Eagle, ID — I need to get 20 hours in this week so I knew I had to do a “long” ride at least one day this week (long is defined as > 4 hrs). It had been raining on and off for weeks, but the forecast for today didn’t call for any rain so I decided to take advantage of it. It was still cold, it was 35° when I was getting ready, so I had to dress warm. I wore a couple layers on top, with an old fluorescent-yellow Gore-Tex jacket on the outside. For my head I had my thin balaclava underneath my Pearl Izumi ear warmers. I also had cling-wrap on the front of my helmet. The helmet I’m using has huge vents and if I don’t cover them up that cold air gives you an ice cream headache! I also learned last week that ski goggles are great for keeping your face warm. So between the yellow jacket, Saran Wrap and ski goggles, I’m sure I looked like a dork! But hey, I was a warm dork!
When I headed out the roads were still wet, but they were drying. I was going to do the long loop I did a couple times late last season. This route heads out west to Caldwell, then to Wilder, north towards Payette, then down and east to Emmett. As I past Caldwell, there was a good tailwind. So riding to Wilder wasn’t too bad. My hands were a little cold, but not too bad. I stopped in Wilder to use the restroom and topped-off my water bottles, then headed up to Payette. This stretch of road is really nice and doesn’t have too much traffic. In Payette, I stopped again and got some water and warmed up a little. I knew the next stretch would be tough since I was turning into a headwind.
Once I got riding, it wasn’t so bad since I had to work harder, my body temperature also went up. Of course, it was more of a clammy feeling. I tried to keep my watts just above 200. I’d let it go higher into the headwind but I wasn’t trying to work it. I just wanted to get the distance in. In Emmett, I almost stopped as I had planned, but decided to just head up Old Freezeout and get home as soon as I could. The clouds, that had been there all day, were getting darker and I didn’t want to get caught in the rain.
Coming home on Hwy 16 my legs were feeling the distance. I could still put some power down, but it was a lot harder. I wasn’t bonking, just tired. When I finally made it home I was so happy it was over. It was just under a six-hour ride…110 miles! The amazing thing was that I did the whole thing when the temperature hardly got above 40°. In years past, I wouldn’t even think about riding outside unless it was 45° and sunny. It’s amazing how a change in priorities will change things like that!