Getting closer to staying warm

I wore tights, booties, a jacket and ski gloves on my ride this morning. It was the first time this year that the temperatures warranted such heavy clothing. Although I'd initially thought I'd over dressed when I went outside and found the temperatures to not be quite as cold as I'd thought, but there was still a rim of ice clinging to some puddles in the gutter.

In general, I do abide by a wear-booties-when-you-see-ice rule, so I opted to forgo a costume change and went forth.

I suppose it is a little nutty to be out riding a bike when the mercury is hovering around 0 degrees Celsius, but it was a wonderful sunny day, and I wasn't due at work until the afternoon, so what else was I going to do? Besides, Dante pointed out that it's a "balmy" -20 in Sterling, Alaska, right now, so I suppose it could be worse. At least we don't have any snow yet.

As it turned out, I was a little overdressed, but it turns out that might be the key to a happy winter riding season: I tend to under dress a little, which leaves me riding the border of comfortable and cold for most of the ride, and usually freezing by the time I get home.

Today, by contrast, I was comfortable right up until getting back home. It was kind of nice, and a lesson I'll have to keep in mind as the mercury continues to plunge south, and as fall gives way to winter.

On a side note of pure vanity, I hate the bootie aesthetic, which turns even the sleekest cleat into a fuzzy blob hanging from the end of your ankle like a bent Q-tip. But, I suppose that's the price I pay for warm-ish feet in winter.

While we're on the topic of odd-looking winter riding accessories, now that I've learned the joys of warm hands, I think I'm going to invest in a set of these. How's that for doofy? I think we've just discovered a key trait to my personality: although on-the-bike looks are very important to me, I am willing to trade them for comfort in certain situations. And this from the guy who wears shoe covers in 90-degree heat. Who knew?