I\’m back in the saddle of the road bike!

Today I rode less than 15 miles. A ride more than 20 miles long requires on-bike fueling; but the temperature was in the low 40s, so I wore my heaviest gloves. Heavy gloves make fueling awkward; and despite those gloves, my hands got too cold.

After several low-mileage weeks, I judged it unwise to push for 40 miles, anyway. In fact, I\’m glad I didn\’t have to ride against the wind for 20 miles to get back home!

The weather meant having to drink chilled water; and of course that only made me feel colder! Incidentally, I was a little afraid that my muscles had forgotten how to get a bidon in and out of the bottle cage. The first try, I did fine; but soon it began to get tricky. That\’s what comes of thinking too much!

Speaking of thinking, I think I\’ll skip the bikes tomorrow. Temperatures will be in the mid-40s; and rain is likely. Add winds of 10-15 mph, and I\’ve got miserable conditions for a ride. My gloves don\’t shed water well; and wet, cold hands are no help for Raynaud\’s. Heck, cold alone is bad enough for Raynaud\’s.

Rain here is typically heavy, anyway; and \”water-resistant\” clothing gets soaked through. A poncho isn\’t much help. The wind makes it flap all over the place, so I get wet, anyway; and the wind resistance is infuriating. If I could find a rain suit the right size, it might do some good.

Yes, I\’m glad to be back in the saddle; but it looks like tomorrow won\’t be a good time for it.