Happy Brrrrrr Year!

All cyclists know that the best day of the year to ride is on New Years Day. Traffic is practically nonexistent, and as a result bikes can take to the streets with abandon. Perhaps it has something to do with old age, but we've realized that it's much more fun to celebrate New Year Day than New Years Eve. While living in California our routine was to watch the ball drop in NYC (which was 9:00 p.m. Pacific Standard Time), and then get to bed so we could get up early on New Years Day to meet the group for a ride. Unfortunately, since Atlanta is in the same time zone as New York, that plan didn't work this year. Still, we got to bed by 10:00 so we could hit the road early for our first New Years Day ride in Atlanta.

We had a blast! We joined a group of about 100 other cyclists for a New Year Day ride that has been ongoing in Atlanta for 30 years and has followed the same route every year. In contrast to the downtown areas of most major cities which are built on a grid system, Atlanta's high rises are essentially stretched out in a line along Peachtree Street, which follows the highest natural ridgeline through the city. On any other day of the year, Peachtree is the most congested route through Atlanta, a city famous for its horrible traffic, and it would be suicidal to ride a bike down that street. However, on New Years Day there were more bikes than cars on Peachtree and we reveled in the experience of riding through the concrete canyons from Five Points in the heart of Downtown Atlanta, through Midtown (where Michael works), past the exploding metropolis of Buckhead and beyond. The experience was also memorable for the wind gusts of up to 30 mph that day. We were well protected by the highrises, but were buffeted by crosswinds at the intersections and had to fight to not get blown off the bikes. All in all, a fun and exciting start to the New Year.

Obviously the weather conditions in Atlanta in January are a bit more extreme than in Encinitas. As the temperatures have been dropping lower and lower throughout the winter, we have been adding to our cycling wardrobe. Fingers, toes and faces seem to take the brunt of the icy weather. We had booties and toe covers that we used occasionally in California, but have discovered the added warmth of wool socks. I'm even considering placing plastic baggies over my socks to help block the wind and cold. We both now wear two pairs of gloves at the beginning of the ride when the temperatures are lowest. I'm not talking about a pair of cycling gloves (with no fingers) and a pair of liner gloves with fingers. I'm talking about a pair of winter full-finger gloves with a pair of liner gloves. On a cold day we'll keep both pair on throughout the entire ride.

One of the greatest inventions is the face mask! When the temperatures dip really low, merely inhaling can freeze your teeth and nostrils. It also keeps your head and neck warm. Thanks to the lycra fabric, you can cover every part of your head except for your eyes, pull it below your nose, or even below your chin. Very versatile! They also come in handy if you want to rob a bank. Another favorite piece of new clothing is fleece lined tights. Very cozy on a cold morning.

Despite all the new winter clothing, there are still limits to how cold it gets before we decide to stay in our TWB (toasty warm bed) and blow off the ride. Since women have much more sense than men, Nancy's limit is about 10 degrees higher than Michael's. She will not start a ride if the temperature is 35 or below. If the temperature is between 35 and 40, she'll start the ride only if predictions are for sunshine and warmer temperatures throughout the remaining hours of the morning. Naturally these parameters exclude rain or gale-force winds, in which case the TWB wins. Michael is still testing his limits. Last week he started a ride in 28-degree weather. Out of our usual group of about 20 riders, only one other fool showed up for the ride, and around mile 10 they both began to question their sanity. Immediately following the ride, Michael (after first spending about 20 minutes thawing out in a hot shower) drove to the bike shop and purchased his full face mask and a new pair of booties.

Fortunately Atlanta never stays too hot or too cold for too long. After a week of temperatures ranging from 15 to 35 degrees, this week we're back in the mild 60's. But winter is not over yet, so our new warm clothing will be put to good use again soon. We are both excited about the vibrant cycling community in Atlanta and the fact that with a few exceptions, we will be able to ride year-round in our new home.

Happy New Year to y'all. Hope you're staying cozy and warm!