I rode last weekend -- a 65-miler that I was not in shape for, with temperatures ranging from 42 to 73. Knowing how warm the sun can be this time of year, I dressed in easy-to-remove layers and went with toe covers instead of booties. As a result I was too cold for most of the first hour, and my feet were very cold. The irony was that I had ridden similar routes on several very hot days this summer when I sought out whatever shade I could find to try to cool down, but last weekend those same shady areas were too cold in the morning when we started. The other negative was that the route was planned by a fast rider who has no trouble going 28 miles between rest stops. But for me that's a good 2 hours of riding, which is never my preference; 60-90 minutes between breaks is much better, otherwise I start to ache from sitting on the bike too long and I'm way too hungry several miles before we stop for food. So the start of the ride was cold and the finish was achy. But things were pretty good in the middle, and the suffering will make me better able to enjoy one or two more long rides before the cold really sets in.
On Wednesday I went out for my post-work hill ride. It's been hot here this week, with record breaking high temps in the 80s. I enjoyed it, but would have enjoyed it more if it wasn't so insanely humid. The local electric company had some equipment problems that caused blackouts in parts of the area where I rode, so I went from totally dark neighborhoods to normal lighting back to the dark for almost half the ride. At one point I stopped to check the local news on my phone, to see if there was any explanation for the blackouts, and the sweaty humidity was so uncomfortable. But while I was riding it was okay and I generally enjoyed my last short-sleeves-and-shorts ride of the year. And despite overdoing things on Saturday my legs felt mostly okay on the hills.
Now the hot weather is gone. The rain on the edge of the cold front just passed through minutes ago, and the wind will change from the SW to the NW now. And we're expecting gusty winds tomorrow. I have to run errands -- going to vote in-person absentee, among other things. So I'm watching the forecast for Sunday. I had hoped to do a ride by the Chesapeake Bay but they're still expecting it to be breezy. I think something farther west might be better. So I will probably decide the night before.
- Gray 2010 carbon WSD road bike, Rivet Independence saddle
- Red hardtail 26" aluminum mountain bike, Bontrager Evoke WSD saddle
- Royal blue 2018 aluminum gravel bike, Rivet Pearl saddle
Gone but not forgotten:
- Silver 2003 aluminum road bike
- Two awesome worn out Juliana saddles