Now it's too Damn Cold to Ride

I fight the impulse to stay in bed on many a morning and then I fight the impulse to just ride the trainer inside rather than voyage out into the cold world of pre-dawn life. This morning the impulse to stay inside won out. I pulled up on the temperature this morning and it read 28 in the District with 18 out in the suburbs. I decided that was just a little too cold for me to ride.

In Kansas we had the Tilford-Topeka-cold-weather-riding rules. When the temperature dips below 32 degrees you are to ride only 1 mile per degree. So if it's 30 degrees you do 30 miles. However, at some point in time it just becomes stupid to get all dressed for the cold and ride for only a few miles. I figure that point is somewhere around the point where it takes as long to get dressed for the ride as it does to ride the ride.

I know some may think I'm a pansy for following this rule, but I was told never to argue with the Tilford-Topeka rules. I do break them on occassion, like when I was in Chicago for Christmases past and rode in 20 degree weather for 40 miles or until my left foot freezes. However, in the pre-dawn world I'm not going to fight against the rules. It just seems like it's colder when there is no sun out, 25 degrees is just a lot colder at dawn than it is at noon.

So I've labored to create my own personal local rules based on the aforementioned ones. Therefore, the local DC rules are as follows. During daylight rides I will ride until my foot freezes. After it freezes I'll turn around and ride tempo home. However, during pre-dawn rides the rule is that the 2 hour 15 minute daily ride will be standard until the temps dip below 30 degrees. At 29 degrees I will stay inside and ride the trainer, as much as I hate it. If it dips below 15 degrees I'm not going anywhere and that includes to work. If it is below 0 degrees I'm not even getting out of bed.

Wind chill does not count. Wind chill is the weak man's way of saying it's colder than it actually is. For anyone who disagrees with me try living in Chicago for a winter.