Woke up this morning to several inches of snow with the wind howling and the temperature hovering around 19 degrees. The NWS says more snow is in the forecast.  We may have up to a foot before it’s done. Tomorrow morning’s temperatures will be close to 10 degrees. I don’t anticipate a bike ride today!

I left work today ahead of an impending winter storm. As I pulled in the driveway at 4:25, a few snowflakes started drifting through the air. I looked at the thermometer and it registered only 27 degrees. The sky was overcast and grey. I enjoyed yesterday’s ride so much I chose to bundle up and try to stay warm riding in the numbing cold. I’m not currently strong enough to ride in the snow, so I decided to sneak in a quick ride before darkness fell and the snow started accumulating.

I added a second pair of wool socks and heavier cycling pants to the gear I wore yesterday. I also snapped the front and rear lights on my mountain bike to be more visible to motorists in the muted light as dusk approached. Much to my surprise, I enjoyed the ride immensely and never felt the cold. As time passed, the snowflakes turned into flurries. By the end of my ride, the road was damp in places and skimmed with snow in other places.

Like yesterday, I rode for about an hour today. I did average a slightly faster speed, but today didn’t seem to be quite as windy. The wind can really slow me down. Today, I learned that I could ride comfortably in colder temperatures than I previously thought possible, and I may have learned something about life too.

As we move forward in life, the conditions may not always be ideal; but, if we prepare as best we can, we may find that it’s best to move forward anyway. Moving forward seems so much better than standing still.

Yea! I slipped out of work early today to ride my bicycle for the first time since December 14, 2009! I was so excited. A number of things kept me from riding since then – two nasty colds, several feet of snow, an eleven day trip to Florida and the darkness of winter.

Today was a beautiful blue-sky day, but the temperature was in the lower 40’s with a brisk wind and very low humidity. I suited up with long underwear, cycling tights, one pair of wool socks, my cycling shoes, a cycling jersey, a cycling jacket, gloves, three kinds of headgear including a beanie, a face mask and a head band with ear covers, and of course my helmet. I don’t like to be cold! I looked like a fat ninja:

As for the fat part – I started 2010 at least 37 pounds above my estimated “ideal cycling weight,” 12 pounds heavier than I weighed on January 1, 2009. I rode for an hour and covered about 11.5 miles, very slow – even for me. My lungs and legs were burning – my body screaming – “Why, why, why are you doing this to me?”

It was a fun ride around the neighborhood. I enjoyed every lung-searing minute of it.  I have a lot of work to do to lose the extra weight and get in shape. I’m looking forward to many future rides. Stay tuned and see where this journey goes next.

As my journey through time approaches half a century, I realize that one of my goals is to ride my bicycle through the rest of my life here on this beautiful planet. My plan is to discover more about both cycling and life by recording my thoughts in this blog. Here we go!