Fog, Wet Roads, & Bare Knees

This Ride: 20.1 miles
Month: 20.1 miles
2012: 314.4 miles
Total since 1/1/2010: 14149.1 miles

With temperatures hovering around 55° F at the start and about 1.5 inches of rain yesterday, I should have been prepared for the fog this morning.  Most of us weren’t.  I did make the decision to wear my bib shorts with nothing between my knees and my socks.  It was quite pleasant.

I didn’t ride yesterday.  The forecast was sketchy for the morning and my legs needed a rest.  I’ve also been battling a cold.  The day off the bike was well-timed, and my legs felt fresher this morning.  I have fewer cold symptoms this morning also.  The fog in darkness impacted our ride in several ways.  As I was making a turn from Earleigh Heights Road onto Jumper’s Hole Road, I missed the edge of the road, dropped down several inches into mud, and negotiated about 5-10 feet in that mud before I could regain pavement.  I was surprised I stayed upright.  As we moved down Jennings Road, visibility was very low (fog, wet pavement, dark) and one rider missed a left turn forcing another rider into a driveway.  No one crashed, but it close.  Our pace was relatively easy, and we opted to return via the trail rather than B&A Blvd because of the fog.  Something about the fog befuddles me too.  Near the end of the ride, I turned my head to the left just as I unclipped and suddenly the bike started to tip toward the clipped in foot.  I got my right foot down under the bike and was barely able to prevent a spill.  I have a chain tattoo, but other than that, the incident was unremarkable.

Chip was out this morning on his birthday.  We sang … poorly.

The big news for the morning was that the “peepers” have started to sing.  It was just a few of the heartiest tree frogs, but these early harbingers of spring are ready for some friskiness.  It is good to hear them again.