COLD? WHO ME? NAH!

So the National Weather Service is forecasting the coldest temperatures in decades for the mountains of Western North Carolina. So the temperatures have been on a downward trajectory since before we got up this morning. It’s my birthday and I really, really wanted to be able to say I rode on my birthday…

(Note new GoPro Hero 3+ camera – gift from the Navigator)

Well, let me tell you…

It was COLD out there! I waffled back and forth about going to the trouble of getting dressed to go riding in subfreezing weather. Around noon with the temps hovering around 21 degrees and knowing that they were only going down from that point, I quit my waffling and dressed to ride. The Navigator merely shook her head, although she did agree to document my foolishness.

I dug out the Pearl Izumi winter bibs (Hint #1 that I’ve not been riding.), my Under Armour base layer, a Pearl Izumi winter weight full length jersey, and my Smartwool socks. I planted my new GoPro firmly on my head and walked directly into the heating duct in our basement on my way to dig out the Salsa Fargo. I figured I didn’t need any skinny tires on such a cold day, you know, just in case the much promised snowfall arrived during my sojourn about.

Just as I noticed cool air in a place where there shouldn’t be any cool air, the Navigator inquired if there was a tear in my bibs. Looking down, I discovered that no, there wasn’t a tear but the resident mouse/mice had made a meal of the crotch area of my bibs! Grrrr! Just yesterday I found that my Fat Cyclist jersey had become nesting material for an overfed (no doubt) household of mice. (Hint #2 that I’ve not been riding. When mice eat the crotch of your bibs, you aren’t riding enough…)

To Be or Not to Be …

… cold that is, which quickly became the decision to be made. With cold crotch wrapped around my Brooks B17 saddle and my foolishness sufficiently documented on both video and still imagery, I returned to the relative warmth of the garage knowing that I could claim that I rode on my birthday. It wasn’t the longest of rides but it wasn’t the shortest of rides either. It certainly wasn’t the warmest and probably wasn’t the coldest of rides. But, it was my ride on this day at this time so I’ll take it!

(Doing my Flying Nun impression on a cold January day!)

Now that I’m comfortably ensconced once again in our den with the wood stove perking, it is time to look at what I’m sure is probably really, really poor GoPro video. I’ll bet you can hardly wait for it to be posted…

Until later,

- Zeke