Got on the bike after a 5 day hiatus. I skipped my morning commute on Wednesday and Thursday -- Wednesday for the rain, Thursday for the frost. Friday was our famiy trip to Cincinnati. Tonight I met my wife and kids at the McDonalds about 2 miles north of here. It was 50 degrees, plenty warm for me. It felt good to get back on the bike.
As I told my friend Mark, I live by a code. Really, my "riding code" has three parts:
Part 1; If it is raining when I leave my front door, I'll drive my car, otherwise I'll ride my bike. No matter what the forecast. My boss has made fun of me for riding with a 90% chance of thunderstorms. But in two years of daily commutes following this code, I could count the number of times I've gotten wet on one hand. If I'd paid attention to forecasts, I'd have missed dozens of days of riding. Even when the forecast for rain was true, it happened at hours when I wouldn't be commuting anyway.
Part 2; If it is dark and has been below freezing in the past 12 hours, I will drive. If it is light, or has been above freezing for 12 hours, I will ride.
Part 3: If it is 37 or above I will ride. This may be challenged this year, since I have better gear and a fairing, I might be able to push it lower. But the real limiter is not Part 3 of the code, but Part 2.
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