Someone on our internal Microsoft cycling discussion list asked about practical advice for riding in cold weather. Here are some random tips:

· It’s all about layers. Lots of layers. Starting out in Duvall is cold. By the time I would be up the Woodinville-Duvall road hill, I’d be warming up. I start unzipping layers and opening vents.

· Feet will freeze no matter what, but you can do a couple of things to keep them warmer longer. A slightly larger shoe for the winter with two pairs of socks. Shoes that are too tight will restrict blood flow, and these means less warmth. Also, putting those “instant hand warmer” packets in shoes helps. I remember two years ago going from my house to Lake Roessiger on a cold, icy day in January. I was scraping ice off my lenses. I had those warmers in my shoes, and it was heaven. I put them in my oversized gloves too. It’s bulky, but I got used to it.

· Another thing I recommend is putting slightly warm water in your bottle. It’ll be about the right temp when you start drinking it. If you have two bottles, make one warmer than the other so that by the time you are into the second bottle, it has cooled down the right temp.

· Also, take your powerbar and slide into your sleeve, right up against your skin. When you go to eat it, it will be soft and pliable- about 98 degrees J It’s way better than nearly breaking a tooth as you desperately try to break off a chunk of icy energy bar.

Good times.

Ride On

As my readers know, I used to be a pretty hard-core cyclist. The use of past tense is not unintentional. It's been two years since the accident that changed my life for ever. I am grateful that I am alive and that I am still able to do things that many others cannot do. Even before my accident, I was grateful for the abilities I had. I don't believe I took them for granted. In turn, I have always taken pleasure in the hard-won accomplishments of others. My dear mother battled cancer in a brave way that only made complete sense to me after she had died. She remains an inspiration to me, and her struggles and conquests have become more meaningful to me as my life experiences have reached out to horizons, some bright and others dark, that I didn't know existed.

The past two years have taught me the converse truth: that others can do things I cannot do or can no longer do. Since my early adulthood I have believed I could do anything I put my mind to. It is not fair to just call it arrogance. I have now, as I did then, many of the same insecurities that everyone seems to inexplicably cling to. But, because of a religious conversion and generally maturing, I came to understand how capable we all are, and I figured I was not better but also no worse than anyone else. This propelled me to do all sorts of things. Some of them were run-of-the-mill accomplishments for others but big triumphs for me, like getting a college degree, then another one, and another one, marrying a wonderful woman, and having five kids.

Others were definitely a little crazy. For example, in college, I used to experiment to see how many days/hours I could stay awake studying (caffeine and drug free). It was a mind/body balance I liked to tip. If my mind could push- so could my body, and I was sure my mind would always win in a battle against cells and mitochondria. I recall swimming in a pool and staying under water for what was most likely a dangerously long time by just saying to myself, "I can do this for five more seconds, " and doing this until I was down to 1 second intervals. Why? I cannot explain it any more than I explain why I used to race up hills on my bicycle as hard as I could very nearly passing out on the bike as my friend Jerry would urge me on.

But that has all changed. Time and circumstance have forced me to accept that not all battles can be won by the mind. But, this is not a surrender. It is a calm conclusion that has led me to have greater hope. When my body wins, I call it pain. Some days are nothing but blurring pain, and all of them are filled with more than their share. But, even in that moment of distress, my mind claims a sisyphean victory best explained in these words by Billy Corgan:

“You can’t know life without knowing pain. Pain is not a necessary component to exist. A flower doesn’t necessarily feel pain, and yet it exists. The depth of human experience requires us to put ourselves at risk for the full range and that is partially what heightens the experience and keeps us in line as far as paying attention to what really matters.”

Ride On

(can you tell I'm clearing out my inbox? Two posts in one day...shocking)

I have this link that shows the gradients etc. for bicycle climbs:

http://www.bicycleclimbs.com/

Ride On

Maps

I regulary receive links to maps, map crunchers/mashups, and other map resources for cyclists. Admittedly, many of these are for the Seattle area, because that's where I live. But, in many cases, the links lead to maps for other areas. Check them out:

http://research.microsoft.com/mapcruncher/Gallery/NWBike/ --Mashup for Microsoft Virtual Earth

You can import GeoRSS feeds into Virtual Earth http://dev.live.com/virtualearth/sdk/ --Look under the Work with Layers section

http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ --This site will give you the elevation of any route that you specify.  Unfortunately it does not give the gradient.  But since you’ll get the distance and elevation, you can calculate the gradient.

http://www5.metrokc.gov/iMAP/viewer.htm?mapset=kcproperty --Interactive mapping took that can show elevation data via contour lines, in 5-foot gradients for greater Seattle Metro Area.

http://www.bikely.com --It's built on Google Maps :( instead of Virtual Earth, but still interesting

Gear Chart

One of the things you will want to do as you consider drive trains, cassettes, and so forth is to measure chain lengths. For example, I looked at a compact drive train when I was considering purchasing my Madone (oh, how I miss that bike), and I discovered that I really wanted to stick with a standard double drive train. It was a good decision for me.

Here is a link to a gear chart:

ftp://ftp.phred.org/pub/bikes/gearchart.xls

Other Stuff

Wierd: Nike has a shoe that connects to a portable music player:

http://news.com.com/Nike+runs+with+an+iPod/2100-1041_3-6075752.html

Ride On