my own arctic-feeling ride

on saturday, when the temp was in the teens with a windchill at single digit, i went out for a ride thinking that i was well prepared for the weather (my buddies and i have been doing winter mtb for years now). my bike was equipped with the bar mitts, and i have replaced the pedal with a spd-compatible one so i could use my kashmir mtb winter shoes to give me more feet protection. for my hands, i have my specialized winter gloves plus i stashed my smartwool glove liner into my jacket pocket just in case i needed it. for my feet, i have my sock liner + toe caps + gator winter socks. my upper and lower body are well covered with layers. and i put on an extra windproof skull cap on top of the fleece balaclava i always wear. pretty much covered eh?

i planned to do a 40miler (or at least 2hrs+ of riding), and i've already mapped my route. about an hour on the road, my fingers started to feel cold so i put on the glove liner. the rest of my body felt fine. 20 more minutes and my fingers were numb, more on my left hand than on my right. 10 more minutes and i've decided to cut the trip short and take the nearest path back to my place. at this point, i had trouble feeling the brake/shifter levers on my left hand.

when i got home, i dumped my bike in the garage and quickly went inside without removing any piece of clothing i have. my hands were so numb it took me a while to unstrap my helmet. i went to the bathroom (the warmest section in the house, because of the vent on the bottom side of the wall), stayed there for about 20 minutes thawing my hands, and relaxing my body. and i was thinking, that was some kind of ride.

i remember what one rider said: "hills test your knees, wind test your will". and i want to add to it "windchill beats both".

ps. i have 2 water bottles and was able to get just a few sips from one. when i decided to cut the ride short, both drinks were FROZEN solid!

serenity

this is one of the most peaceful runs i've ever done, seeing white snow on the trail, and hearing the cracking sound in every step.

bar mitts

finally got the chance to test the bar mitts (size=medium) i've ordered for my winter riding. on friday, the temp was below freezing with windchill making it feel like teens. i went out for a ride and did my regular (shortened) loop, with only my smartwool glove liner + the bar mitts to protect my hands from the finger-numbing cold ride. the bar mitts provided enough warmth during the ride.