November Rides

[Crankin]

I really wanted to go on the group ride today, but... we had heavy rain yesterday, through the early morning. The streets are wet and DH said lots of puddles on his way to work. It's cloudy and while not cold, I just wasn't feeling it. Nothing worse than road spray from others on a group ride.
And I hate cleaning my bike.
Walked to the gym and did a Power class, walked home.

[ny biker]

Yes, me too -- I hate having to clean my bike after riding on wet roads.

I'm planning to go out for a ride soon, but some unexpected rain showers have cropped up. They're supposed to be gone before I leave work, and I don't think they will be heavy. I will take a chance, I think, unless the roads are really wet when I leave here.

[north woods gal]

Oh, yeah, cleaning bikes. I commuted in Chicago in the winter (crazy me) and with all that darn salt on the streets, cleaning my bike was an every night thing when I got home from work. That road salt can really eat up a bike. Yuk!

Busy all day doing errands, so by the time we got home from work, already too dark to ride, so just did another session on the trainer. Really miss those long days of summer when I had time to do so many things. Still not used to it getting dark so early. Almost feels like jet lag or something.

[ny biker]

I miss the longer days, too. I bought a light therapy box and have been using it at 5 pm every day for the past couple of weeks. You're supposed to use it in the morning, but the sun is already up when I wake up, so I'm using it after sunset. So far it's not preventing me from sleeping at night, except in a good way -- I'm going to bed at normal time rather than falling asleep on the couch at 9:30 or 10:00.

As for cycling this time of year, I bought two good headlights a few years ago and they were a great investment. I can still ride after work without worrying about when it gets dark. It's all on roads, but years ago I used to ride single track after work once a week with a small group of people. I think it helps with your bike handling skills to ride with just a headlight or two to light the way, because you have to be ready for unexpected bumps in the road or path.

And speaking of riding after dark, I went out last night for a ride. A week ago the roads were wet from rain so I decided not to take a chance with wet leaves on the pavement. Well yesterday we got some unexpected light showers in the late afternoon, but I went out riding anyway. The temperature was just around 50 but I thought the humidity would keep it from feeling too cold. But I was wrong, it was pretty chilly out there. I was okay mostly but was cold on the downhills and faster flats at the end. It was really the first time I've felt cold on a ride this fall, and I won't complain about making it to mid-November before having to say that. I pumped my tires to a lower pressure than usual for better grip and went slower than usual on the downhills to avoid skidding on wet leaves; as a result my overall speed was slower than usual. But I was able to get in more than 17 miles of riding without incident and only a little discomfort.

Now I'm trying to decide what I'll do this weekend. Was going to ride on Sunday because I have things to do on Saturday, but it's going to be cold and windy on Sunday. So I'm trying to figure out the best way to rearrange my schedule for Saturday and squeeze in a bike ride while we've still got above-average warmth to enjoy.

Oh and p.s. yes I will have to clean my bike after last night's ride, but the chain was due for a cleaning anyway. And there wasn't too much road spray -- no mud stripe on my back -- despite the fact that I didn't have my clip-on rear fender.

[north woods gal]

NY, our weather up here in northern Wisconsin is due for a change, so I suspect more November-like whether is headed you way, too. We're supposed to have some snow the next couple of days and then high temps in the 30s, next week. Well, it was great while it lasted. Did some trail riding, this afternoon right up to being too dark to see.

[ny biker]

Yes they're forecasting for us to be 10-15 degrees above average for high temps for the next couple of days, then on Saturday night it will get colder than average and windy and will stay that way through Monday. So sunshine and mid-high 60s today through Saturday, but only in the 40s on Sunday before adding in the wind chill. So far they're expecting things to be pretty much average later next week, but longer range models indicate colder weather for the end of November into December. (Yes I am a weather nerd. But how else will I know how to dress for bike rides??)

So Saturday will be a busy day for me, but I should be able to squeeze a 30-ish mile bike ride in between the things I need to do. Then I will have to find something to do on Sunday, preferably something indoors because I prefer not to be out in 40+ mph winds.

[Crankin]

The weather will work out perfectly for me, as we had to switch our theatre day to the matinée on Sunday again, so Sunday needs to be my rest day. It's going to be 50 and windy, with rain. Then, a colder trend, but probably seasonal.Like NY, I am hyper aware of the weather, mostly so I know how to dress for riding or other outdoor activity. It amazes me how many people I work with have no idea of the weather forecast.

[azfiddle]

I've been continuing to commute frequently- actually will finish a "perfect commute week" for the first time ever today. It was cooler this morning- 43 degrees according to the weather service. I surprised myself by actually riding in the dark and the cooler temps today. Riding home should be great though.

[Crankin]

Sometimes, my spring commutes are like that; 38 in the AM and 75 or even 80 on the way home. When I was teaching, and left for work at 5:45 on the bike, I remember a couple of days going in wearing full thermal winter gear and coming home in a sleeveless jersey and shorts.
It is beautiful out today. I was in a bad mood as all of the members in my women's support group cancelled this morning, so off I went to the grocery store and then after lunch, I went out for a very short ride. I really should be resting today, as I've done lots of muscle work this week, but it's 60 degrees at the end of November! My assessment of my body was correct, so I rode for about 30 minutes, got some fresh air, and now I feel very sleepy. Need to wake up, so I don't fall asleep babysitting my granddaughter tonight.

[north woods gal]

Woke up, this morning, to a skiff of snow on the ground and bitter cold howling north winds. Temps will be below freezing for a couple days, then another storm headed our way, mid-week. What's a north woods gal to do? Why, bundle up and go riding, anyway. One thing about riding the trails around the house - hot coffee is only minutes, away.

[Crankin]

Did a lovely 28 mile ride, stopping for lunch at Ferns Country Store. It was 61 degrees when we stopped, but from what I see, it's all downhill through Thanksgiving. It will be sunny on Wednesday, though, and I will do the club ride, though it might be 30 at the start. Time to bring out the heated gloves.
We had an "incident" near the end of our ride. There is a point where Main St splits to the left and another street starts bearing right. This is right at the start of the shopping district. Usually, more cars are backed up going right, but theyere was a really long line in the left. There's a light with arrows in both directions. We had to wait a long time for all the cars to go, we were in the lane behind the last car. An old car came right up behind us, started blowing the horn, tried to run us over, and then went onto the wrong side of the road. We got the plate, but unfortunately, we stopped next to her a the next light. She started screaming at us and DH just kept yelling her plate # and took out his phone. By this time, the light changed, and all the cars were yelling at us! Another cyclist stopped and gave us moral support. The driver was screaming at me and put her window up, and I stupidly, pounded my fist on the window. I was enraged, which was not good. But, she went on, and we did call the police. This was only about a mile and a half from our house, so we will see if they call us back.

[north woods gal]

Pretty crazy stuff, Crankin'. Hope you get some response form the police. Always hard to know what sets these crazies off, but they are out there. Get back to us.

[north woods gal]

Our overnight storm was mostly high winds and icy cold temps, but we did get a skiff of snow. Wasn't enough to even phase the fat bike, though. Pretty much a on-issue. Did ride all the trails though to take an inventory of downed trees and tree limbs. Lots of small stuff, but, fortunately, nothing big enough to require pulling out the chainsaw.

[Helene2013]

Tomorrow night we are expecting 5-10cm of snow. 1st of the season. So much fun (NOT) when this hits rush hour traffic. blah!

We had quite a few jobs around the yard to finish before winter. We were wrecked (back, thighs, etc). But still found the energy to do a quick ride of only 18km on the cycloross. Very warm for time of year. A bit windy but I've seen worst. So now we are ready to welcome the snowflakes. Crossing fingers that it won't be a huge storm just yet. We did see a few cyclists on the road we rode but they are rarer.

[ny biker]

Crankin, I'm glad you're okay. Sometimes people are just nuts.

I've had a full day today. First I had to run an errand about 25 miles north of where I live. I got there when the store opened at 9 and planned to be in and out in 15 minutes. That turned into a half hour, though. Then I had a 50-mile drive around the beltway to southern Maryland to the start of the bike ride I was planning to lead for the bike club. The ride started at 11 which I thought would give me enough time to get there 15-30 minutes before the start. Ha ha ha. Of course two lanes of the beltway were closed for road work. So I got there right at 11:00. Two people were waiting for me, ready to ride. Another person was also running late. Fortunately the two who were on time were patient and good-natured about it. We had a nice ride, 33 miles. The weather was fantastic -- 70 degrees and sunny. It was a bit breezy which slowed us down a bit but didn't feel too bad.

We finished before 2:00 which was the goal, for two reasons. First, the annual dinner for club volunteers started at 3:00. It was at a restaurant near the ride start; I chose the starting location specifically so we wouldn't have far to go afterwards. The second reason was the weather. The cold front was due to hit around 3:00. All the weather forecasts I checked were remarkably consistent on the timing, and they were spot-on accurate. It was warm and sunny as I packed up the car and sat in it checking email and putting on a little makeup. By the time I arrived at the restaurant, the sky was cloudy and a bit gray. When we left, around 5:45, there was light rain and sleet, it was windy and the temperature was down to 45.

After I got home I put the flannel sheets on the bed, took the rest of the winter clothes out of storage and put the summer clothes away. Which of course is my semi-annual opportunity to wonder if there is such a thing as "too many sweaters." Because holy cow I own a lot of sweaters. I did pick out a few to donate to Good Will and one that I think my mother might like, if it's the right size. I also went through the bin of short sleeved bike jerseys, because holy cow I have amassed too many of them to fit in the bin anymore. I picked out a couple of old ones that are a bit small and will donate them to the local nonprofit bike shop. I also pulled out a couple that are more like wicking t-shirts -- v-neck with no zipper and just one small rear pocket. They were among the first bike jerseys I ever bought. They're still in good shape so I'll wear them when I go for a walk or to the gym.