Moon Ride

11/12/13

I would have to admit, I probably looked ridiculous today on my ride to work. I was wearing a layer of thermal undergarments, on top of that I wore my normal thermal base layer, track pants, a fleece jacket, fleece turtleneck, scull cap, helmet, mittens and boots. The only thing missing were my wife's pink ski goggles (which I have had occasion to wear on a really cold day).... And today was one of those days that I wished I had fully swallowed my pride, all the way down to pink goggles. It was clear and 17 degrees when I left. And when it is that cold with no clouds in the sky, it feels all the colder. On my way home in the dark it was worse. Though about 10 degrees warmer, the dark and the cold made me aware of every petal stroke. The wind was so strong in my ears that I could hear almost nothing else. There is a certain pain in that type of cold that seems to slow down time, and the only thing you can do is pedal one stroke at a time until you are out of it. It all made me feel pretty alone on the road today, even with the cars passing. Like riding on the moon.