I got rid of my car almost a year ago so my bicycle is my main mode of transportation. On most days here in Portland getting around on a bike is super easy. The only things worth complaining about is that there are a lot of near misses with cars and there is always the worry/risk of the bike getting stolen.
I thankfully have access to car2go, Uber, Turo (used to be called Relay Rides) and the public transportation system here in Portland. When I’m battling cold/flu sxs or an injury I usually use one of the services above.
I woke up this morning at 7 am and after snoozing my alarm a few times I finally got out of bed, made my coffee and started getting ready. I was dreading getting on my bike and riding out because the weather was in the 30’s and frost had settled. I came up with all sorts of excuses to not ride and take a car2go or the Max instead.
I realized I was just being whiny. But I’ve learned not to be too hard on myself these days. I decided that if I came out of the shower and still wanted to take car2go then I would. But, I dressed in some layers with my biking attire and packed my food for the day and headed out.
A light-weight non-cotton long underwear or long sleeve t-shirt, whatever you want to call it. Then another non-cotton medium-weight long sleeve type of shirt with the zipper (the grey one below) and then a thin water-resistant jacket. And denim biking jeans. This was purrrrfect for 30 degree weather. Usually halfway to work I unzip the jacket otherwise I’ll get too hot.
It was a beautiful day to ride. It was still cold but comfortable. I got the sun on some spots, crossed over the bridge with a beautiful hazy fog and passed large patched of grass with frost. Absolutely gorgeous morning ride today so I am glad I didn’t take a car2go.
Tips for riding in the cold:
- layer with non-absorptive clothing; not cotton
- have a thin reflective airtight jacked as the top layer
- tight biking pants
- gloves
- for 30 degrees I don’t care for anything to cover my face