Weather Downturn Woes

[annie]

Has this ever happened to you??

Went out on a ride today (oops, I guess it was yesterday by now.) Nice, sunny day, temp in the mid 40's, rather good for the midwest right now. The wind was there, but not too bad......... Halfway through my ride, weather took a definite downturn! Clouds came in, temp dropped by about 10 degrees, and the wind picked up. I was not prepared for that to happen so I got quite chilled on the ride home. Forced me to ride faster so as to keep warm, but made the ride less enjoyable, for sure! Could I have called home for a ride? Sure, but I wouldn't!!! Got myself out there, had to get myself home. A matter of pride.

So I guess I am whining PLUS looking to comiserate with others who've had the same type of ride.

annie

[DirtDiva]

But of course. Actually, my last ride started off all drizzly and then cleared up, although it was drizzling again by the home stretch. We've been having lovely sunny (albeit chilly) weather this week, but alas I have been at work during all the daylight hours.

[anne_77]

You might want to check out accuweather.com. You can get an hour-by-hour forecast for your area. Of course, weather predictions aren't always accurate but it's really helped me plan out exactly which hours to ride and what to expect.

[DeniseGoldberg]

Anne -
That's definitely happened to me too - and I imagine to a lot of us! I luckily checked the weather before heading out a couple of weeks ago. The forecast was for rain, but I woke up to a sky that said it might be ok. Luckily I checked the forecast though, which was calling for mixed rain & snow soon. I have to admit I was a chicken and decided to go walking instead of riding. And just about 20 minutes into my walk, it started snowing! The roads were almost immediately very wet, so my bike was glad to be home in its warm garage!



And yes, that really was snow in October! (Guess that's what I get for living in the northeast...)

--- Denise

[wavedancer]

I'm still figuring out this cold-weather cycling thing. Headed out yesterday: beautiful 40-degrees, sunny, light wind. Wore my tights over shorts, silk turtle neck, stretch fleece top and PI wind vest, and Ear bags. Tried out some 2mm Aleutian neoprene paddling gloves to see how they would do for winter riding.

Everything felt great except my feet! Ouch!!! I have shoe covers, but thought it was warm enough not to use them...Wrong...My feet were so cold they actually hurt as they warmed up after the ride. Next time I might try some Sealskin socks inside my shoes with some light wool liners.

As in any winter sport, I guess it's all about finding the right combination of stuff to keep you warm enough, not too warm, and still able to move.

[makbike]

I experienced a similar situation about 20 years ago. I needed a break from studying organic chemistry so I hopped on my bike and took off. At that time I did not know how to properly dress for fall cycling and was decked out in cycling shorts, sweat pants, a long and short sleeved t-shirt, cycling gloves and helment. I rode for approximately 25 miles and the weather turned on me, winds picked up out of the north, it started raining/misting and the temperature took a nose dive. Everyone in my family was out of town so I was SOL. All I could do was turn around and head home. By the time I got home my hands and toes felt like they were on fire, it was extremely painful to touch anything which made braking and pedaling very interesting. I literally had to find a neighbor to put my key in the door and let me in my own house. I used the first aid training I had received and treated my hands/feet for mild frostbite. To this day my hands and feet are extremely senstive to cold and I have to be very careful when I ride in the late fall or early spring (I typically will not ride if the air temp. is below 55 - I know I'm a wimp but I hate to be cold). Basically I'm a fair weather cyclist!

Glad you made it home safely.

[massbikebabe]

I know I've said this before...

but, I HATE WINTER AND THE COLD!!!!! Can you belive it's going to cost me 28% more this year to keep my kids warm and I HAD to turn the heat on in October Corsair, put an extra plate on baby...we be coming!

karen

[wabisabi]

Yes

yesterday: warm, clear, sunny, ocean flat, could see forever, could wear shorts, ss jersey and light wind jacket

today: heavy fog all day, couldn't see ocean from cliff, misty, damp, less than 50 degrees out.

[Crankin]

I give credit to you guys who ride through the winter. I think my last ride may have been Sunday. There have been a few gorgeous 40 degree days when I just couldn't face putting on all of the gear, so I went hiking instead. I've ridden down to temps of about 40, but this year i have wimped out. I may be able to get out Wed. afternoon, but the rest of holiday weekend looks rainy/snowy and then in the 30's. I sort of like the off season to do other sports. Today i went running for the first time in 1 and a half years. Now that i live on top of a huge hill that is a loop, all I have to do is run around the loop and down to the bottom of my street and that is a good 2 mile workout. I can run when it's 20 and hike or walk down to just about any temperature. I am finding that this year I am having trouble getting back into my gym routine. I just want to be outdoors. I've been going to spin a couple of times a week since October 15 or so, but I really need to do something for strength training.
I love the change of seasons, though. You will never hear a complaint about the cold or weather from me. I lived in Florida for 5 years (hated it) and Arizona for 16 years. Endless summer s****! I couldn't even go outside for half of the year in AZ, so maybe that's why I became such a gym rat....

[annie]

By the time I got home my hands and toes felt like they were on fire, it was extremely painful to touch anything which made braking and pedaling very interesting. I literally had to find a neighbor to put my key in the door and let me in my own house. I used the first aid training I had received and treated my hands/feet for mild frostbite. To this day my hands and feet are extremely senstive to cold.

Glad you made it home safely.

Yikes, Mak!! That was a terrible experience. Mine was a spring day in comparison. I was chilled when I got home, but not frozen, like you. I can see why you're leery about riding in colder temps now.

I've been running a bit, too, Robyn, for the first time 2 years. Not just because of the cold, but so much less daytime for riding! Besides, I think cross-training is a good thing and I've always wondered, if I lived somewhere warm and could bike all year round, would I burn out on it?? What do you warm-clime ladies think? Do you ever get tired of riding and take a break?
Maybe that's another thread, tho...........

annie