Don't need a weatherman

So, just like that, the Old Pueblo has entered the other of its two seasons. Whereas last Monday afternoon it reached a sweat-inducing 88°, it bottomed out at a visible-breath 40° last night. We even fired up the furnace for the first time in months.

I know it'll get colder yet as the season progresses. I also understand that there are far, far more frigid places to live and ride but remember, I am a desert native and I don't like being cold. Winter weather is hard for me. Why yes, I would absolutely love some cheese with that whine.

At any rate, since I can't or won't adapt to cooler temperatures, it's time to drag out what passes for winter gear in southern Arizona and spend a few extra minutes prior to my morning bike commutes layering up. The bummer part is having to schlep all of the extra clothes - fleeced, windproof, wool - back up the hill in the afternoon, when heavy-duty insulation is no longer needed.

Of course, my complaints about reduced, yet well-above-freezing temperatures ring hollow for my friends who live at higher latitudes and/or altitudes and for whom short-day riding is an exercise in sheer willpower. I almost feel guilty that my cold-weather clothing yesterday consisted of bib shorts, a short-sleeved jersey, toe warmers on my shoes, and lightweight, full-fingered gloves. If it was any cooler, I might have wanted some thin wool socks. To be fair, I did zip the jersey all the way up a couple of times.

Oh, but dig this. For what seemed like the first time in years of cycling, yesterday's strong southeast winds were aligned along my afternoon road loop such that I descended into headwinds and climbed with tailwinds. Uneffingbelievable. If there's a riding condition I enjoy as little as the cold, it's wind.

Cold-weather intolerance notwithstanding, I'm going to try to refocus myself on cycling in the coming months. I have 3 weeks of vacation on tap for December (the "benefit" of having been unable to take any time off all year) during which I'll replace my bike commuting and, to some extent, my weight lifting, with some real rides. My man Veelz is on record saying he's going to Han Solo the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo, so perhaps there'll be an opportunity to do some training rides with him. How this will happen since he and his family unit recently moved damn near halfway to Phoenix is beyond me.

That's it for now - the warming sun is calling me to the front porch.

Black Friday vs. Buy Nothing Day

I said yesterday that I don't observe Thanksgiving. Today is Black Friday, and I most definitely don't celebrate that either. I can, however, get behind the concept of Buy Nothing Day. Of course, I'm buying things today no matter what. I'll be billed at the end of the month for the electricity powering my computer, I exchanged cash for the coffee I'm drinking, and while my dial-up internet service is cheap, it's not free. I may not spend today, but I've definitely spent.

Speaking of spent, BeanSS and I managed to get in a nice road bike ride yesterday, finishing just before the winds kicked up. Most of my fatigue is probably from the workout the day before, but the bike ride was longer than my commute, which means it was more time than I've spent in the saddle for months. Mix a few dog walks in there, and, well, I'm tired. Despite that, I'm thinking I may take the skinny bike out for another short ride this afternoon or, if I'm feeling particularly adventurous, I may attempt a night mountain bike ride ahead of the storm that's forecast to arrive this evening.

Or I'll just rest and drink beer. Yeah, that sounds better.

P.S. I'm well aware of the hypocrisy of railing against conspicuous consumption and then indirectly referring to the fact that I own multiple bicycles, which is perhaps the very definition of two-wheeled consumerism.

Turkey Thursday

Well, at least for everyone else it is; BeanSS and I don't generally celebrate these sorts of holidays in any formal way. We're more the solstice and equinox-observing types. Nevertheless, I won't turn down the paid day off, nor will I fail to use some leave tomorrow so as to make this a 4-day weekend.

Four days is a long enough time that I'm not sure I can fabricate a sufficient number of excuses to get myself out of riding a bike. Last weekend, I went so far as to bolt up a fresh set of cleats to my new road shoes, which I promptly threw under the coffee table, still to be unused. Now here I am contemplating a day with fairly empty roads, low winds, a forecast high of just 77°, and no good reason not to get out and turn the cranks. So it looks like once my morning coffee caffeine overdose wears off, I'm going to get into some bibs and hit the streets.

Now back to Thanksgiving. There's no turkey in our house, so our poultry needs will have to be met by some microwaveable chicken burritos. Its a special occasion, so these will be nice ones that cost a buck each, not those three-for-a-dollar ones. There's nothing like splurging for a special occasion.

Oh yeah, the SSWC08 website is up. I'm going to block out the whole week, lock in the vacation time, and start hitting up my Sacto friends for crash space on the road trip over to Napa. Late August could be an excellent time to get out of the Old Pueblo and into the potentially cooler climes of Northern California.

Test riding a Blur

BeanSS and I spent yesterday morning at El Swap de Tucson and then went over to Rogue Cycles to take in the Cyclecide experience. We were too tired to stick around for the show, which we've seen before anyway, but we did partake of several of the weird bikes they had laying around. Fun stuff. Here's a headless fatty-style shot of yours truly riding the convict cruiser.