas and to notice the different styles -- some were understated with just wreaths and electric candles while others had lots of colored lights and other decorations. One large house had a wreath in every front window -- I counted 12 plus the big one on the front door. (It's a beautiful house with a great front porch, I envy it every time I ride by.)

[Crankin]

Did 32 miles today. It's 55 out, and starting to feel slightly creepy being so warm in the middle of December. But, I'll take it.
We wanted a lunch destination ride today, but we didn't end up doing exactly as we planned. Still, plenty of climbing before lunch, nice lunch at Nancy's Airport Café, in Stow, and then back a very different way, that maximized flat, but busier roads. I was mostly dressed correctly, though it never felt quite as warm as it should have, as it was partly cloudy, with a steady light breeze. Tons of riders out today, as well as runners, walkers, and generally lots of traffic doing holiday stuff.

[ny biker]

We rode 41 miles yesterday. I led a club ride. The weather was fantastic, rising from 60 to the mid 70s. Some clouds in the sky but they were white, not gray, and there were patches of blue and peeks of sun. We rode a route that we've done many times before but not recently. It was a great day.

[Crankin]

I think we need a December thread, now that it's about half over...

[Helene2013]

Did only a 16km ride yesterday, but outside. That is very unusual for us. No snow, warm with a 8c. But I think that will be it for now as freezing rain tomorrow and temperatures will be dropping. But it was so much fun riding outside. In the end the sun was hiding and wind picking up so we got cold feet and the back of my neck was really cold. But for the rest of body I was good.

[ny biker]

I think we need a December thread, now that it's about half over...

Ha! I never noticed! Too many things going on right now -- December is flying by.

While Christmas shopping after my ride yesterday I stopped at REI and got some chemical toe warmers. I want to be able to wear them on top of the cleats in my shoes -- that is where my feet get cold (and they will get cold soon -- this weekend was fantastic but reality will be back soon). But I think maybe adding an extra layer of anything under part of my foot will cause discomfort. We'll see.

Glad you were able to get outside, Helene.

[Crankin]

NY, I have used chemical warmers on the bottom of my foot, and occasionally on top for many years. You may have to wear a slightly thinner wool sock (I have a lot of different thicknesses), but it works. Also, you have to ratchet your shoe a bit looser. The chemical warmers, with booties allowed me to ride in pretty cold temperatures and my regular shoes. Just remember to open the packet of warmers, and let them breathe for about 15 minutes before you put themin your shoes. They need air to activate. This why you need a little extra space in the shoes.
That said, I have had winter riding shoes for a couple of years. The ones for my road pedals are not as warm as the ones for my Frogs (on my other road bike). I occasionally use the heaters with them, but not as much as with regular shoes.
It was hard to find winter riding shoes in my small size (37) for road cleats. I got both pairs through an on-line store in the UK, for half price, at the end of the winter season. They have free shipping, too.