Took a pre-dawn 30 mile ride this morning to check out my gear in the cold weather.  Roads were clear and everything worked great - bike, apparel, conditioning.  My clothing kept me nice and warm and the special triflow lubrication on the bike kept the wheels, chain, derailleurs, and gears moving.  Temperature was 5 degrees Fahrenheit with a constant 20 mph wind making the real feel temperature -15 degrees F.  

One additional learning from this mornings ride is that I cannot turn the pedals as quickly in temperatures below 15 degrees Fahrenheit so I need to budget a little more time for the ride as it took me 15 minutes longer than usual.

A message from the head of the Long Island Randonneurs - this is a great opportunity for anyone interested in learning about the fantastic world of brevets and other long distance rides.

(just as a note: when I started the C SIG two years ago, 30 miles in one day was a serious effort requiring at least a day of recovery. By that October, I rode my first century. The next spring, I rode my first 200K. You don't have to be fast, you don't have to be strong, you just keep going. It is a fantastic group of people, a wonderful way to see the world around us, and I can't recommend it highly enough.)

For those who might be curious, Richard Bernstein, the blind attorney from Michigan who suffered from a collision with a cyclist in Central Park and endured a long convalescence not long ago, participated in Reddit's IAMA series this week. The results are here: 

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1u60a7/i_am_richard_bernstein_blind_attorney_ironman_and/

http://engt.co/1f77knY

Going out for a nice 40 mile ride right now.  9 degrees Farenheit with ice rain.  Should be unique.  Got studs?

Report - got back about 10:30am.  Primary and secondary roads in Westchester and CT are clear with a little ice in some places.  Tertiary roads have one half to three quarters of an inch of hard packed snow with some icy patches.  Freezing rain started to fall just before 10am.  Froze on my goggles upon impact.  Lost all vision from behind the goggles in about 25 minutes as the water froze across the entire goggle lens and made it opaque.  Temp rose to 20 degrees F by the end of the ride.  All body parts were nice, warm, and comfortable during the entire 3.5 hour non-stop ride.  

go to: nycc.org/node/68195         (this site About Us and Members Corner)

Has anyone tried to ride the Greenway since the snow? What is its condition?

Thanks!

SUNDAY 1/5, B16/25-40 - Winter Training & Fun! #1A - Bedford Dirt

START: Meet 8:30 at Grand Central Terminal [email me by 9PM for details if you're interested)

FINISH: Mt.

Cancelled for obvious weather reasons, however if you were signed up and want to still get some outdoor activity I'll be meeting some other leaders for a "coffee ride".  Here's the basic details:

We'll meet at Eleanor Roosevelt Statue at 10 AM.  The ride will require fat, and studded, tires (I'll be on a mountain bike) and dress really warm.  We'll head south along the bike path, and eventually hop over into Brooklyn; we'll spin along through Brooklyn making our way to the Pulaski Bridge and into Long Island City to Bricktown Bagels for coffee and a snack; then over the 59th Street Bridge and back into Manhattan, where the ride will end.  Hope to see you there.  Tom

The ride is ON for tomorrow... with some changes... if you've signed up or are on the wait list, check your email... if you haven't signed up and would like to ride in some unusual conditions, send me an email for details.

George