My Longest Ride to Date Outside

This morning I woke up tired.  I was just dead to the world.  My wife, Pamela had gotten up, got the kids together, and picked up her sister from the airport and went to breakfast while leaving me alone.  I took that as the time to finally roll out of bed, toss on a few layers of clothes and hit the road for a ride on my Caad 8.

I checked the temperature n my ph which displayed 39 degrees.  I selected a tight fitting base layer that had some insulation, followed by a half zip under armour jacket followed by a short sleeve cycling jersey which I used to keep a face mask in case the temp dropped any lower while riding. a bright yellow windbreaker/rain garment was the last item to cover my upper body.  The lower back zipper pocket held my wallet and a spare set of keys.  I wore running gloves on my hands and a NY Mets ear warmer beneath my cycling helmet.  I was (in the words of Larry David) "pretty, pretty, pretty," warm.

Well, I rode out of Radisson and headed into the village of Baldwinsville and down Budweiser Highway to Route 370 and made my way to Onondaga Lake Park.  I love riding in the park because its simple, one yo arrive.  There are no cars; the pavement is smooth.  The only things to lookout for are leashes and dogs.  The walkers (not the walking dead kind) don't realize that allowing their pets to roam on a fully extended leash wrecks havoc on us cyclists who are not always expecting a cord extending across the path.  I smoothly rode from the dog park passed the boathouse to the Wegmans playground and started my journey into the village of Liverpool across Tulip and up Morgan Rd when my left big toe started to get cold.

When wearing cycling shoes, you cannot move your toes very well.  Keeping your feet warm must come from extra insulation or cover.  I wiggled my toes as much as I could, but it did nothing to generate the required circulation to make my little piggies warm or, at least, warmer.  I knew by the time this ride ended, I would be driving to the bike shop for a few items.  The priority would be some shoe cover to keep my tootsies from freezing.  I also bought a cap to wear under my helmet to keep my head and ears warm, and a chain cleaner to remove the gunk and extend its life as I increase my riding in the cooler weather.

Bottom line, I rode 28.25 miles this morning.  Burned 1,382 calories.  Bought some new gear.  All in all its was a great day.  I look forward to my first winter riding as weather permits.  Next Friday I will be picking up my Surly LHT for bike touring.  I am very excited and I will take picks and write a tale or two about my Surly as I start adding touring components.  Until then, I will see you on the road.