Icecicles?

Well, not quite. It was 46 degrees (F) when I rolled out of the garage this morning. The weatherman says the winds were 5mph, but I think they were gusting a bit higher than that. Plus, when you're rolling 20mph (down a hill), who cares?? Wind chill is wind chill.

On the bright side (literally!), the sun was blazing, the sky was an incredible shade of blue, and a few white puffy clouds completed the tableau. There's a short stretch of newly-completed road on my "short route" (of which I took a medium-length variant today) that has freshly laid sod on the median and curbs. Given the serious lack of rain we had last month, it's probably the only green grass in town, and it was glowing in the sun this morning.

Still, as beautiful as the scenery was, it was cold. Maybe not Minnesota-dead-of-winter cold, but compared to summer temps, it was cold this morning. Time to bundle up!

So, how do I bundle for 45F temperatures? Well, actually, that's the easy part. The hard part is dressing so that I'm warm in the morning but not sweating like a pig during the 65F ride home. The key is "layers". I was wearing:

• Regular jersey, shorts, gloves, socks, shoes and helmet
  
• Lycra-stretch head/ear band
• A nice pair of New Balance running tights over the shorts
• Knee warmers
• Windbreaker (yes, the not-so-waterproof red Pearl Izumi jacket...)
  

Here are a few notes:

• I should have worn my CalienToes. My toes were a bit frosted by the cold and wind.
• Less "mesh-y" shoes would have helped, as well.
  
• Likewise, some thin full-finger gloves (or liners under my regular gloves) would have been nice, but might have been a bit too warm.
  
• Arms were a bit chilled, but the windbreaker did its job.
• Even with the chilly temps, I still broke a sweat.
• Tights + knee warmers was almost too warm a combination for the legs.
• OTOH, tights + shorts worked well for the backside.
• Heavier shorts, two pair of shorts, or shorts under "street shorts" would have been warm enough and fixed the "tights+knee warmers" issue.
• Crew- or calf-length socks (especially wool) would be nice, but are not required at this temperature.
• The headband was a bit uncomfortable (tight, loss of hearing, hard to wear shades with), but cold ears are worse. Maybe something less "snug"...
  

In all, it was a surprisingly easy ride. The changing seasons are tough. You get used to a certain temperature range, and temps that would otherwise be comfortable aren't. Right now, 60F is cool and 40F is freezing. By spring, 40F is warm and 60F is t-shirt weather. The key, I think, is to keep riding consistently and adjust gradually as it gets cooler. I think I'll stay out of the rain, though, until I can get some hardier rain gear (probably not this season). Cold is one thing. Cold and wet can be deadly.

The best part of slogging out on a cold morning (besides the bemused admiration of one's coworkers) is the ride home in pleasant, sunny, much warmer weather!