With temperatures in the upper 50s and low 60s yesterday, I hopped on Cylon and did a quick spin around the county. You may recall that I get lost rather easily, but with the weather so nice I figured that getting hopelessly lost may not be such a bad thing. I did one normal route through our friends’ subdivision, and then I took a right instead of my usual left and proceeded to get lost on purpose.

Getting out on the bike is always a pleasant surprise. I know in my logical mind that riding the bike is fun. Once I get on the bike, however, my animal mind shouts “OH YEAH!” Kool-Aid man style and I wind up smiling for the hour or however long I’m out. I was smiling all around the county, taking back roads that ran close to familiar landmarks. I’d get lost, orient myself, and then get lost again. I logged about 40 miles winding around back roads and side streets before coming home. I missed my Lady Jaye.

The one thing that being out today really reminded me of is how tight the toeboxes are on my boots. After my frostbite/whatever incident I’ve been nervous about keeping my feet warm and the tightness of my boots. Someone on the FZ6 forum suggested that boots that are just slightly too tight would appear fine on warmer days, but would cause problem spots once things turned cold and/or I had thick socks on. My current boots are a size 11, I am going to buy a new pair that are either 11.5 or 12. Luckily for me, my favorite online gear vendor, New Enough, is running a sale on racing boots.

Note: I posted this yesterday but figured that after a rather dry LJ spell I wouldn’t cram three entries in one day. Enjoy.

I have about 1400 miles on Cylon thus far. I’d like to keep with the sport-standard tradition of the bike and ride for as deep into the winter as possible. I haven’t installed my heated undergrips yet or hacked my lowbeams to both be on at the same time (I’m afraid to do the wiring). Aside from that, however, there isn’t much reason for me to stop riding unless it’s raining and/or colder than 35 degrees out. Unfortunately, thanks to my last real ride out in the cold I’m a bit nervous about venturing out along the highway at colder temperatures.

Nevertheless, I’d like to put in a total of 3000 miles before the average air temperature is 60 degrees this year. If I recall correctly, the February and March months are particularly gnarly in Richmond, with rain and some snow being the typical weather pattern. My buddy Bond will have to validate this, as it’s been some time since I’ve gone through a winter here.

Total winter miles so far: 0