Last night, I was having trouble remembering all the things I need to get ready for the morning. The well-rehearsed routine was gone. Wash kit...clothes...hmmm, something missing...oh yeah, I remember now! Lunch! Very important.
Twenty-one kilometers there, and the same back. Maybe I should have done some shorter rides on the weekends to prepare, but what the heck!
Cold and squelchy feet from cycling through puddles. Clenching circulation back into handle-bar-numbed hands. Saddle sore bum protesting its presence when I ride over the speed bumps on Lochside Drive. Oh yes! I remember that. But it's early days and I'll get used to it. I remember that, too.
Pulling wet socks and shoes back on for the ride home. Luckily the yuck factor doesn't last long.
Legs too tired to climb the kilometer-long hill at the end of the ride home. That, too, will come with a couple more trips.
The wind on my face. Wow! They've filled in those nasty potholes by Lochside Park. Checking off today on my calendar with a green pen to show a cycling day. Friendly greetings from fellow
Yes, I remember why it's all worth it.
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9 comments:
Sounds great, Ian. It's always good to get back into the old routine, even if you are NUTS for cycling in the dead of winter. :)
My thoughts exactly! It's like...WINTER! There's -6 degrees Celsius here, and I think I'm further away from the North Pole.
Don't get me wrong. I think it's a very healthy habit (I couldn't paddle for 21 km if my life depended on it) and I congratulate you for doing it. But I hope you don't catch a cold or something. :)
Hi David & Stephanie, much as I enjoy impressing people with acts of extreme heroism, I must point out that here in Victoria we enjoy probably the mildest climate in Canada. It rarely dips to -6, and right now it is a balmy +6 during the day.
It varies week to week, though. Back in the middle of January I was working outside in t-shirt & shorts, then last week we had a string of hard frosts. No, I was not tempted to cycle then :D
Hi Ian,
Good for you getting back out there and having all that exercise. And yes, the weather in Victoria is rather mild, all year round.
As you will recall a certain saying in Britain.
'Ian, on your bike!' :-)
Hello Gary, glad to hear you're picking up the local lingo. Be careful who you say that to, though. I'm sure you're aware it's an emotionally-charged phrase (for those that remember when it first originated) and not a nice thing to say unless you are clearly joking :)
Bike rides? *looks outside at the three feet of snow in the yard* Good for you getting back into your routine. :)
Three feet, Jean? I guess that lets you off the hook for gardening for a while :D
Sounds like you're a die hard. I have to say even in my balmy 50 degree weather I'm leery of heading into the elements. Good for you! Love the line about the deer. Really does make it all worth it.
Hi Tana, dunno about die hard. It's just about my only form of regular exercise so it's quite important to me. It just takes a bit of effort to get started again after the winter lull :(
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