Be prepared

I wonder if people who don't like cold weather are misguided. Perhaps it's not too cold; perhaps they're just not wearing warm enough clothes. I know it seems a little early to early to start talking about cold weather, but we DID have our first frost last night.

Saturday mornings are usually when I try to go for a long bike ride. I rolled out of bed around 6:40AM and found outside temperatures of 39 degrees. That's warmer than the 10-hour forecast called for when I went to bed last night but plenty chilly for a bike ride! I don't have a lot of experience riding in cold weather, but I've gradually been accumulating cold weather gear so I felt prepared. I wasn't sure what combination of clothes to wear; here's what I settled on from top to bottom:

• helmet cover
  
• balaclava
  
• sunglasses
  
• long sleeved silk undershirt
  
• cycling jersey
  
• long sleeved cycling jersey
  
• water/wind proof jacket
  
• neoprene full-fingered cycling gloves
  
• cycling tights, bib style
  
• winter weight cycling socks
  
• cycling shoes
  
• neoprene fleece-lined booties
  

I set out just before 7:30AM fueled by a half cup of oatmeal and a quart of coffee. It was brisk, but I can't say I was truly cold. I started with the jackets fully zipped. The only change I made once I started (after just a few minutes) was to cinch the drawstrings at the bottom of the wind breaker. I then let the drawstrings out during a bathroom break 90 minutes into the ride.

It was a beautiful day for a ride; sunny with negligible wind. Frost on lawns, protected by shadows, survived in tree shaped patterns reaching West. Steam from Iowa's only nuclear power plant billowed continousy on my left for 2 1/2 hours as I rode a 41 mile counter-clockwise loop off the Northwest edge of Cedar Rapids through Alburnett, Center Point, Palo, and Hiawatha.

By the time I puled into my driveway, the outside temperature had climbed to 50 degrees. The cold-weather gear worked great! My torso and legs were quite comfortable. For even chillier temeratures I can just add an extra long sleeve layer or a fleece vest. I've also got some rain/wind proof pants I could wear as an additional layer for my legs. My only complaint is that my hands and feet were a little cold. I might consider more windproof gloves and even heavier socks. And this may or may not be apparent from the picture, but the balaclava gave me the sensation that my face was being squeezed out the opening. I think that comes with the territory.