GOING WITHOUT PROTECTION

     Sorry, this is a cycling blog.
     For the past six months or so, my Sunday 43 mile ride has started off with a mild temperature, usually the mid 70's.  I follow a set routine, for the most part, and wheels down time is usually ten minutes before sunrise.  Today I wanted to be home by 9:45am and given my previous good times of two and a half hours, that meant a departure at 7am, or twenty minutes before sunrise.
     I'm a big fan of routines.  But you still need to be aware of changing conditions.  The rain we had all day Friday was gone, the skies were crystal clear.  I awoke on time, dressed, had breakfast, morning ablutions, left for the start place, all on time.  It felt chilly when I opened the garage door, so I pushed the button on the car steering wheel that gave me the outside temperature.  It started out at 82, the temp inside the garage.  Several blocks later, it registered 56F.

Protect Your Knees From The Cold

     Regular readers know my mantra: Under 65 degrees, cover the knees.  I had no leg coverings in the car.  Fortunately, I keep a spare shirt, mainly for after-ride so I don't have to be sopping wet on the drive home.  This isn't freeze-your-bippy type temperature, but it is the first morning after a hot summer that I faced below 60 degrees.  Plus, I had about 30 minutes before actually hitting some sunshine, and the first 15 minutes include two drops into valleys where the temperature is always 10 degrees cooler.
     Yes, I was quite aware of being chilled to start, but sucked it up and upped the cadence a bit to generate some heat.  Yes, the eyes teared up when I looked down to see how many gears I had left going into the valleys.  And yes, once the sun and temperature came up, I had a really nice ride.
     My friend Mel has posted some fall foliage pictures from Vermont.  It is time for me to add considering extra layers to my pre-ride routine.