Today’s ride provided the first chance to abandon the various cold weather clothing and don a really basic kit. I still wanted to prep for the worst and wore a base layer under my jersey, but I could have easily left this behind and still been comfortable.
Unfortunately, for anyone that was able to witness my ride, they also had to bear witness to my stark white legs. My legs haven’t seen the sun for easily 6 months and show all lack of color. I’m sure people had to divert their eyes as I rode past for fear of snow blindness.
But that is the price we cyclists pay for living in Minnesota. There is a small window in the year that we get to ride as others do – in simple bib shorts and a jersey. It gives our skin a chance to respond to the sun and not look quite so pale. But, the first few sunny days are not for the faint of heart.
My goals for the ride were to stretch the distance and venture down to the edge of Lake Minnetonka. This typically gives me around 30 miles of riding distance – which is a perfect length for continuing to build my spring base. I wasn’t focused on the speed, although I noticed that my legs felt rather weak and didn’t respond to any requests for “more power”. This is a consequence of my infrequent riding and the downside I will need to live with until I can build some more stamina.
The roads were loaded with other cyclists and the mild conditions (warm temps in the mid-60s and no wind) brought out the typical wave of triathletes. This means that I gave up trying to be friendly while waving to other cyclists and just kept my head down for each encounter. I’d rather avoid the predictable rejection than to steadily be ignored. I still don’t understand how someone can be so grumpy while riding a bike. It’s a bicycle – it’s hard to be so serious.
Speaking of my bike, I was battling a consistent “creak” that was coming somewhere from my front cranks. I wasn’t able to determine if it was coming from my drivetrain or my pedals, but it sure was annoying. It’s amazing how obsessive I become when my bike is making noise and not operating to perfection. As an engineer, I cannot be settled with a machine that functions “good enough”. It needs to be silent and perfect before I’m happy.
Should this warm, sunny weather continue, I will need to remind myself that sunscreen will be just as important as other critical take-alongs.
