Brrrr. I really don’t think the mercury made it out of the 30s today. If it did, it was not by much. My original plan was to head out mid-morning, say 10:00am. I figured by then that the morning chill would have burned off. I was wrong. I waited until 1:00pm and then decided it wasn’t going to get any warmer so I headed out.

I dressed warmly and wore my Pearlizumi Barrier jacket as a top wind-proof layer. I also wore warm, winter-ish gloves. My lobster gloves when in my back pocket though just in case the winter-ish gloves ended up being over kill.  My feet were toasty in my winter shoes — boy were they a great investment last year!!!

Off I went on my “normal” route. I headed north and turned left after about 5 miles. I was warmed up by this point and the Barrier jacket and winter-ish gloves needed to come off. The problem with the jacket is that although it is a great wind and rain barrier, it does not breathe well (or at all?). It was definitely wet on the inside when I took it off. Beth Laber would tell me that this is why I get chilled so easily (and no doubt, she’d be right in this case!). I swapped out the heavy gloves for my lighter ones too. I was a bit chilled until my shirt(s) dried off and then I was quite comfortable.

There wasn’t much sun on this ride — gray clouds were forming as I left the house and they got thicker instead of thinner as I rode. By the time I was at the half way point in the ride, it was looking like it might snow! I didn’t speed down the hog’s back — just didn’t want to get too cold, so I took it leisurely and enjoyed the scenery. There were a few other cyclists out, but not many and those that were riding looked pretty serious. Most were decked out in fancy kits complete with stream-lined jackets. Very smart looking. And most looked wicked fit. I did see a small number of more pedestrian riders. I certainly fell into that category today. That is until I was about 6 miles from home and made a turn onto the long stretch of road that runs north-south in front of the Carter Lake turn-off. I noticed a rider turn onto the road right after I did. The switch flipped. I was no longer interested in a leisurely pace. No, I was interested in staying in front of that rider, whoever it was. It was not a conscience decision, I don’t remember flipping the switch. But the next thing I knew, it was ON! My pace increased until I was moving along at about 20 mph. It was a slight uphill grade but there was little or no wind — and I just continued to turn those pedals. It felt great. I checked  a few times and the rider got smaller and smaller in my rear  mirror. Either they weren’t interested in catching me, or they couldn’t.  By the time I turned at the fire house onto Cty Rd 23, I couldn’t see the rider at all. I continued my accelerated pace until I got home just the same. It no longer felt like winter — it felt like a nice, fall ride as I turned into our driveway.