A beautiful hill road stretches in front of me. The sun is out and it is a pure pleasure to ride under its light. Light, not heat, mind you. A gentle reverberating sound of my bike's engine counterparts the grand silence of nature but brings a tremendous joy which only a bike rider truly understands.
Riding in this time of the year requires winter gear. Temperatures are still above zero, meaning 5-10C/40-50F. If they reach zero Celsius, the ride stops completely for the season. The icy surface produces not so much of an enjoyable ride.
If you feel that the coldest part of your body is your nose, you're doing really fine. If it is your fingers or your toes, the usual problem in my case, it means that an additional pair of socks and warmer gloves would be a smart choice. There are also heated gloves available but isn't that an overkill? Hmm... Maybe not at all when I think about it. A valid option to be considered. A thick winter jumper folded in a backpack in case a night catch your efforts to reach the destination is always recommended. Night temperatures are often challenging.
However, if you have your winter riding jacket on, and two thinner layers underneath, as well as your winter riding pants (resembling skiing pants) and your leather cut buttoned-up over the jacket you'll be able to enjoy the ride up to around 60km/h.
Faster speeds create faster heat depletion by the means of wind propulsion. In other words, you'll freeze as if standing in a cold blowing wind. The sun helps but not so much if you are riding fast. When you start feeling that the cold is literary going through your body, it is a signal to ease up on the throttle. I also have a triple-fold Buff black bandana around my neck. Over the years, this proved to be an excellent neck protection.
On my feet, I wear high Dr.Martens. They are not the best there are out there but proved to be a good compromise between looking ridiculous when off the bike and being warm and dry while riding. Standard motorcycle boots make you look like a spaceman. Riding a cruiser, it would look ridiculous, anyway.
And the most important detail is, of course, stopping for coffee and feeling good. Both of these make you warm and let you focus on the surroundings. And what is a travel than being someplace and meeting someone?
Enjoy your day! :-)
©2017 Velimir Kovačić All rights reserved.
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