I haven't gotten much riding in, the last several days, for various reasons (two of them mechanical problems). So I wanted to get an early start, this morning, and ride a bit further than is my wont. To make things more complicated, I needed to be back at the house by 0800 at the latest, because of my daughter's piano lesson.
Things did not start out well. I thought I'd gotten ready last night, but overlooked two things. One, I put the lights on the charger, but forgot to get them off until after I'd put my shoes, booties, and RoadID on. So I went back to the bedroom to get them, clomping a bit (we do not wear shoes in the house).
Then I went out, and realized I'd forgotten one other thing: my hat. I got half a mile down the road before I realized it, but knew I couldn't ignore it. I went back (clomping, again, which woke the baby a little), and couldn't find the skullcap I've been wearing. So I grabbed my balaclava, which I'd never worn before. (Also, I didn't realize it for a while, but in pulling my zipper back up while doing this, I got it tangled with the thing underneath that's supposed to keep it from tangling with other clothes. This made a mess when I got back.)
To make things worse, when I got a little ways in, I discovered two things. One, the balaclava (I had it down below my chin, which surely made a difference) started humming very loudly when I got over about seventeen miles an hour. And two, I wasn't getting any signal from my power meter.
The latter had me really pissed when, at the furthest point of my ride, I was able to power up a very long hill that I'd died on, the last two times I'd climbed. In fact, I was able to finish the climb by getting out of the saddle and pushing hard. I felt really good about that, and I suspect I'd have a new FTP if the power meter were working.
Other than that, it was fairly uneventful. It was very nice, though; I enjoyed myself immensely. And I was glad I opted for the heavy-duty gloves (without the liners). A bit of a pain on the right shifter, but I didn't get cold (I definitely would have, after a while, with the lighter-weight gloves I normally wear). Also, the leg warmers did just fine. No sagging, and no cold (though as someone who normally doesn't wear pants until it gets well into the twenties, maybe they were overkill. Not sure, though, being outside for two hours).
I wasn't wearing my coldest-weather combinations, but I was close. I can wear tights that are probably a tad warmer on the legs, wear a warmer base layer (after reading reviews, I got one size bigger than the size guide, and was glad I did; it's still skin-tight), maybe wear a second base layer (a Pearl Izumi one) or jersey over that, and have liner gloves to go in the heavy-weight ones. What I haven't figured out is what to do about my feet. Maybe I can wear a second pair of socks. But I was feeling the chill in my toes towards the end of the ride this morning.
When I got back, it took about ten minutes to get the jacket off. And that didn't involve getting the zipper fixed, just down half an inch or so. I was amazed, though, that it only took half a minute or so to fix the zipper once the jacket was off. Otherwise very happy with the jacket, though; I was more worried about being too warm (sweating too much) than too cold. Which is good, since I don't know what I'd wear that's warmer when the temperature gets even lower.
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