Wind Chill

When the temperature outside is 5 degrees, with a light rain, and it's a running day - I wear tights, a very thin long sleeve top and a vest. No gloves, no toque, no jacket. Within minutes, I've unzipped my vest and I'm comfortable for...hours.

When the temperature outside is 5 degrees and it's a cycling day - I panic a little bit.

There's something to be said for windchill. It rips through everything and, unlike running, you just don't ever warm up.

Our spring/summer/fall cycling group scheduled its first ride yesterday. An easy 25k to get our legs back into it. The weather, at 6:30am, was calling for 5 degrees with sun and clouds. So I brought out the big guns. I pulled on my running tights and then yanked my cycling shorts over top. I put on my thin running shirt, a t-shirt, a thicker running shirt and my -30 degree windproof running jacket that I haven't worn running once during the past two winters because it hasn't been cold enough. I put my toque on under my helmet and put my cycling gloves on over my running ones.

We pulled the bikes out from the basement, filled our water bottles and Doug asked "is it raining?". "Nope" I replied with naive confidence "it's not supposed to rain."

Apparently the weather gods don't always ask the weather network folks before they edit the script.

It WAS raining. And windy.

We cycled the 2k to Runners' Edge. Vince was sitting in his vehicle, his bike still attached to the back. "What the hell?" was his greeting. Klari pulled up on her bike, having cycled the few kilometres from her house. "What the hell?!?" was hers too. Erin pulled up in her vehicle "Are we riding?".

"No" was the unanimous decision.

We cycled the 2k back home again. I was so cold I could hardly pedal and the pain in my finger tips was excruciating. The faster I tried to go, the colder it got. That, my friends, is a painful catch 22.

We made it home, tossed the bikes back into the basement without a word.

I checked my sugar - it was 18.9.  Guess that's what happens when you adjust your basal rate for cycling, eat breakfast but only bolus for half and then cycle 4k in 26 minutes. Switched my basal rate from 60% to 140%, took a correction bolus and called it a day.

A hot shower and a cup of coffee later, we were warm and feeling sane again.

Guess we'll try again next week.