Oh, quit bugging me! I want to enjoy my ride!

Riding before daylight in temperatures above 68 degrees Fahrenheit presents certain difficulties. Yes, we have overnight lows around 80 degrees for months on end; and even riding at 5:00 am means getting very hot and sweaty. But that isn’t the worst of it.

It’s all the flying insects. Sometimes there are swarms of gnats; and other times I ride through clouds of tiny moths. I need to wear my glasses if only to protect my eyes; but now and than a bug gets behind the lenses! That’s when I want to holler, “Quit bugging me!”

Another problem with all those bugs in the air, is that I hardly dare to breathe through my mouth. I don’t need to choke on a winged critter; and even if I don’t choke, bugs don’t taste so good.

So I wear my glasses; and I breathe through my nose as much as I can. It’s a good thing the bugs aren’t swarming like this when the weather is cold. My nose runs nonstop when it’s cold; and I’m forced to breathe through my mouth. I’d get a lot of insects into my system — which would really bug me.