Winter riding

I'll take an order of hard-core with a splash of crazy. :) I rode my road bike outside on Sunday and it was cold. The temperature was no more than 40 degrees (it was definitely colder at the end) and the wind was gusting up to 20 mph. I met my friend at the shop (the one who isn't allowed to pick our routes anymore) and we were there in time for the afternoon shop ride. There were actually 6 or 7 guys there, ready to ride. The shop owner came out and said something like "I didn't know if anyone would show up today, let alone a big group." Yep, that's us, the crazy ones. There were a couple of Saturdays over the summer when we didn't have that many people. We headed out and it was definitely chilly. At least my friend was there and we could commiserate together about how the weather sucked. I'm glad I went, though. If I'd gone out on my own, I definitely would have cut it short.

What gear was I wearing? Let's see... I was wearing running tights over bike shorts, a l/s tech tee under a s/s jersey, my windproof jacket (best cold weather jacket, ever!), my polypro hat under my helmet, an earband around my neck to keep the cold out and off my neck, my shortie cycling gloves under some large fleece gloves, smartwool socks and toe covers on my shoes. At the beginning of the ride I was chilly but warmed up so the only part of me that was cold was my feet - they were almost completely numb when we finished. I have yet to figure out a way to keep my feet warm. The next thing to try is the total shoe covers.

The back of my right leg (sort of behind my knee) was bothering me. I had my bike fit done a couple of weeks ago and he recommended inserts in my cycling shoes so I found some and so far they're great, no feet issues..... BUT I think it affected my seat height. I dropped my seat down a tiny bit (I'm talking millimeters) to accommodate for the height change because of the insoles. My left leg was bothering me last time, now it's my right. I will ride it one more time with the current set-up and if I continue to have problems I am definitely going to call Mr. Bike Fitter. I woke up Monday morning and that part of my leg was tight - a hamstring, maybe? I seem to be overly sensitive to changes on my bike so getting it all dialed in is very much a pain in the arse. -New plan, I am going to call Mr. Bike Fitter. That part of my leg is still bothering me, even while swimming! -