Catching up

So it's been over a week, and I realized that I never reported on the Bike for Life.

I was planning to ride out to the start in West Newton, about 10 miles from my house.  But when I woke up at 7am, it was raining pretty hard, so I'm afraid I rolled over and went back to sleep, and got the Scientist to drive me out to the start.  Thanks to the quick release front wheel, the Shogun is much easier to take in the car than my other city bikes, which makes it easier.

Unfortunately the best way to describe the ride was wet.   The weather ranged from drizzly and damp, to pretty steady rain.   I wore a normal pair of unpadded shorts and a tunic-dress with a hip-length rainjacket, but the bottoms of my shorts and tunic got pretty wet over time.

I only did the 20 mile ride, and I was pretty glad, because I was getting cold by the end.  The route took us from West Newton, through Weston, and up into Lexington and back down to Weston.  It was pretty, but it was hard to focus on the scenery because of the rain.  I rode along with a group for a while, but I needed to go a little faster to keep warm.  The Shogun is so much lighter than my ordinary bikes-it's amazing how much faster it can go.

At the finish the organizers had brought in hot drinks- which was a great help.  I had a dry pair of wool tights and changed into them, and put on a mid-layer fleece under my rain jacket.   The wool tights made all the difference, and I was warm, even though I wasn't moving any more.

I stayed at the BBQ for a half an hour or so, enjoying food provided by Trader Joe's, and chatting with other Livable Streets volunteers and riders.  

I did ride home, despite the ongoing drizzle.  I took the route along the Charles river path, and I had it all to myself thanks to the weather.  30 miles under my belt, a hot shower, dry clothes and some hot tea later, I was happy and warm and felt like I'd accomplished something with my day.

I want to thank the readers who sponsored me, and let people know that it's still possible to donate to livable streets using the button below until October 17th -my birthday if you're looking for something to get me :) .