Well, today was the first day in probably more than two weeks that the sun was out for most of the day. The temperature was about 40 and the air crisp. A perfect day for biking? It was, but I also learned that you need to dress up when biking in colder temperatures. I have relatively a lot of experience running in the cold all the way down to about 20 degrees. But today I think was the coldest day I biked as I've only been biking since August. So while my light long-sleeve dry-fit-type shirt and another thicker, but also breathable long-sleeve jersey were just enough to keep me dry, my fingertips and toes were very cold by the time I finished biking today. My hands and feet get cold quite easily but I wasn't expecting to get so cold. The reason is that a) running is harder than biking over the same time and b) at faster speeds the body will get colder because of wind resistance. So, these two factors have convinced me to buy "bibs" or covers that will go over my bike shoes (they have holes in the bottom still allowing the shoes to clip to the pedals), warmer gloves and a long-sleeve jersey that's thicker and more windproof. I bought full-length biking gloves a month or so ago. In fact, today was the first day I used them. But, based on my experience today they seem more approapriate for 45-55 degrees.

Also, I pumped up my tires to about 95 PSI. I don't know what I previously had them at, but it was closer to 40 or 50. I really couldn't pump them up more with the small pump that I used. It's perfect for taking along a bike ride because it fits in the small pack under the seat and it will pump up a tire enough in case of a flat. So, the floor pump I bought on sale at REI a couple of weeks ago does the job for higher pressures. The ride was a little more stiff, especially over bumps but I can also go faster, which is more important.

As for the ride, it biked the "standard loop" (Belltown -> Elliot Bay -> Magnolia -> Ballard -> Fremont -> Belltown) with a detour to the marina.

Total: 16.2mi Bike Ride (15.8mph); 609 cal.; 143 lb.