Winter Rides

Sure, Lance and Alberto are training together on an island in the Mediterranean Sea and Team Columbia is turning pedals in southern Spain, but they don't know what they're missing. After a pair of winter road rides this week, one chilly early morning ride with Original Gangster, and another warmer, afternoon ride yesterday, I'm reminded how much I enjoy the sunlight and long shadows of these late autumn and early winter rides. Seeing your breath in the cold clear air, bundled in funny-sounding and funny-looking shoe booties, wiggling our toes and fingers to keep the blood flowing to them: these are the gifts of winter cycling. There is something exhilerating in that last hour before sunset. With the temperature dropping as quickly as the light fades, getting home is an imperative. I spent the last few miles fighting off the chill and thinking of the food I would devour in the exact order I would consume. Great stuff. Certainly way better than learning to surf with Lance and pretending to like it.