My 2008 Thanksgiving Cycling Excursion
November 28th, 2008 • Cycling/Fitness
As my interest in cycling has brown over the past few months, I decided that as long as the weather was decent, I would cycle to my Aunt/Uncle/Cousins’ house in Rhode Island for Thanksgiving. Thankfully, the weather was perfect fall riding weather and I was able to successfully complete my ride. The ride was nothing special in terms of terrain, temperature, or distance, however it was fun and I figured I would right up a small ride report.
What I Wore
When I left my house at about 10:30AM Thanksgiving morning it was about 40°F, and the high for the day was 45°F, so I bundled up pretty good to make sure I was warm throughout the ride. Here is what I wore:
- Cannondale Surpass Bib Shorts
- Burton Snowboarding Socks
- Peal Izumi Quest Jersey
- Hot Chillys Peppers Fleece
- Burton Pipe Gloves
Overall, my outfit was really effective. I was warm overall although on certain sections of the ride I got a little hot or a little cold, but that is almost unavoidable when riding in and out of shadows. A lot of the gear I wore was not cycling specific, but actually snowboarding gear. I just started cycling, and have been snowboarding for years, so I have a lot of snowboarding gear and would rather not spend hundreds of dollars on cycling specific winter riding gear.
What I Would Have Done Differently
Even though my kit was relatively warm and comfortable, there are still a number of things I would theoretically done differently in the future in order to make rides in these types of conditions more enjoyable.
- Cycling specific knickers: The Under Armour worked to keep me warm, but because they do not have padding I still need to wear regular bike shorts under them and they tend to restrict leg movements slightly. Full leg biking knickers would have been a better option.
- Booties to keep my feet warm: The coldest part of my body, by far was my feet. I was wearing vented cycling shoes, and the cold fall air cut right through them. Cycling booties to slip over my shoes would have prevented this and kept my feet much warmer and more comfortable.
- Cycling Specific full-fingered gloves: The Burton pipe gloves I wore were several years old and a little small for me. They also constricted my hand movements and made shifting with my brifters awkward. They were warmer than half-fingered gloves, but not as ergonomic as cycling specific full-fingered gloves.
While the majority of my outfit worked well, it seems as is a number of the issues that arose were due to using snowboarding gear for cycling. Using more cycling specific gear in the future would have helped me to be more comfortable on the ride.
The Route
One of the most exciting parts of this ride for me was that I had never ridden on the majority of the roads included in my route. There was a nice mixture of windy, desolate back roads and heavily populated, wide main roads. The first road on the ride that I really enjoyed was Five Mile River Road, which was a very windy back road with rolling hills and little traffic. After that, I rode on Rt. 44 for the middle portion of the ride, and was disappointed. The road was really bumpy and it made maintaining a steady pace quite hard. However, the shoulder was very wide and the traffic was not that bad. The ride finished with some pretty poorly maintained Rhode Island roads, and truthfully I am thankful to have not gotten a flat tire riding through the cracked, bumpy pavement on the last few miles.
Ride Stats
- Time: 1 hour, 46 minutes
- Distance: 28.3 Miles
- Temperature: 40°F-45°F
- Average Speed: 16.02 MPH
In Closing
Deciding to ride to my relatives house for Thanksgiving dinner was a lot of fun. The roads were mostly nice, the weather decent for the time of year. I had a good time and it felt good to get a workout in before eating a huge dinner. This was my first experience with bicycle commuting and I had a blast. It felt great to travel to another state using my own energy. I cannot wait until I am able to fit bicycle commuting into a larger part of my life. Although the ride wasn’t very long at all, it was probably one of my favorite rides of the year.
Did you do a special Thanksgiving day ride? Let me know in the comments.
Add New Comment
Viewing 4 Comments
Thanks. Your comment is awaiting approval by a moderator.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Do you already have an account? Log in and claim this comment.
Add New Comment
Trackbacks
(Trackback URL)