Foggy Morning

It really wasn't that foggy but I'm running out of caption ideas. Anyway it was a good morning for bicycling. I started a little late, 6:15 am, and was greeted with mostly daylight. It was still a little wet so I was careful not to go speedy right out of the gate. Once I headed south I was greeted with a stiff head wind. I knew my ride would seem a tad longer this morning.

It was about 35° but the wind made it seem a bit chillier. When waking and facing early morning rides these days I've often wished I had my car at home instead. I'm not a real cold weather person and sitting in a nice warm car and listening to the radio as I plod through traffic has some appeal when compared to biking into 15 mph winds at near freezing temperatures. But once I get on the road and get warmed up the cold isn't an issue anymore. My system of lightweight long underwear, windbreaker, headband, gloves and booties does a good job regulating my body temperature and comfort. I found that when I have to stop or slow down for traffic I start to heat up and become less comfortable.

North of Belmont Harbor I came upon a commuter on a road bike. He was dressed in blue jeans and biked at a slower pace and I passed him by without really thinking about it. Then just north of Diversey as I'm grinding into the wind here comes blue jeans pedaling past me. I was naturally peeved at his impudence but at the same time glad to find someone to do a little wind breaking for me. The pull from my denim clad clipper didn't last though. After no more than an eighth of a mile he seemed to have burned out. Being polite, I didn't pass him too quickly. But after a while I zipped by him again. Maybe he was drafting all that time without my noticing and when he decided to leave me in the dust he found the wind too daunting. If that was the case, I know how he must have felt all too well. I remeber passing a couple of guys training on their racing bikes and about a qaurter mile later they casually glided by me chattering as if they were out for a stroll.

My derailleurs blow. I really have to get them adjusted. I seem to only have three reliable gears now.

Distance Traveled: 24.3 miles
Distance to date: 1265.1 miles
Price of gas: $2.41