I thought after last Saturday's bitter ride, I'd retire the bike for the winter and bring my riding indoors. (Everyone knows I'm a wimp in the cold.) But, the predicted snow never arrived from Hurricane Sandy, and a friend really shamed me about calling it quits for the season. (Something about "When the going gets tough...") She noted that I'm probably the fittest I've been all year and I'm going to lose all my progress by ending the season now. I guess she's right -- but between muscle conditioning a few nights a week with Keli and Christine, and my plan to snowboard on Tuesdays, I'm o.k. with hanging up the bike for the winter. Still, we're 6 weeks away from the slopes opening, so I guess I'll keep riding for a little while longer. (You know I'm not someone who can back down from a challenge!) Cowboy up, right?
I'm actually ill prepared for winter riding. Since I usually end the season in late September, I've never invested in thermal gear. I picked up some lobster claw gloves yesterday to at least give my hands a little more warmth, and attempted to hunt down the toe covers I started the year with. Hard to believe my first ride of 2012 was in February, just a few weeks before our Shamrock Ride on March 17th. It's been a long riding season for me. (I think I might be more like Sprocket Girl than I thought!) It will still be pitch dark at 7 am this Saturday -- DST is Sunday. Unless I can find the nifty light that Cape Cod Mike gave me, I might head out at 8 and try to catch the gang at breakfast.
"Ride as much or as little or as long or as short as you feel, but RIDE" -- Eddy Merckx
