November is proving to be a slow month so far.  I’m a couple weeks behind on the next fundraising e-mail I want to send out, and the closest I’ve come to a training ride is the recent Tweed Ride.  (If that prepared me for anything, it’ll be the fueling stations every twenty miles on LifeCycle).

Still, the weather has changed to downright chilly – as cold as 38 degrees on my morning commute to work.  That’s given me plenty of opportunity to see how I ride under less-than-optimal circumstances, play around with how my body regulates its temperature, and see how wind and humidity (and fog) affect how cold I feel.  I’m starting to get a very good feel for how hard I have to pedal to warm up, depending on the combination of clothes, wind, and weak wintry sunlight.

For now, I still wear my lycra cycling shorts and a basic workout tee when I go out on my road bike.  If it’s colder than 65 or so, I’ll put a sweatshirt over that and just suck up being cold for the first mile.  Below 55 degrees, I ditch the hoodie and put on my nylon arm and leg warmers and windproof gloves, and that keeps me toasty for pretty much the entire ride.  Down around 45, I put on both layers.  If it’s any colder than that, I’ll only get warm by working.