Last Days of Autumn

Autumn is fading fast in Northeast Wisconsin, the way it always does this time of year. Within two, perhaps three weeks if we are lucky, the ground will be covered with snow and the cycling season will be over. Then it will be a few months of cross country skiing to try to keep the fitness level up, but also to give the body and especially the mind a break from cycling and a new activity to try.

This last weekend was a dose of real cold weather, a preview of what is to come. Saturday the high was in the mid 40's, not too bad, but a lot of cold rain all day with wind. Then Sunday, the high was just 38, windy and more cold rain, occasionally freezing, occasionally a few snowflakes mixed in. I actually did a 19 mile ride on Sunday. It was miserable. When the damp and cold get together, it is cold as cold can be. I thought I had picked a spot where the precipitation had let up for a while. I was wrong. I was glad when the ride was over.

Today was a much nicer day. I had some vacation that needed to be used by the end of the year, so I took today off. The high temp was 48 degrees, dry, and no wind at all. After Sunday, it felt like summer. I had on a base layer, jersey, arm and leg warmers, toe warmers, ear warmers and a wool jersey over the top. This was perfect for the weather today.

I went west of Appleton on Rock Road out to New London. Then I swung south on Bean City road and then headed back to Appleton on School road. The route is very rural and low traffic. The only services are in New London, but on a day like today you don't really need any. Overall, it is a nice ride, a little over 50 miles.

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