Head like an ice cube

Sunday, January 1st

Happy New Year

#134

What is the windchill at 44 degrees and 40mph? Hm. Let's look that up.
About 30 degrees. Which would be below freezing.

Which would explain why, while bombing down hill at 39.2 mph (my personal best so far) on a chilly calm morning, my whole skull felt like your hand does when you stick it in a tub of icewater.

What. You don't go around randomly sticking your hands in icewater? Why not?!
I would also like to note that it is difficult to keep one's eyes open at that speed/temp combo.

Today was the Hammerin' Wheels' 2nd annual Beatty Hill Climbing Smackdown Challenge something-or-other. Hill repeats for 2 hours.

I did not do that hill. Not even once. I volunteered again, this year helping with registration and with the refreshment stop at the bottom of the hill. We had, as far as I know, a little over 50 participants. Last year (cold and rainy and windy) had 20-some.

I handed out bananas, oranges, gatoraid and water, and collected jerseys, arm and leg warmers from the rapidly warming participants.

The volunteer organizers of this event made nifty laminated bibs for early registrants. I got one, even though I was just volunteering.

This time I rode the 8 or so miles from my house, hung around volunteering, and then turned around and rode back.

I had another 'standing flat' (I park my bike somewhere and return later to find one tire flat). I'm just glad it did not go flat on a downhill. I have become quite nonchalant about flats: I can now hold a conversation while changing one.

I wore a lightweight short sleeved merino wool Ibex top and a midweight long sleeved Ibex top and some Danskin exercise tights. I had originally had my merino wool Buff deployed in earband mode, but after the first ice-cube head incident, I switched to balaclava mode, pulling it off my face when not going downhill. My head was still cold, but not icy.

I also had wool gloves on the whole ride.

After I got up the first hill (right out of my driveway as I'm sure you've heard me whining about before) I took off the longsleeved wool shirt and put on my bright windbreaker. I was a little cold downhill, but I really did not want to get too sweaty on the ride in and then stand around getting hypothermia or something dire like that while volunteering.
On the way back I had just my Danskin tights and the short sleeved top and I sweated plenty.

All told, it took me 2 hours and 20 minutes to go the 17 miles round trip. I averaged 10 mph on the way out and my overall average was 7.1. Just under 2000 feet of climbing today.

This year my goal is to get better at climbing hills. Which means I must push myself a little bit.

The red is elevation and the wiggly lines are the grade. Lots of down followed by lots of up.