Winter is Coming

Frozen leaves..."winter is coming"...

Joy here...It was a cool Sunday morning, when I awoke to find that the autumn leaves had all fallen off the trees and turned crispy in the pre-dawn frost.  But given my new sense of commitment to my training program (and to losing the extra 5kgs that have somehow attached themselves to my buddha belly), I pulled on all my winter weather cycling gear, put air in my tires, and planned to head out for a ride with The Man and our friend who has joined us on rides every now and then, often in the early or late season (he's a hard man of the sport!).

In fact, he's from my hometown, and he moved to Ottawa the same year that we did, and he and his family live in the same neighbourhood we do.  So over the years, we've become good friends, and it's great to head out for a ride with him when we can.

All dressed up for winter riding!

He's a little bit retro and a little bit rock and roll, and a whole lotta fun.  He loves old school retro bikes, has a penchant for original Brooks saddles and retro woollen jerseys, and just when you think he might have been happiest had he been living in mid-century Europe or something like that, you realize that he's a die hard motorcyclist and hard core dude.  Talk about the best guy to have with you when you head out for a cold, Sunday morning ride.

So we all met up, bundled up, and rode leisurely towards the Parkway where I did my Time Trial efforts throughout the summer.  Summer is, of course, fully gone now, and to quote the mantra of my favourite Song of Ice and Fire family of Winterfell, "winter is coming."  You can feel it in the chill in the air and the bite to the breeze.

Then channelling my inner Arya, full of spunk, energy, and a healthy disdain for norms and etiquette, I pulled away from The Man and Retrofriend to put in a bit of an effort out on that relatively flat stretch of road that is so very familiar to me after so many summer efforts.

I felt my legs move solidly and consistently, and while I tried to keep my speed at around 35km/hr during the summer Time Trials, this time, I just tried to keep my speed consistent at around 30km/hr.  At this point in my training cycle (when I'm just coming off an extenda-off season) there is no gain to be made by pushing it too hard.  I will have all winter to work through a program and emerge in the spring time with a whole lot of fitness thanks to a clear cycling program that I'm working.

The Man and Retrofriend under a cold sky!

So even though "winter is coming," I have no intention of rolling over and letting it wash over me.  The Starks are the only ones who are always prepared for and ready for winter...and in my heart of hearts, I'm a Stark!

Over and out,
Joy

Ride stats for Sunday's ride:
Rode for a distance of 41km in 1:44 for an average speed of around 24km/hr (that's taking in the to-and-from portion of the ride that just noodles along the bike path).