I don’t think I could look myself in the mirror with any level of respect if I didn’t dig the bike out of the basement and go for a ride today.

We’ve had some strange weather here in the frozen north as it hasn’t been acting very frozen.

Sunday’s clear skies and 40 degree temps were more geared to mid-October than a few days before Christmas. Sure, we can get some warm December days every once in a while (the record for the day was around 55F), but they are always offered in the context of a thick blanket of snow on the ground. There was not the least bit of snow anywhere to be found on Sunday and it just felt odd for late December.

My cycling ambitions have taken a terrible turn toward the “non-existent” and I am in pretty sorry shape. I am trying to motivate myself back on the trainer by watching the Battlestar Gallactica remake from 2004. I am about halfway through the first season and I can report that it is nothing short of awesome. It presses all my right buttons (I am a science fiction geek) and is a show that emphasizes story over well-produced action sequences. I now feel bad for missing the original run – but I have Netflix streaming to multiple systems in my house and it makes it easy to view while perched on the bike trainer.

But Sunday was a day for outside riding – even though it had been over 1 1/2 months since riding outdoors. Before heading out, I gathered all of the cold weather gear and – in typical fashion – overdressed for the temperature. I so despise being cold that I would much rather look like an arctic explorer on the bike than suffer the least bit of chill. Thus, I had a typical base layer, fleece, and my awesome Gore cycling jacket to keep me toasty warm. Skullcap, gloves, and my thick, neoprene shoe covers rounded out the attire.

Before pulling the bike from the basement, I went to put some air into the tires and heard the dreaded “hiss” sound of a hole in the front tube. A quick change to a new one (I am getting rather versed in this maintenance procedure) and I was ready to ride.

Based on my condition and some ugly winds out of the SW at 15-20mph, I decided to make the ride short and targeted around 10 miles. In the middle of summer, that hardly seems like a worthy distance. But in cold weather at poor physical conditioning – it was about all I could handle.

Still, it was nice to ride the “real thing” and actually see some of nature’s wonders. This time of year, I would prefer some snow on the ground (and would have ridden regardless) as everything is so dead and brown looking. The only hint of the proper time of year is the frozen lakes/ponds that line the roads throughout Medina. But, even with the colorless environment, there is always something to catch my eye.

I expect that my next outdoor ride will take place sometime in late February – when we have a day or two of above freezing conditions and the roads (and more importantly the shoulders) become clear again. In the meantime, I will be stuck inside pedaling away to the adventures of some space explorers in the distance future (or was it the past???).