YEAR END

I can post my December mileage today because I won't be riding. My cycling year ended yesterday. I left home in tights, arm-warmers, and wind vest with the temperature quickly rising from 30 degrees when I woke up to 50 degrees when I started. I dropped the arm-warmers after 20 minutes and stopped for a short rest and divest myself of the tights, and vest. My Camelbak HAWG easily held these. I knew I was in trouble at the halfway mark, 31 miles, when I started wishing for a SAG wagon. Unfortunately, this 62 mile ride was out-and-back. With the sun out and temperature rising, the wind also increased, mainly in my face. Keep in mind I am in the middle of nowhere. So far, I saw two cyclists and four cars (after getting out of town). I adjusted my route to shave off four miles, and cut back to "survival pedaling." Actually, I didn't have a lot of push all day, so spinning in easy gears wasn't much of a change. I ended up at 58 miles in just over 4 saddle hours. I was sunburned, wind swept, and energy depleted. Today, with a cold north wind forecast, will be a recovery day, with stretching and abdominal work. Tomorrow at 10am is the annual Jingle Bell Ride and I need to be ready to start the year well. I ended December with 173.5 miles outside riding.