On the left is last Saturday's ride on very flat roads in Western New York. On that day it was 24 degrees and very windy.
On the right is today's ride on the back roads of Coventry, Scituate and Cranston. 30 degrees out and man I couldn't wait to get this one over with.. Lots of rolling hills, unlike last week's flat ride.. Thought about taking the B-line straight home a few times, many times. Just couldn't adapt to the cold for some reason, and didn't start to feel really comfortable until the 3rd hour. I also had to double back after the first 6 minutes because I could tell that the Powertap reading was off.. I haven't memorized how to zero the torque so I went home and found the instruction and took care of it. (It was reading 7 watts high) In the end, we see that I worked a lot harder today, which is good because I still seem to have some issues with the strain in my left knee area. Last Saturday i had to be a lot more careful and hold back a lot more.. I thought the pain was gone during the indoor rides I've done all week, obviously because it feels great when it's kept warm.. But apparently I forgotten one very important fact: This is the first time in a very long time, perhaps ever, that I've done so many rides in such cold weather. I need to apply the neoprene Ace bandages to both knees when I ride outside to make it through the next couple of months. I'm typically a hermit until the first robin is spotted, but since I'm planning to really make my mark in 2008, I'm doing everything "by the book" for a change. My knees and I really hate the cold.. It took all of my willpower to get out of my warm bed, suit up, open the door this morning and throw my leg over the bike. I dreaded it.. but it's going to make those upcoming 40+ and 50+ degree days feel like a heat wave. In the end, it's always a euphoric feeling to have forced yourself to do what you know what must be done. Happiness and self respect is guaranteed when the strength of mind and character prevails. Thanks for reading..
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