After several days, the rain stopped leaving a cold, grey world in its wake. The view across the Nittany Valley hints at the autumnal changes underway — leaves turning yellow and red and daytime temperatures in a steady decline, all demanding you change the way you think. Especially for riders who feel the bite of even small changes in temperature. After months of warm and hot it’s startling to shake and shiver on a ride, especially when the temperature is just a hair below 60 degrees.
The first cold days are the worst. They’re not even cold but I swear my brain screws with my body. The moment I don’t wear the right gear, or forgot to close the jacket vents, or just aren’t ready to accept the cold — I begin to shiver and shake.
It usually takes a month or more for me to become fully acclimated to the cooling days. Regardless of how well I dress for the ride I just feel cold. Today I had the heated grips on full just so I could focus on one warm place. But the light and left over moisture combined with the cool air conspired to overwhelm the warm and fuzzy feelings that the heated grips usually provide.
The dog days of summer have led directly to the wimpy days of fall.
No kidding about the wimpy days of fall. Back in August it was in the 40s just before I crossed the border into AK. I had the heated grips on and needed to stop and pull out the heated liner and gloves. After ~100 miles or so after the sun came out, I was feeling toasty warm again and switched back to the fleece and regular gloves. The temperature didn’t change much but my perception did…
I’m hoping my troubles with the cold are nothing more than perception but I fear something else may be in play. Time will tell. Should be in the mid-forties tomorrow, an excellent change for experimentation.
When the thermometer starts reading forty-something degrees that is the start of some really foul weather. Throw in a wind chill in the thirties and it’s cold in most people’s language. Worse for me is that working on bikes in the driveway becomes harder and I still have a few that could use some service.
Say it ain’t so! But I know you’re right. Cold has power. Help me find the strength (and desire) to wrestle it into submission.
Working in the driveway, or even an unheated garage in the cold is just terrible business.
Have to get my mind around the fact thatthe USA seems to have firmly rejected the metric system. Hence when I see forty degrees think a boiling hot day…
Not.
Personally I enjoy the cooler days and the cold of winter. Not so much outside as for riding; rather just the cold itself. The warm hot often humd days of summer are not my friend. I hide in the cool areas all summer, the colder the better. And while my friends who LOVE hot humid weather are bundled tightly in the cold, I’ll gladly wander round in below frezing temperatures wearing just a light shirt and pants.
One thing I have noted; after muy extensive (3 years plus ) of chemo all my body senses changed, so now I enjoy the cold, and dislike the hot. Weird eh?
What’s the metric system? Is that the thing on the piano that tic-tocs???
It is weird how the body changes in general and I can only imagine how it reacts to the assault of chemotherapy. Hopefully the cooling weather is kind to you Bryce.
The hot summer has thinned our blood Gents…..
It certainly seems to be the case.