Most people wonder how I can bike when it's really hot out and its really cold out. The answer in reality is that I want to. It feels good, its a stress reliever and it keeps me strong and healthy. That doesn't mean that I like to bike in the cold. As a matter of fact the perfect weather as far as I am concerned for cycling is 100 with 100% humidity. I'll drink a lot of fluids but in the end I love cycling when it's hot. People don't realize that the speed that I am going usually compensates for the heat and it cools me off. The opposite is true in the winter. I'm cold and going faster makes me colder. In the summer I drink more water when I cycle and it takes me less time to get going. It's easier to want to bike when the weather is nice. I kind of have to pump myself up when it gets really cold. It's more of a process in the winter. I have to really get dressed for the cold, where as in the summer I can just go with pretty much whatever I want. The first mile or two of cycling in the cold is pretty brutal on the face. I wonder what the wind chill is when you combine the cold with about 20mph. After a couple of miles the core of your body warms up. Your face doesn't really ever warm up and the hard part of winter cycling is the need to blow your nose every 4 miles. By about mile 20 my toes begin to tell me that they are really cold. If it's below freezing I'll wear two pairs of socks. I will not ride my current bike in the rain or snow or if there is a lot of sand and salt on the street. I also won't go if I think it is too cold. Sometimes it feels ok if its 28 and sometimes it doesn't. If it was 45 and then the next day it's 28, that 28 feels really cold. If it was 16 and then 28 that 28 might feel fine. If it's too cold or if theirs bad weather I either take a day off, go for a run or cycle inside.
I go 22 miles on my current route. I don't usually shorten it unless of weather or if there is some place that I have to be. Over time I've lengthened my route from 7 to 11 to 16 to 22 miles as I've gotten older and faster.
I love riding in the summer because the faster you go the more comfortable it gets with the wind going into your face. Summer riding is by far my favorite.
People often ask me if I enjoy going in laps, or how could I enjoy going in laps. To be truthful most of the time I don't know or don't care, I just pedal forward. I don't usually ride to take in the scenery. However, After going so often on my neighborhood streets I could probably tell you where every crack in the road is.
Thats a tough thing for motorists to understand. Every little crack in the road is a danger point for me, or might give me a flat tire. Often when I am on the wrong side of the road it is because I am avoiding a hazard. There are certain points on my neighborhood roads where there is only a thin strip of pavement that I can use. At some points its so bumpy that I cannot wave if I pass people by, otherwise I'll fall off.
I try to stop and say hello to people when I can or if I haven't seen them in a while or want to tell them how much I can't stand St. Johns soccer, but sometimes I really have somewhere to go and I may not be able to talk because I want to get all 22 miles in.
Speed limits are something that I love to break when I'm on my bike, and I've done it before, although not by too much. I think the last time I did it was up near Storrs. If I got a ticket for cycling too fast I'd pay it and keep the ticket as a sort of trophy.
I also love it when people stop in their cars to tell me how fast I'm going. It's kind of funny because I already have a speedometer so I know how fast I'm going. I also never go as fast as I think I am. Everything is in slow motion for me when I bike. I never think I am going fast. I always think I am going too slow. I also love passing traffic or people driving. Usually its older people checking out the neighborhood but still I love doing it. It happens usually once or twice a month.
I actually have run over squirrels and chipmunks before. I've killed a chipmunk I think. That's a stat that I think all cyclists should keep. Maybe paint a chipmunk on my bike for every one I run over. I don't actually intentionally try to run over them, but it happens. Speaking of wild life it was kind of funny to turn a corner and see a big deer with antlers in my way.
I also notice that for some reason I go almost a half a mile to mile an hour faster on average in the summer. I've yet to quite figure that one out yet. My guess is that I weigh a little bit more in the winter with the extra gear on. I really don't know though.
My advice though when it comes to preparing for cycling, run, weightlifting, homework or work is to take a nap before you do it if your tired. You will feel so much better and will perform much better by taking a 20-30 minute nap.
PC
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