Winter Clothes...

Hello, friends! 

Today the high in Columbia was supposed to be 47 degrees.  I am going to assume that we got there but I can tell you that it certainly didn't feel like it from my vantage point.  Biking in such cold weather is no fun at all.  It could be that I've become a bit of a wimp.  It could be that since I've lost some weight I no longer have any fat to keep me warm.  Either way, what I do know is that for the past few days, I have been rocking my winter gear while biking. 

I actually have three levels of winter clothes.  Right now we are in Level 1 of winter clothes, which is pretty much my medium jacket, my light gloves, and my earmuffs.  Level 2 will add the scarf, the winter coat and the balaclava.  Level 3 is when things get really fun.  That's when we throw in the long underwear and possibly wearing the sweatpants over the regular pants.  It's been a while since we've gotten to Level 3 but I'm already rockin' Level 1 here in October so come January, things may be a little different. 

Here's what I've learned is the hardest thing about biking in the cold.  It's not actually wearing all the extra clothing.  It's not the wind chill or your hands getting a little numb.  It's not even the prospect of rain, snow, or ice being on your path, although that is pretty dangerous.  No, friends, the hardest thing about biking in the cold is that my glasses get fogged up.  =0). 

When I'm in Level 2 or Level 3 of winter clothes, I'm wearing a scarf that covers my neck and face or a balaclava that does the same.  Sometimes I'll even wear both.  When this happens, breathing becomes a little hazardous.  When I breathe through my nose, the hot breath hits the face covering and shoots back up to my glasses where they fog.  It happens less so when I'm breathing through my mouth but then you have the hazard of your face freezing because the balaclava or scarf get wet with breath then frozen by the outside.  Thankfully, I've never crashed because of my glasses being fogged (although I've crashed for lots of other reasons).  Let's hope that this streak continues. 

Stats:
Distance: 4.5 miles ($.38)
Meters: 5 hours on campus ($5) + 2.5 hours downtown ($1.5)

Total: $6.88
Grand Total: $389.72
Left to Save: $193.31 (hooray!!!)

Happy Biking!

~Adam