A “chill” ride comparatively speaking, that is.

I was a bit nervous about going for a ride today, because last night the forecast said there was a 90% chance of rain and T-storms. In fact, as I was setting out, I saw a huge, black cloud off in a southerly direction.

I decided to chance it, but keep it rather short; partly because I didn’t know what the weather might do; and partly because when I’ve done less riding than usual for a week, it’s probably better not to push for 40-50 miles.

I ran into some light sprinkle here and there; but no real rain. Then I got to my turnaround point. Two other riders came along, and we chatted for a bit. Naturally we got to talking about the weather, and one of them got out his iPhone (SmartPhone?) to check it. He announced that it was 77 degrees.

That’s a lot cooler than it has been. My comment was, “We’re gonna freeze!” I guess the overcast is keeping temperatures down. I also mentioned that I rather wish I could do RAGBRAI.

“What’s that?” So I told him a bit about it.

On the way out, I averaged 15.44 mph; very good for me. Going back home, I “chilled”, i.e. rode at a more leisurely pace; about 12.6 mph. But for a local collegiate racing team, a “chill” ride is about 18 mph. For me that’s still a hard effort!