My First Big Cold Weather Ride in SW Ohio

Anybody else out there doing cold weather rides?

Monday (Oct 23) was my day off, so I decided go 50 miles from Dayton to
London, OH - and then came back = one Century. I've been doing, an
average, 100+ miles in one ride, each week all summer. Also shorter
rides other days.

Man, it was cold yesterday! This is a first time I've done it like
this - would like to do it again, but I have some things to learn.
Advice happily taken.

Left about 10:30 AM, Returned about 8:30 PM. Calcs to a slow 10 mph
average. I went LSD / Long Slow Distance on a steel hybrid, loaded
panniers, and fat tires.

Nice tail wind going out; but wasn't so nice as a headwind coming back.
Airborne snow - felt like sharp sand in the face. Even with the face
mask. Drink bottles were nice and cold. Reese's Cup was nice and solid.
Chewy granola bars weren't so chewy, more like a rock.

100% outside the entire time, I did not stop inside any buildings -
even briefly - to warm up along the way. I did find a couple unheated
restrooms - I dont think that counts. Stops taught me that that "warm
and sweaty" quickly becomes "very cold and sweaty" when you stop
outside for any reason. Therefore, try not to stop for any reason.

Weather stats from the local Dayton TV station website for Monday Oct
23 (cut/paste job)
Mean Temperature 37 °F / 2 °C
Max Temperature 41 °F / 5 °C
Min Temperature 33 °F / 0 °C
Dew Point 24 °F / -4 °C
Average Humidity 59

Wind Speed 13 mph / 20 km/h (West)
Max Wind Speed 20 mph / 32 km/h
Max Gust Speed 23 mph / 37 km/h
Visibility 10 miles / 16 kilometers
Snow / Trace of Precipitation

In article .com,
"daytoncapri" wrote:

Anybody else out there doing cold weather rides?

Only if I actually want to ride my bike. It's been an average November
so far this month- almost no sun and 10 degrees below average most days.
I hate this time of year.

On 24 Oct 2006 12:29:01 -0700, "daytoncapri"
wrote:

Anybody else out there doing cold weather rides?

Monday (Oct 23) was my day off, so I decided go 50 miles from Dayton to
London, OH - and then came back = one Century. I've been doing, an
average, 100+ miles in one ride, each week all summer. Also shorter
rides other days.



I didn't do it in the cold -- but a few weeks ago I went to London
from the other direction. Hilliard, to West Jeff, to London, to
Mechanicsburg, then Urbana and back to Hilliard. It was 102 miles.

(I stopped at the KFC in London for gizzards.)

I had a tailwind on the way back.

I haven't sorted out what I'm going to do for cold-weather riding. I
must be getting frail in my 40's.

When I was yonger I could be outside all day half dressed in the cold.
It was sunny today at lunch and I stepped out to see if I wanted to
sneak home early to get an evening ride in. I decided it was too
chilly. I need to buy some appropriate clothing.

I've done a lot of cold weather riding, including New Year's day centuries
in Milwaukee the last 7 years.

You have the heart and soul of it right. Keep riding! After a few miles,
you usually develop an equilibrium that will hold until the next stop, so
the fewer stops you have to make the better. When I do stop, I go inside.
I think when you're a bit warmed up, you develop a new equilibrium more
quickly than when you stay outside. I typically make 3 stops in the course
of a century. If there's no wind shift in the offing, I'm more likely to go
out into the wind and come back with it.



"daytoncapri" wrote in message
oups.com...
Anybody else out there doing cold weather rides?

Monday (Oct 23) was my day off, so I decided go 50 miles from Dayton to
London, OH - and then came back = one Century. I've been doing, an
average, 100+ miles in one ride, each week all summer. Also shorter
rides other days.

Man, it was cold yesterday! This is a first time I've done it like
this - would like to do it again, but I have some things to learn.
Advice happily taken.

Left about 10:30 AM, Returned about 8:30 PM. Calcs to a slow 10 mph
average. I went LSD / Long Slow Distance on a steel hybrid, loaded
panniers, and fat tires.

Nice tail wind going out; but wasn't so nice as a headwind coming back.
Airborne snow - felt like sharp sand in the face. Even with the face
mask. Drink bottles were nice and cold. Reese's Cup was nice and solid.
Chewy granola bars weren't so chewy, more like a rock.

100% outside the entire time, I did not stop inside any buildings -
even briefly - to warm up along the way. I did find a couple unheated
restrooms - I dont think that counts. Stops taught me that that "warm
and sweaty" quickly becomes "very cold and sweaty" when you stop
outside for any reason. Therefore, try not to stop for any reason.

Weather stats from the local Dayton TV station website for Monday Oct
23 (cut/paste job)
Mean Temperature 37 °F / 2 °C
Max Temperature 41 °F / 5 °C
Min Temperature 33 °F / 0 °C
Dew Point 24 °F / -4 °C
Average Humidity 59

Wind Speed 13 mph / 20 km/h (West)
Max Wind Speed 20 mph / 32 km/h
Max Gust Speed 23 mph / 37 km/h
Visibility 10 miles / 16 kilometers
Snow / Trace of Precipitation

D Wells wrote:
I went to London
from the other direction. Hilliard, to West Jeff, to London, to
Mechanicsburg, then Urbana and back to Hilliard. It was 102 miles.

I appreciate your report. I've seen steep morainic hills in
Mechanicsburg by car - that look pretty tough.

Backroads most of the way? Not much car traffic? Time for me to get
out the Ohio Atlas.

I haven't sorted out what I'm going to do for cold-weather riding. I
must be getting frail in my 40's.

Well, as a point of reference. I started cycling a dozen years ago in
my early 40's after blowing out my knees from jogging.

"daytoncapri" wrote in message
oups.com...
Anybody else out there doing cold weather rides?

Monday (Oct 23) was my day off, so I decided go 50 miles from Dayton to
London, OH - and then came back = one Century. I've been doing, an
average, 100+ miles in one ride, each week all summer. Also shorter
rides other days.

Man, it was cold yesterday! This is a first time I've done it like
this - would like to do it again, but I have some things to learn.
Advice happily taken.

Left about 10:30 AM, Returned about 8:30 PM. Calcs to a slow 10 mph
average. I went LSD / Long Slow Distance on a steel hybrid, loaded
panniers, and fat tires.

Nice tail wind going out; but wasn't so nice as a headwind coming back.
Airborne snow - felt like sharp sand in the face. Even with the face
mask. Drink bottles were nice and cold. Reese's Cup was nice and solid.
Chewy granola bars weren't so chewy, more like a rock.

100% outside the entire time, I did not stop inside any buildings -
even briefly - to warm up along the way. I did find a couple unheated
restrooms - I dont think that counts. Stops taught me that that "warm
and sweaty" quickly becomes "very cold and sweaty" when you stop
outside for any reason. Therefore, try not to stop for any reason.

Weather stats from the local Dayton TV station website for Monday Oct
23 (cut/paste job)
Mean Temperature 37 °F / 2 °C
Max Temperature 41 °F / 5 °C
Min Temperature 33 °F / 0 °C
Dew Point 24 °F / -4 °C
Average Humidity 59

Wind Speed 13 mph / 20 km/h (West)
Max Wind Speed 20 mph / 32 km/h
Max Gust Speed 23 mph / 37 km/h
Visibility 10 miles / 16 kilometers
Snow / Trace of Precipitation

Bill Cotton reply.
I ride all year, I goal last year was one century each month and I rode as
low as 20 degree at the start. This year the goad is two centuries eac
month. I now at 21, one in the bank if November of December is rainy or
snower.
Layers of clothes and socks works for me. However, I can only get one or two
larey of socks in biking shoes. For about four years I wear biking sandels
all year, I have to extend tke velcro fastner when i were up to five layer
of socks. http://www.billcotton.com/my_training.htm near the bottem of this
page.
I usully stop to eat, since I am a 10 mph rider also. Horever I try to
remove my outter jacket, head covering and glove. I do find that my body
adjust and returning home the 20 degrees doesn'f feel as bad as it did at
the start.

Bill Cotton reply.

Your msg is inspiring. I was just looking out the door at the cold wet
fog and thinking - No-o-o . . . Then I read your post and changed my
mind. Thanks

"daytoncapri" ) writes:
Bill Cotton reply.

Your msg is inspiring. I was just looking out the door at the cold wet
fog and thinking - No-o-o . . . Then I read your post and changed my
mind. Thanks


Just thinking what is *cold* (for my body) now is about the same as that first
warm day in March. :)


steve

"daytoncapri" wrote in message
ups.com...

Bill Cotton reply.

Your msg is inspiring. I was just looking out the door at the cold wet
fog and thinking - No-o-o . . . Then I read your post and changed my
mind. Thanks
Some how my computer treated the first message as from me. My post is below
the point that reads Bill Cotton reply. However, We both are glad that you
went out.