It looks like there will be no shadow for our groundhog. The forecast for February 2 says, chance of showers and T-storms; and such weather means no shadow for anything.

We\’ve got a warming trend setting in; and that often means rain. I won\’t mind the chance to thaw out a bit; but later in the week the chill will return. At least we don\’t seem to be in the path of the Groundhog Day storm they\’re talking about; and we don\’t have iguanas falling out of our trees.

Today we have plenty of sunshine; and by midday it was 64 degrees. I went out for a long ride about 8:15 am; and for once I had a good tailwind on the way home. It was chilly when I started; and of course I piled on the layers. Maybe it was actually a bit too much! Between the tailwind and sunshine, I started to feel overheated; and I eventually needed to stop and partially unzip both jacket and vest.

Pearl Izumi – Ride Women’s Select WxB Jacket

The headwind on the way out made me feel like such a weakling! I was dreadfully slow; and it took me an hour and twenty-two minutes to ride 14.5 miles. Am I too cowardly to work at pushing hard into the wind during my long rides; and do I worry too much that I\’ll \”blow up\” miles from home?

As I rode home, I got the impression that the wind was strengthening; and as it turned out, it sure was! I\’m glad it was behind me. Too often it\’s the other way around.

I have to keep the rain gear handy this week. Dragging it around is a nuisance; but so is getting caught in the rain without it.