November 18th (Evening)

All day it was bugging me that I was suddenly looking at the end of my biking adventures. It bugged me that I wimped out at -4° too! Granted, I know it was the wind chill that really seemed to push me over the edge. But it still bothered me. I’m sure people bike in colder weather!

So, I looked online on www.mec.ca to see what kind of gear I might need, and instead I found an article on Winter Biking! I learned a bit about layering properly, something I think I could do with winter gear I already have. Also, I found some forum posts about people biking in the cold and learned how important regulating your temperature is. Which means walking a hill instead of riding just to keep your temperature from going up too high and causing you to sweat too much.

Therefore, with new resolve, I did NOT phone Corrie for a ride home! It was -6° now, and still the wind chill factor. However, I figured the wind chill would not be a factor for my ride as it would be a tail wind. And I was right! It felt cold, but nothing like this morning. I took it slow and steady, both up and down the hills. By the time I hit the trails, I was sitting at a perfect body temperature. My face had started to get used to the cold air, but my toes and fingers were getting pretty cold!

At the bottom of the valley, I walked from the creek crossing up to the usual stopping point on the bypass trail and then rode the rest. Not only did this help in keeping me from getting too warm, but it gave me a chance to warm up my fingers and toes!

The trails were quiet frozen and solid, making for a rather rough ride really. But it was still pretty fun, really, once I warmed up. The only downside, really, was the fact that my water nozzle froze solid by the time I got to the bottom of Peterson’s Creek, meaning no water to drink for the rest of the ride!

I continued to walk many of the tougher hills, a good excuse to really take the ride rather easy! I did take the look out trail again at Juniper, and as I came around a bend there was an owl sitting (standing, whatever…) on the trail with a dead mouse in his claws. He just stared at me as I squealed my brakes trying not to run him over… Finally, at the last minute, he flew away, leaving his mouse! It was kind of cool to see some different wildlife for sure. He wasn’t too big (not a Great Horned Owl), about the size of a large hawk or falcon (which is what I thought he was at first). Maybe a large burrowing owl?

Anyways, I have decided to try to find some better gear tonight and keep riding. At least try next week a few times to see if I can beat this weather!