Oy! It was cold!

By some standards, the weather wasn't too bad. But by the standards around here, I was nuts!

I rode home on Friday (Feb 10th) when the cold front was moving through. I didn't realize it was coming, so I had the road bike (no fenders) on hand that day. I knew the rain would soak my sweat pants, so I took them off. They would have made the situation worse.

The beginning of the ride wasn't bad. My rain jacket was keeping the upper half dry and the exercise was keeping me warm. The headwind was slowing me down, but I was enjoying the ride.

Then it started sleeting.

My legs quickly went numb with the temperature drop. The rain before had chilled them, but the ice really made the difference. The spray from the wheels wasn't noticeable anywhere but on my lower legs and feet. They were getting soaked and colder by the minute.

The worst part was the sleet hitting my face. I tried to keep my head tilted down, but I couldn't keep it low enough and still keep sight of the road ahead.

I made it home no worse for wear. But now I'm really thinking about fenders for all of my bikes and a nice pair of rain pants.

-Buck