Being that it's still winter and all, I've had time to plan for my upcoming bicycle commute to work. I'm planning on starting back to bicycle commuting in late April when the roads are clear of snow and salt. When I stopped commuting by bike last September, my coldest morning was around 41-42 degrees.... that was my cut off point. Kinda wimpy wasn't I? Well, it wasn't to bad because the sun was still rising earlier in the mornings so the air temperature would increase quickly. I guess the cold morning just mentally took me down! I didn't wrap my feet in Saran wrap so the first 30 minutes were toe numbing, plus the air coming through my helmet was chilly too. Whimp, whimp, whimp...........now as I following blogs of many winter cyclists (up in alaska & harry legge's etc.), I realized I'm a softie when it comes to cycling and cold temperatures. I'll just blame it on my Rynaud's Syndrome!!!Above you will see a picture of my new wool toe socks we bought....Ted got a pair too. These socks are made by "injinji." That's a fun name to try and pronounce!!! Anyway, I've been wearing them around the house to try and get use to the feeling of toe socks. I'm hoping this will help my cold feet problem. You know, they're really comfortable! I also bought a pair of toe warmers that fit across the front of your bike shoes. I've heard these are good for keeping the tender toes warm during a cold ride.
I realize that started back to bicycle commuting will be chilly in April, so I'm already planning on what cold-weather gear to wear. I'm not too concerned because it's actually only a twelve mile ride each way. Last year I didn't start commuting until the end of May, but this year I'm committed to starting early since my spinning classes have helped me stay in shape over the winter months.
My thoughts right now are on those mountain climbs in Montana. I've seen the pictures & profile of the 7-day Great Divide trip we will be taking in July, so I'm not wasting any time trying to build my endurance. Oh yeah, don't forget about the big rides we'll be doing in a couple months to build up to this trip. Weekends will be cranking out 50-100 mile rides. There's a Century ride coming up in May so I've been told to prepare for that as well.
Maybe I'll set a new theme to my bicycle training...Eat, Pray,Bike. Hey, that could be a spin-off of to a new book. Don't you think???
Like the toe socks. I been thinking about getting a pair myself.
ReplyDeleteI would think that your toes would be colder in a toe sock then all together. Like gloves and mittens.
ReplyDeleteMy son has a habit of wearing Tabi shoes which are very lightweight Japanese shoes that separate the big toe from the rest. They make socks to go with the shoes that only keep the big toe separate...those might be good for your biking plans too.
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