I want to start this post by mentioning I was born and raised in southern Michigan. We had winters with cold and snow and I enjoyed them. It was expected to be cold and you bundled up and got on with life - no big deal. Then 6 years ago I moved to the desert. Now I had visited before, at various times of the year and thought I had pretty much experienced all of the "seasons" here. My first trip here was in December of 1994 and I didn't wear a coat the whole time I was here. It wasn't unseasonable warm or anything, in fact it was a bit below average, but compared to what we had left it felt wonderful.
You might be asking yourself why am I going on about this? Well, its because now that I have been here for 6 years, and I have experienced the highs of summer and the lows of winter, I have realized that my body's tolerance for cold has changed. Add to that the fact that I no longer have cold weather apparel (hey I live in the desert!) and it makes me not want to ride when the temps are below 45 degrees.
Now I know those that are still out there in the Midwest (I'm looking at you Steve, fizzhog) are thinking what a wuss! In my defense I have to say its all relative. I may not ride when its below 45, but then again I have ridden when its 110.
Now I could invest in a bunch of cold weather riding gear, but I really don't think its that good of an investment. Sure we are finally coming out of one of the coldest 2 week stretches in the last 20 years, but this weekend its going to be in the 60's. I just don't see that I would get enough use out of the cold weather gear to make the investment worthwhile.
By now you are wondering if there is really a purpose or a point to this post. The answer is yes. The point is that I have not been on the bike but twice so far this year. This is due mainly to the unseasonable cold weather. This is about to change and for the next few weeks, I have set myself a goal of riding at least 4 days per week. As long as mother nature cooperates, this is certainly a manageable goal.
Get out there and Ride!!!
Dan,
ReplyDeleteGood post! Didn't realize you were a Michigan boy. And I don't blame you for not wanting to freeze - desert life develops a different kind of tolerance. When it gets to 95 degrees I'm done riding until it cools off. So you get a "free pass" during the recent western cold spell.
Sounds like you're still making some progress though, which is the point. I've been keeping to the lower calorie diet and working on getting a bit more exercise. I even got a ride on the singletrack yesterday (temp was 37 degrees!)
Also - good for you with the Tour de Cure. My wife and mother both have diabetes. Thanks for the effort.
Keep on riding!
Steve Z
Steve,
DeleteYep, born and raised in Detroit. As for riding, I did get out one day over the weekend - not what I had planned, but its a start. I'm hoping we can turn the corner soon and get out of the 30's over night so I can get more riding in before work.
Good for you getting out to ride as well.
Dan