In the fall of 2016 I was planning a fall tour and decided to pick up a nano puff jacket for the colder temperatures. I looked at REI and there was a sale. Bingo! I was not keen on the sky blue color, but the good price won me over. I have grown to like the jacket because I have received many compliments. The photo below is from the catalog. The light blue color covers the dirt of eight years of wear. I keep this jacket protected so it stays dry and deep in the pack. This will be the jacket to wear after the ride around the campsite and in the cool of the morning before I start off on a ride. It packs down into the pocket and it is easy to stick in my day bag to get out during a lunch stop. When I wear the jacket without an outer shell, I do find it effective at stopping the wind. I usually will also wear a shell when out of the tent. I do this to keep the blue fabric clean. The spec mention that it is warm and I agree with this. I have worn it comfortably into the teens. I do not mind that it does not have a hood. I will wear my fleece neck gaiter and this effectively keep my neck warm. My shell has a hood and that adds protection. I like to take this jacket in my luggage for out trips to the Colorado mountain. The small packable size make it easy to fit in the luggage. When I travel I like to be sure I am able to handle cold, windy, damp conditions. There are no regrets in getting this jacket.
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I cannot remember when I exactly started using Strava to record rides. I used the free app until 2023 when I paid for the subscription and I am glad that I did. Sometimes I will go back and look at previous rides. I can see photos and how well the ride went. Down below are the results from my last outside ride and you can see the times for one of the segments. I am usually looking for my consistency. This year was good for several reasons. I did not get injured and my health is steady. I completed a fun tour along the Erie Canal. I went on some routes that were new and enjoyed my favorite trails. I did many other activities besides exercise. I took many wonderful photos of beautiful surroundings. I shared my experiences with others. I raised some charity funds during some rides. I am so glad that I am exciting about continuing to ride my bike and walk.
I had a chance to get a long ride outside.A walk on Christmas Day was very nice, but the next day I was able to go out for more than two hours. This was my third ride in December. The temperatures have been well above freezing during the day and the pavement is clear of slippery spots. There was one cyclist on the the section I rode, but I did see several walkers, and dog walkers. I am always surprised that I do not see more out on these nice days. For most of this ride I stayed in the easiest gear. When I push beyond that level my heart rate goes too high. At this pace I only stopped to take some sips of water. Remember to take your water when you ride in the winter to stay hydrated. I drink a good glass of water before I head out the door and have another when I get home. I usually will only take eight ounces on the ride. I hit the level of effort that I was targeting and that feels good. When I push too hard during a session, I want to nap when I get home. I was happy to see this accomplishment. I only record the outside rides, but I do not record every ride. The thousand rides occurred over a ten year period. Look for an upcoming blog posting about my Road Id experience. Having 50 degree temperatures was a treat during the Christmas week. Now it is back down into the 40s and that is out of my riding comfort level. My bike is ready in the garage to go out on the next warm day. Getting the fresh air during the ride is so uplifting. Thanks for enjoying my ride also.
This year I decided to keep my Trek 1000 bike in my garage while I stored the rest of my bikes in a 10 foot by 10 foot storage garage. I felt that this bike could handle the winter moisture in the auto garage during the winter since it is an aluminum frame. It easily fits on the hooks that used to hold a bike that we sold. Several times I have been able to go out and ride outside since Thanksgiving. The days are so short and at this time they are getting still shorter each day. Sunset today is at 5:03 pm. On some of the good days I did not have much time to go out and ride more than 30 minutes before it was getting to dark to be safe. This bike does not have any light set up yet. I am lucky that I have a 1 K and 1 Mile loop that I can quickly get to from home. This provides a nice option to do a ride. There is enough elevation change to get my heart rate to change to give me a cardio workout. During my ride I will monitor my heart rate to not do too much threshold level. I was not trying to beat the sunset. I could be out on the ride for two hours! I have loved riding this bike. I am the original owner. The profile is a little challenging for me at my age. The drops on my tour bike gives me a more comfortable ride. The half hour rides now can work for me without stopping. Today with the two hours in the saddle, I needed a couple of breaks. These breaks help to get my heart rate down too. I did not see any activity around the nest. I was relieved. I saw several other cyclists on the trail. I am so glad that my schedule worked out for me to have a good ride. I will keep you posted on future outside rides and you know that I will be inside riding when I cannot go outside.
The temperatures were warm enough two weeks ago to go outside for some great rides. I was able to hit my favorite spots close to home. Now the temps are below 50 degrees which has been my cut off point. I do have a bike ready to head out on any warm day with clear streets. The bike case straps on to the handle bars and holds my small tablet. I have found many videos on YouTube which riders share their POV. In the photo above, the riders were traveling from San Diego on the Pacific Coast Highway to go through LA. I am aware of the struggles biking in urban streets and stroads. This bike allows me to work on my spin cadence. The photo below is show the recumbent trainer which will give me more resistance during pedaling and I can get a more data about the ride. I have dreamed of riding in the scene above. A few years ago I was on the Avoca trail in Michigan and went across the longest trestle in Michigan. That view was super over the river and I went back and forth several times. You feel like a bird being so high or maybe it is a drone. Getting me out to Idaho for this scene is unlikely since I have many places to enjoy in Michigan. I continue to choose to watch videos of the Badlands race in Spain. I am starting to recognize some of the landmarks. This is another example of a race being too far from home. I do not see many riders in my age group and realize that the physical demands would be too severe. I also need a good night sleep and do not consider it fun to be sleep deprived. I also like a soft bed. I can enjoy the ride without discomfort. A criterium or crit is a bike race involving several laps around a closed course. Each lap may range from 400 m to up to 10,000 m. Such a race is something I would have enjoyed decades ago. This year I got rid of my fat tire bike. It was very fun to ride, but the cold air is too rough on my breathing. This was fun to ride along with the riders POV over the course. Some situations I cannot handle anymore, like pushing the bike up hills and technical trail riding. Both of the riders in the video described the difficulty of their route choice and decided they needed to backtrack to a better route. These segments help to keep me pedaling during the cold months and I can experience spots around the globe that I will never cycle or could not cycle.
This jacket was one of the first purchases I made as I started cycling again in 2011. I later bought the pants following my first tour of Trace the Mitten when I realized the perils of cycling in a downpour. At that time REI was naming their gear Novarra. It was recommended to me by the store employees and I am glad that I trusted their advice. I do not know exactly how many times I wore this jacket on rides over the last twelve years, but I will say hundreds and maybe close to one thousand. I would say that durability might be the first thing that comes to mind. The water and wind resistance are still effective. The temps were in the mid forties and it was breezy with a light drizzle. After sitting and walking outside for hours I was still dry. I wore long johns on the legs. I do not like the fabric rubbing my bare skin. On the top I wore a fleece to help keep my core warm. I was pleased with my choice. On this tour we had a full day of rain. This was a September and my temperature was comfy while riding. My head gear is a motel shower cap. It always gets a laugh, but my skull cap stays dry. I used this coat on many winter rides. I used to ride in all temperatures. The coat kept me warm. The feet and hands are the hardest part to keep warm on winter rides. The wind rating is stated to 60 mph. I can believe it! I never felt the wind cutting through the fabric. Only at the coldest temperatures would I zip the pits shut. The pits were the only place to vent your heat build up and I found that comfortable. This photo shows my hydration on my back. This was a good way to get my hydration during the temperatures which would freeze my water bottle. The backpack against the fabric would stifle the air flow through the jacket and this would result in my back getting wet with perspiration. When I would stop for a little break, I would take the pack off and usually that would be enough to allow evaporation. You will need to manage that aspect and keep from chilling. This month had many days in the 50s and 60s and I decided to use this jacket. I liked it because it was very visible and I wanted to very obvious because not many riders were out. I also wanted extra wind protection. Whenever I felt things warming up, I would unzip the front a bit.. I never felt uncomfortable.
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