Frost on the pumpkin

As they say, the frost is on the pumpkin and pretty much everything else. Three straight mornings of cold, hard frost that dampens the enthusiasm for things like bicycle riding. Take temps below 55, add a 20mph headwind to whatever else is blowing around out there, and it’s not just the pumpkin that gets frosted. The sun gives little relief, and below 55 I can’t get by without tights, and even then I need a warming embrocation to get going and keep the knees from freezing. Belgium Knee Warmers recommends an embrocation from Mad Alchemy, which I’m dying to try because I’m a little nervous about the stuff I’m currently using. There’s got to be something better than methyl salicylate.

The miles also suffer, both because I’m just not able to push myself to be that uncomfortable for more than a couple of hours, and because opportunities tend to come when I’m around the city, which means stop-and-start urban riding, rough roads, lots of traffic and other things that just slow the whole ride down. But that’s just the nature of autumn riding – you just do what you can when you can. For the last couple of years, I’ve managed to ride in every month but one (though whether it’s January or February has varied by when the thaw comes), but that doesn’t mean I make any serious miles.

Currently trying to psyche myself up to get out there this afternoon, but the current temp of 41 degrees isn’t exactly inspiring me to stuff myself into tights and freeze my toes off.