First December Ride

It was in the 50s and kind of misty as I headed out from work a little after 5:00pm. I was happy to be back on my bike again. It has been over two weeks since I've ridden. The heavy snows and a crazy work schedule pretty much eliminated any chances of riding to or from work.

I never got around to having my wheels trued but they aren't that bad anyway. I gave my rear wheel and cassette a good cleaning though. I also put on 32cc Panaracer Urban Max tires I bought on sale at Performance. I would have preferred 28cc tires but I heard Panaracers run a little small. It took me a while to tweak my front fender in order to prevent the new tire from rubbing. I have to remember not to try anymore track stands. If I catch my shoe in the front fender again it'll be all but impossible to bend it back.

The Lake Front Trail was sprinkled with a few bicyclists and runners; no one to ride with though. At the end of the trail at Ardmore and Sheridan I caught up with a commuter on a road bike. He was outfitted pretty well with panniers, lights, and bicycling attire. I kept on his tail until we got the red light at Broadway and Granville. I said hello and we both griped about the increasingly wet weather. He was headed to Wilmette but turned north on either Glenwood or Greenview while I continued to Clark Street.

At around Clark and Touhy the skies opened up and the heavy rain continued until I reached Isabella and Sheridan. I was soaked pretty good but I wasn't too uncomfortable. My layering didn't keep me dry but kept the wind and the cold out. I don't know how I'd feel if it was ten degrees colder though.

By the time I reached the Green Bay Trail the rain had stopped and I had a relatively pleasant ride the rest of the way. I was very glad to get home though.

Distance Traveled: 24.3 miles
Distance to date: 1389.4 miles
Price of gas: $2.45