2 Below

It was cold this morning, the average on the weather sites seemed to be -2 (they ranged from -6 to +2), with a -22 to -30 windchill. Here's something I've learned over the years, once it hits the single digits, it's just plain cold. So once it gets below 0, I propose the weather geeks start saying something like "it's just damn cold, don't leave the house". That works for me.

Here's the deal though, and the point where you (and I) start believing I'm insane. I was comfortable during this morning's ride. In fact, parts of my body - my face/head in particular, contrary to this photo - were downright warm. In fact, I'd say that I'm actually glad I rode my bike to work this morning instead of driving. I said it!

Today was a lesson in what worked. I switched pants from old khakis to newer blue jeans as the outer layer for my lower body. On my face, I added a Columbia scarf I got, a fleece one that has always been the staple of warmth AND comfort (I have a neoprene-mix one, I think it's a north face maybe?, and it's very warm but very uncomfortable), and today was no exception. Those two items increased my comfort level by a quantum leap, seriously. My eyelashes may have had icicles, and that scarf may have looked frozen, but man oh man was it warm.

Anyway today I was actually comfortable. By the time I finished the 7.5 miles to work, my feet were starting to get chilly (I wore normal hiking boots, not the winter ones), as was certain parts of my torso that had sweated. My hands had started to get a slight chill - I'm seriously being picky here now - during the headwind portion of the ride, but by the time I got to work were, again, sweaty. I love my gloves. LOVE.

So here's what's weird. Yesterday I took my truck to go on a food run, it was about 10 degrees out, and I didn't (obviously) want the hot lunch frozen by the time I got back on the bike. Well, by the time I got back I was pretty much frozen, because the 15 minutes I was out wasn't enough for the big V8 to actually warm up enough to provide warmth to me. Today I was out in sub-zero temps, completely exposed, for a hair over 30 minutes, and I arrived to my destination a little cold, but overall very comfortable. And I see people getting into their cars looking like death is surrounding them, and getting out looking like death is surrounding them. But for me, really, it wasn't that bad. I noticed last night while walking across a parking lot into the store that it was cold, but it wasn't that bad.

So maybe it's not insanity, but rather that by riding my bike I'm getting acclimated. If I drive everywhere, that never gets a chance to happen as I go from warm house to warm car to warm work to warm car to warm house. See what I mean? The cold in between - in that case - really sucks, as you never get a chance to really acclimate to the surroundings. Same is true in the summer, I noticed it this summer as well, while the heat definitely isn't the best, I could deal with it better than I ever could.

Anyway, long story short, I survived. I got probably 500 "are you insane?" stares from folks in cars, helped I'm sure by my resounding rendition of "Istanbul" by They Might Be Giants, but I'm thinking I'm not. I think, rather, that I really dig riding a bike no matter what mother nature throws at me.