March is a such cruel month. Flip the calendar and there are the notations. "Daylight Savings Begins" "First Day of Spring" sometimes even "Easter Sunday".
The harbingers of spring! The new year really begins in March. Then of course you look out the window, snow flakes falling heavily. Turn on the tv and the smiling blonde says "wind chills in the single digits"! So much for springtime! And then it all changes. The pendulum swings and we have turned the corner.
Sunday morning we stole an hour from morning and tacked it on to the evening for the next seven months. For early risers it means flicking the headlights on after a 2 or 3 week tease of early morning sunlight. For Team In Training cyclists it is worth the sacrifice. The trainer gets packed away in favor of after work rides.
I have taken a few post work rides on warmer (not as cold??)afternoons. It feels great to be out, instead of spinning in front of a movie or late afternoon talk show. But it’s scary. Riding streets are always a challenge. Despite reflective clothing and multiple blinking lights, the cars just never seem to see you. Any cyclist can tell you about a near miss on virtually every ride, but in winter they seem to get more numerous.. and closer! Perhaps it’s the waning sunlight or maybe it’s the fact most drivers don't expect to see a cyclist when the thermometer says hot cocoa in front of a fireplace. What ever the reason, that extra hour of sunlight hopefully means I will be far more visible to those cellphone wielding, lead footed commuters who don't seem to notice the guy in the bright yellow, reflective striped jacket or the bicycle with the LED flashers fore and aft.
This weekend though, warmth and daylight all came together! Saturdaydawned bright and glorious with the temperature already around 50. For the first time in 6 months I was forced not to decide how many layers towear, but instead how few! I actually debated shorts or tights, and took a 2nd water bottle!
The Team rode 40 miles together. The time flew by. My teammates are a determined group of people. Not everyone is a strong or experienced rider, but we all have two things in common: We are going to Conquer Lake Tahoe and Fight Blood Cancer! With the help of Frank and Brian, our awesome coaches, the Southern New Jersey/Shore Region Team In Training Cycling Team will come into that last mile in a tight coordinated paceline on June 7th!
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