Fall bicycling

The silence on this page that followed the report on Berryville 2006 century ride was not because I did not do any riding following that ride, but because of a variety of other reasons. The most significant of them could be summarized in one word - “Fall.” Besides beautiful colors and leaves on the ground, the season also brought shorter daylight, stronger winds, and colder mornings. All of this translates into shorter rides under more armor, i.e., more layers of clothing. Take too much clothing and you will be puffing and panting on the trail; take too little and you will be regretting the moment you decided not to take that extra layer of long sleeves. Cold weather and an almost unavoidable fall in the physical strength at the end of a riding season could act in synergy to make you forget your bicycle until the spring. It does not have to be that way, however. Once you overcome the dreariness of that first contact of your body with the coldness of the air, and once you pass those first few minutes of second thoughts on the wisdom (or lack of thereof) of taking your bike for a ride today, you will be doing just fine. A sense of accomplishment at the end of the ride will be your prize. All in all I continue to ride anywhere between 40 and 60 miles per week, while unseasonable mild weather encouraged me to ride the total of 80 miles last Friday and Saturday. Happy riding!