30 Degree Commutes

So, since winter has finally arrived here in Red Stick, i thought i would review the joys of riding in 30 degree weather.

Step 1.
Put on all of your cycling clothes, i mean everything you own. You'll probably need more. Each ride necessitates doing a load of laundry... excellent.

Step 2.
Dive out into the cold air, instantly you can detect where each seam and stitch in your clothing is as you are instantly more awake than any espresso could manage.

Step 3.
Immediately begin losing feeling in toes and fingers.

Step 4.
5 minutes into the ride, you begin to worry about the severe pain in the tip of your right index finger, even though you're wearing the heavy-duty Colorado ski gloves.

Step 5.
5 minutes later, you begin to worry that the pain has gone away, will this require amputation? Finally, i'll have something in common with high altitude mountain climbers.

Step 6.
The iPod's bizarre shuffle circuitry cooks up some odd Yoko Ono sounding piece, cutting to Sting then over to Yellow Ledbetter live at the Tibetan Freedom concert. Of course you can't do anything about this b/c your iPod is buried three layers down in your jersey.

Step 7.
Arrive at work frozen, but numbed enough that riding more would be much easier than the ride over.

Step 8.
Take a very painful hot shower that forces blood to rush into every part of you where it previously wasn't.

NICE