Yesterday I rode almost 56 miles, and it would have been an extremely happy day but for one thing: the weather. This year Mother Nature has not received the version of the calendar that includes the First Day of Spring on it. Temperatures were in the high 30’s Fahrenheit yesterday, and that wasn’t the worst part.
Precipitation in Oregon takes many forms, and there is lots of each kind. Most people assume all the precipitation besides snow is in the westernmost part of the state…this is not true in March, when even the desert sees a fair amount of rain, hail, and sleet. Yesterday, out on our bikes, we got the trifecta of rain, hail, and sleet, and plenty of each.
While we did have winter riding gear on, in heavy precipitation and temperatures in the 30’s, it’s really only effective for about the first 20-30 miles. After that you’re just wearing thick synthetics fully soaked with ice water…better than cotton, but not by a whole lot. I was reminded yesterday about vigilance for hypothermia. With a group of old, bearded guys bundled up in riding gear, the behavioral symptoms of hypothermia become the most evident (the beards and gloves hide lips and fingernails that turn a telltale blue): slurred speech, confusion, disorientation, uncontrollable shivering.
Our group all made it without going into full hypothermia, however, which was nice. (We stopped for piping hot coffee about 2/3 of our way through the ride, which helped briefly.) I have to admit, too, that the harshest parts of this time of year (the cloudbursts, the brief sunbreaks, the pearly quality of the daylight) can be strikingly beautiful, and no car affords the same panoramic view that one receives atop a bike saddle. The nasty weather also cut down greatly on the car traffic, which was another welcome-yet-easily-overlooked plus of the day.
With any luck, the weather will only get better from here on. Happy riding!
Bike Newbie 