Tuesday’s ride was cold and got colder, resulting in a pretty slow ride up Kings, slow enough that we ran out of time for the West Old LaHonda loop. Something we’ve been making a habit of lately, and really had to stop. This morning, it stopped.

Funny how “warm” 44 degrees can feel. You can certainly climb better at 44 than 38; partly because you’re wearing less clothing. And I think partly because Kevin and I are getting back into the routine again, although it would be nice if that routine included more than just the two of us. I felt pretty OK climbing up through the Park, at least until that final steep straight stretch up to Kings. Pretty much died on that, but at least my baggy leg warmers (couldn’t find the good ones) caused us to stop so I could pull them back up before continuing. A brief break in the action. After that? For reasons unknown I actually felt pretty good the rest of the way. Another day where I felt just a bit better than Kevin, but I do recognize this, too, shall pass.

We had a nice run across Skyline, punctuated by a longer-than-usual stop at the one-lane section where they’re STILL repairing the hillside? After what, two years? And, while still running behind any semblance of a normal schedule, we made the right turn heading towards West Old LaHonda, where I pulled on the entire descent. This was definitely a ride where I felt better as it went.

It would be great to get an impressive photo of the heavy rain we hit once on Skyline, but since it was 36 & windy up there, no way to take the photo while riding (iphone zipped into a pocket) and we’re not going to stop and risk becoming an instant popsicle. Rule #1 when riding in the rain- keep moving!

The storm hit just a bit later than expected; when we hit the road at 7:32am it was “just” heavy wind, followed, as we started up Kings, by light rain. Temperatures dropped as we climbs, from a balmy 41 at the bottom to 36 at the top. 36 is normally no big deal, but when you combine it with pretty heavy rain, that changes things. You’re inspired to ride hard enough to keep the fire going, but not so hard you start sweating too much. Last thing you want to do is saturate the mid-weight base layer, standard jersey, jersey-jacket and light rain jacket combo! Kevin and I were actually pretty comfortable waist-up, with this being one of the few rides where wind front thermal bib tights were slightly lacking on the descents.

Gloves? When you know it’s going to be really wet for more than 30 minutes, it’s time to break out the neoprene. Not the most comfortable, but they have the advantage of working better when wet than dry. Still, had that fun feeling in the shower as my fingers painfully thawed, that different sort of pain that is really tough to deal with yet you know it’s going to go away by itself. At least it does have that benefit (going away by itself), unlike the pain that comes from mental anguish. Hate that.

The descent… cold rides in the rain, you’d much rather be climbing. Today was no exception. You really can’t wait to get down to the bottom and get the engine going again. At least disc brakes & 28c tires give enough traction and control you don’t worry about sliding out. Hate that too.

No rain again until Tuesday. Much as it’s fun sometimes to be challenging the elements, I’m ok with a few dry rides. 🙂