I am here and Jay is there, for now.  So be it. Today, we could not spend time together so we decided to ride “together”.

I have spent far too little time on the bike since returning from Wales.  Meanwhile Jay has been rekindling and exploring his passion for riding. I do not have a great excuse (well, maybe knee surgery was an ok reason- but I did get on my trainer nearly every day as part of my rehab)- mostly work, dark and weather- all poor excuses in my book.

Top of Hill #1

Today,   I decided that 30 miles was a good distance- enough to get some quality time in the saddle but not too much.  I started with a short loop with some steep hills to challenge the Tibia Femoral joint a little and was happy to discover that my knee is more than ready to go. I changed my original course to include more hills!

In typical western Oregon winter fashion it was 37 degrees and raining the entire ride. The up hills provided warmth and I discovered all the gaps in my clothing on the descents. Brrrr.  Even though I had cold weather winter cycling gloves on, my hands were frozen on the descents.  I think I am going to invest in a pair of those funky handlebar hand warmers for future winter rides.

The weather provided a great opportunity to test out my rain gear. My Showers Pass jacket and booties were fantastic.  My other favorite piece of gear was the funny little red wool hat that Jay gave me (JS-It’s a wool cycling cap from Walz Caps). Wearing only the hat and my helmet with no rain cover, my head was perfectly cozy.  The hat was warm, kept the wind off my ears and the rain off my glasses.  And, well, is kind of cute.

Top of Hill two

I returned home, dried off my bike (yes, Jay, you would be proud of me) and jumped in the Jacuzzi to warm my hands and feet.  After which I had a lovely conversation with Jay to hear about his epic ride in Spokane. Although we may not be able to ride together we can enjoy hearing about each others bicycle adventures.

I am looking forward to much more riding in 2013. I am working on a reasonable daily commute which looks to be a hybrid ride on most days with some longer journeys tossed in when time allows.  After all, I need to keep my mileage up if I am going to keep up with my Husband!

Happy Holidays to all and we wish you many miles of riding in 2013.

Happy Holidays