December didn't go as planned, and I found myself staring at December 31st as the last option for getting the month's 200k in. I'm at R4 in my latest R12, and I really hate going back to R0. So I start making plans.
Forecast called for overnight low of 32, rain/snow mix early morning, sunny later, with high of 38. Temps falling to below freezing at my anticipated finish time. The route is pretty much south for 100k, turnaround, and north for 100k. For added pleasure, a north wind was supposed to develop just as I hit the turnaround.
When the alarm went off at 5:30, I got up, looked out the window at the wet pavement, and got back in bed. My wife asked, "is this where I'm supposed to tell you get up and do the ride?" That, folks, is a hardcore rando wife. I said, "no, I'll deal with it", and 15 minutes later got up and got going.
It's 10 miles to the start, and I was dodging icy patches on the Springwater. At the start I enjoyed a coffee and apple fritter, then rolled. There was a rain/snow mix right off, and it picked up intensity within the first 5 miles. So I deployed my Rain Legs and continued on. My outfit was wool socks, normal shoes, shoe covers, winter tights with nylon front, rolled-up Rain Legs, lycra tee, thin wool jersey, Showers Pass rain jacket, PBP vest, Gore-Tex gloves, and a thin gator. My helmet has ear warmers on the straps. In my bag I had another base layer, a balaclava, and (thrown in at the last moment) my flat-bar Bar Mits. I always carry a foil emergency blanket and some pocket food, and of course flat repair. Right off I donned the balaclava, and put the mis-fit Bar Mits on. The latter worked fine at keeping my hands warm, but created real havoc with shifting. I made it work.
Aside from my feet turning to blocks of ice, the outbound leg was pretty uneventful. The rain/snow mix ended, and it even became partly sunny. When planning the route, I'd decided Oregon City at around 10 miles would be my final decision point for completing or abandoning. It has the last option for transit home, and after that it goes from urban/suburban to rural with limited services. It's also more exposed to wind. I carried on. I happened to spy an empty mylar single-servicing potato chip bag along the road, and I snagged it for extra toe warmth. That went on the right foot, inside the shoe over the socks. A few hours later, my right foot was merely cold whilst the left foot was ice. No more mylar potato chip bags presented themselves, but eventually a plastic grocery bag showed up and I put it into service on the left foot. Between these enhancements and the sun coming out, my foot situation eventually improved.
As forecast, a north wind developed in my last 5 miles southbound. Ug. So northbound was a slog, as my winter fitness came into play. Between the wind, my declining power, and the rolly hills, I did a fair amount of crawling along. The Bar Mitts were a ride saver; I rode some with my gloved hands out of the Mitts on the flats, and there's no way I could have managed the ride with just gloves. A glove upgrade is in order. There's a decent climb just before Oregon City that gains 200 feet in a mile, with 15 miles to go. Traffic is almost nil, but it's twistly and a bit steep, and I hate doing it in the dark. I did it in the dark. From there it's mostly flat to the finish, and back in an urban/suburban setting with bike lanes and trails. Mostly flat I said; there's a half-mile long 130' foot climb just about a mile from the finish that is, I'd say, a signature feature of this ride. So, done and done. R5 complete.
One more thing though. I decided to take transit home rather than ride the 10 miles. I was chilly, my bottles were frozen, and my butt was tired of my saddle. That didn't go so well. The wait for the bus was 5 minutes, but I was shivering by the time I got on board. We got to the Max (light rail) station just in time to see my train leave. Next one in 27 minutes and nowhere warm. All trains from there go to a hub, so any old train can be boarded. I picked a red line because it came in 5 minutes - again I was shivering. At the transfer hub I had to wait 11 minutes for my blue line, and again I froze. I would have been home by then if I'd ridden. Note to self: don't take transit home.
On to the 2022 thread!