It wasn’t the coldest day for our ride, but it was in the low forties. The day before the high temperatures were in the mid-sixties; tomorrow, the temperatures would again be in the mid-sixties. But for our Saturday ride, a cold north wind blew winter back into our lives. So how do I stay comfortable riding on cold days?
I’ve mentioned my Rev’It Trousers Factor 4 winter pants, which I was wearing with a pair of winter leggings on underneath. And I’ve discussed my Rev’It gloves and leather jacket. I’ve added some other gear for warmth. I found a flannel turtleneck on Amazon that I wear under an Eddie Bauer thick thermal men’s shirt. Wearing these under my Alpinestars armored jacket and my Schott’s leather jacket with the lining provide plenty of warmth. The only place left where I felt the chill was my face. Bill solved that by bringing over an old balaclava he had but didn’t use that had ventilation at the nose and mouth. This head wrap, though it does make my helmet a little snug, keeps my cheeks warm, and helped keep me comfortably warm on our ride.
Despite the cold temperatures, signs of spring greeted us. Daffodils were blooming as were ten sugar magnolias. I saw a plum tree in bloom as well as some crabapples. The sun shone brightly on our ride, making the colors in the flowers pop. The birds were busy flitting about possibly working on their nests, and the Canadian geese are pairing off.
I noticed on my ride the difference in my U-turns and circles when I’m following Bill versus when I’m practicing on my own. When I follow Bill, I have to keep an eye on where he is in the turn. His Triumph Rocket has a much longer wheel-base making his turns wider than what I can do on the R Nine T. So I worked on turning as tightly as I could before widening out to keep out of Bill’s path. When we were in the hospital lot and I was working on my own, I did my tightest U-turn to date.
But even as we practiced, I was uncomfortable. My right hand was going numb. I thought it might be because of my pre-load position on the throttle and front-brake. But when we stopped momentarily, I realized my clothes were interfering with the circulation in my right arm. As this had never happened before, I was a little confused as to what had happened. After our ride, as I took off my gear, I realized my flannel and thermal shirts had twisted up on the arm above the elbow. During the ride, the twisted fabric tightened enough to impede the blood flow and cause the numbness. So I now know to make sure my clothes are straight especially when I’m layered up for a cold ride.
Monday is Presidents’ Day and may give us the opportunity for another ride. I certainly hope so; the more rides, the better!
Flutterby Biker 