March 28 through April 7 are mine to do with as I please, and until today I withheld my decision about traveling during my time off. I thought about going to Philadelphia to see my mother. Then that idea became less attractive when I found out my wife and kids weren’t on board, and it became really unappealing as the weather forecast evolved. Philadelphia is reliably warmer than West Bend, but right now the difference isn’t enough to be a game-changer. I’ve been burned by weather forecasts before, but I’m also much more willing to ride in cold weather than I used to be. High 30s to mid-40s will be good enough, under the circumstances.
A Philadelphia vacation would have included four days of driving. It’s almost certain that staying home will provide more opportunities to ride. And because I won’t be spending money on travel, I can more seriously consider a couple of equipment changes that might not have been possible otherwise.
On Saturday I waited for the warmest part of the afternoon to go out for a 29-mile ride, the 2013 debut for my Raleigh Competition road bike. Today would have been warm enough for an encore if not for the wet roads and stiff breeze from the northeast. I’ll be on the clock Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, hoping for a chance to ride outside at the end of the workday. After that, I’ll be on my own time for a while, looking for a lot of miles. I’m 14 rides and 405 miles behind last year’s pace!
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