Distance 62 miles avg: 12.6
Today I had some equipment issues to deal with. My sleeping bag is not warm enough for the coming weather. Plus overall my clothing is not warm enough and it was mostly cotton. So today I replaced a lot of my gear and got some new stuff. It was quite an expensive mistake. A good sleepng bag is not cheap and now I own two. Plus I bought a new vest, gloves, fleece, neck warmer, socks, and booties. Add to this that I bought new polyester biking trousers and I’ve almost replaced all my clothing.
The great part of this is that I’ve learned a lot about cycling in cold weather. Cycling in the cold presents unique challenges due to convection. You can’t talk enough about how important layering is. You also have to stay on top of regulating your temperature because if you get too wet you can have real problems. I was able to stay much warmer today, but thankfully the weather has also been milder.
The first half of my day was spent in Eugene shopping. I found a great bike path over to the university of Oregon. Had ‘lunch’ (apple fritter) and started biking really late, about 1:15. I biked from Eugene to just past Blue River and I’m now at the Delta campground.
Tomorrow’s going to be intense. About 4,000 feet of climbing over Mt. McKenzie. And supposedly the snow line may mean my planned route will be closed. In that case there may be an alternate with heavy traffic that is 20 miles longer. Ouch.
Comments
2 responses to “Day 6: Blue River”
I’m glad you got some thin layers of polyester. I suspect you will be much dryer and warmer now. The final advice I’ll give on clothing is that you want to make sure your outer layer is a thin breathable and water resistant shell. You have seen the thin red jacket I wear all the time. I bought it for cross country skiing north of Toronto and also in Lake Placid, NY. It’s my favorite jacket. When I was working Phoenix I nearly lost it by leaving it at Residence Inn by accident, but the staff had put it in their lost and found and I picked it up the following week. What a relief it was to me. Take care and have fun!
Before the trip started I bought a waterproof shell. It’s really well designed but not really breathable. I’m hoping that i’m out of the worst of it for now. My layers are as follows:
Shirt (long sleeve or short w/arms)
Long-sleeved fleece
sleeveless vest
Water-resistant jacket
Waterproof shell
I mix and match depending on weather.
Thanks for the tips!