January is a funny training month.  You never know what nature has in store for you.  And, after my last post, I am sure a few of you may have been eager to see where the intersection of my ethics and survival lay.  On Saturday, a few met at the Bakehouse at the usual hour.  I showed up in jeans and a team jacket, Route 37 coffee steaming in hand and, due to prior commitments, bid the riders (Gary, Kevin and Jared) a good ride.  I would ride later in the day- a jaunt around Lemon with Purvis and Field.  It was a casual ride, chatty all the way.  The wind, however, was wearisome across the small spit of land heading east between the lake and the backwater.  This was an omen for what the following day had planned for us. 

We had a great ride today.  But that’s not what this post is about.  It’s about Darwinism,  sort of.  It’s about etiquette, or more appropriately, expectations on a training ride.  It’s a good story with a happy, albeit unresolved ending, so I invite you to follow along with a positive appreciation for the age-old question, “Do I stay or do I go?”  I am interested in your input and thoughts on the subject. You can post a response below if you want to join in the dialogue.

Riding between fields of snow can be magical if you dress right, but some of you might wondering how anyone can handle a ride at 25F. To help out, I offer my year-round guide for the lycra-perplexed. We go by temperature zone, and it’s all about layers. Layers and layers of layers.

Your zones may vary. Call me a wuss, but I’ve listed the temperatures that I use to determine my clothing choices. If you’re a heat engine you might want to recalibrate, but there has to be some point at which you really will need a good winter jacket, gloves, and bootees. I’ll adjust my zones 5 degrees cooler if it’s sunny. If it’s rainy, all bets are off. The coldest I think I have ever been on a bicycle was going down a French mountain pass at 40F in the rain.