Back on the Bike After San Diego

Brrrr... it was cold today! We had a 35 degree start, and only three riders heading out on today's breakfast ride. (My first ride in two weeks, and still riding the Lexa.) Paul, Joan, and I -- bundled to the gills -- ventured out with no clear destination in mind this morning, deciding to make a plan as we went along. Passing a bank that had a temperature and time display out front, the temperature flashed "34" degrees... and Joan suddenly felt cold! (Too funny!) With that, our breakfast destination became a little closer.

We headed out to the Depot Diner, which gave us a break from the chill, and allowed the air to warm up slightly while we were inside. After breakfast, we continued on a loop through Wenham, Hamilton, and back to Salem, where I said my goodbyes and headed off to get in a few more miles in Marblehead. Meandering through the streets of Marblehead, (so peaceful at this time of year), I passed my cousin Mark on Washington Street driving in the opposite direction -- and he didn't wave! He clearly didn't recognize me in my ninja-wear. Hahaha.

It was a slow, pokey ride today on the Lexa -- the headwind was brisk and the temps never got out of the low 40s. The crisp fall air, the colorful maples, and the smell of wood burning fireplaces made it a perfect day -- despite the cold. 34 miles for 34 degrees.

Getting Ready for the Storm

This one's for you, Will. (From Yehuda Moon and the Kickstand Cyclery) Watch out for those bike ninjas!

Renaming the Blog, Part 2

Will was quite serious about renaming the blog and tossed out some names to me today. Our conversation went like this:

Will: "'Being a winner dot com'."
Me: "No. That's ridiculous."
Will: "O.K... How about, 'Super Cool Ninja Cyclers dot com'."
Me: "Are you being serious?"
Will: "'I'm a better rider than you dot com'? 'Cereal is my religion dot com'? Or how about, 'My son is sexy dot com'. No, wait. Scratch that one."
Me: "Already forgotten."
Will: I've got it!! How about 'Don't get a Concussion dot com'."

(Grrrrr....)

Ultimately, we did come up with several (cycling related) suggestions together and it was actually hard to choose between them. Welcome to Coasting the Draft -- (That perfect moment of riding in the slipstream of the paceline).

But, let me go back to one more classic Will suggestion...

Will: "There is a camel up that hill dot com".
Me: "Huh?! What does THAT mean, exactly?
Will: "It's when you're riding really hard and you're totally beat, and you come to a hill and you look at your friends and say, "Hey, look. There's a camel up that hill." And then you get to the top of the hill and there's no camel. Odd when that happens."

Yes, Will. Very odd.

Frostbite Ride, Week One

This morning I headed out in my best ninja disguise, bundled up for an early morning Cyclopath frostbite ride. Wearing Mike's balaclava, (which was just waaay too big), I struggled to keep it from slipping down my face to no avail. By the time I made it to Salem, the damn thing inched down over my eyes to the point where I could barely see. Of course I was greeted with a few chuckles as I pulled into our meeting spot. Nice that I can always be a source of entertainment to my cycle-mates.

After readjusting a few things, (replacing the stubborn balaclava with a headband), four of us headed north towards Boxford with ambitious intentions. I felt comfortable riding -- though a little chubby. Between the silk base layer, winter cycling tights, several pairs of socks, an Under Armour, thermal cycling jacket, my nifty new lobster claw gloves, and a ski shell, I was prepared for the cold! (Maybe too prepared.) Two others in our foursome weren't as cozy, however, and by the time we reached North Beverly, we reconsidered our plans to head to Boxford. Instead, we landed at The Depot Diner for a hot cup of coffee and a warm breakfast. Back to Salem by 9:00, the temperature ticked up a degree to 45, and I finished the morning just shy of 20 miles. Not too bad for my first attempt at winter riding.