Sunday with Sheebie

Friends and Kitties!

Technology is a wonderful thing.  Take windbreakers for example--when I was a kid the classic windbreaker jacket was a nylon shell with a thin fabric flocked liner, and it totally Did Not live up to the moniker; I think the wind considered these types of jackets a mere annoyance in it's mission to transform a small child walking home from school into a kidsicle.  Nowadays, it's a whole different story.  I recently purchased a new windbreaker that scoffs at anything below a gale.  This thing is phenomenal--I'm pretty sure it's made from magical fairy dust polymer. I got a Pearl Izumi Barrier Convertible Jacket.  The sleeves zip off so it's a  vest, too.  The fabric is incredibly lightweight, and warm.  Worth every penny, and I'm a cheapskate.

Fun on Wheels

Scott pimped my ride for me!

I never knew such a wondrous fabric existed, in fact, in the past couple of weeks I've had a crash course in all sorts of performance related fabrics due to the fact that I need to look stylish riding my new bike.  Oh, and I'd like to stay warm, too.  It gets cold here--really--this morning it was in the low 40's and there was lots of snow on the mountains.  (Where it belongs.)  The aforementioned wind can be sharp because of how it funnels through the valley and 20+ mph gusts are common, summer and winter.

I usually detest shopping for clothes but eBay and Amazon really came through for me this time.  Since my everyday clothes roster is all black and gray I decided to go for some wild bright shirts (so the emergency helicopter can spot me where I've wiped out, LOL) and my Windbreaker of Wonder (WoW) is a bright screaming yellow.  So, when I go out riding at this time of the year I am thusly attired: carbon-fiber helmet, liner cap with shade brim, gel gloves, ergonomic and gender appropriate chamois-padded shorts, windproof knickers (with articulated knees!), compression bra, jersey, shoes (thanks Mom and Dad!), and the WoW.  I'm comfortable, exercising, and trendy!  Life is good.  

So last Tuesday I took my new jacket for a spin on my longest ride to date, I rode about 50 minutes with a couple of breaks for water and scenery, and I'm here to tell you, the right equipment really made the ride enjoyable, even though there were a couple spots where I was convinced that death was imminent whilst pedaling uphill.  Not one molecule of wind assailed my hide until I got warm, unzipped, and invited the air in.   It was fabulous.  We had a front roll through Thursday with a record 0.77 inches of rain and much cooler temperatures, so my next ride will be interesting to see how warm I stay wearing my present kit.  The paving dudes have been working all week on the bike trail connectors that go by our house, and I'm dying to get out and explore.  I'm writing this on Saturday afternoon and if the the sun is still shining when I get home I'm gonna gear up and go do some science.

*Later*

The results are in; the WoW performed fantastically in colder weather!   I was so comfortable I ended up going a lot farther than I intended.  Scott took a couple of extremely flattering husbandly photos of me in full regalia.

Front

Side

And off I go!

Happy Sunday, and have a great week!

XX  Sheebie  XX