Almost Begging for Coffee...



Photo of Ruth's Diner in Emigration Canyon.  A wonderful place to eat!



Last night, I did my second weekly bike ride up Emigration Canyon. The clouds parted an hour and a half before the ride was to take place. So being the “hard core” cyclist that I am. I changed into my gear and headed for the ride’s start. It was kind of cool at Sugarhouse Park where the ride starts but I had the gear on—tights and arm warmers. In my back pocket my jersey I put an extra jacket along with a barclava for the ride down. I tried to push myself as I was riding up the canyon, but was rather disappointed with the 9.5mph average speed to the top. My best average speed is 10.4mph from last season. BUT it’s still early in the season and it’s only my second time up the canyon. Hey! You gotta have some goal to work towards, right?

So it’s rather chilly at the top when I arrive. I chat for a bit with a fellow cyclists as I change into my extra jacket and barclava. I decided not to hang out and wait for everyone to get to top because the temperature is dropping and I can feel it!



I start heading down and start to build up speed through the first turn. Brrr-rrr-rrr!! OMG! I can feel the cold air everywhere through what I’m wearing! Brrr-rrr-rrr! There’s a bit of Spring run off with the snow and there’s water running across the road in some areas. Not too bad, but I would slow down a bit. It was a bit better with slowing but here’s the dilemma do I go slower and extend the total time of riding in the cold or do I race down the canyon thereby being a colder but shorter ride? I get about half way down the canyon and find that my teeth are starting to chatter and know my fingers are there because I see them but I can’t really feel them. Did I say “Brrr-rr-rrr!”?

It’s as neared Ruth’s Diner that my teeth were really chattering. AND if I had had my debit card with me, I would’ve probably stopped in for a cup of coffee. Believe me, as it was I was half tempted to go in and beg for a cup to help thaw me out a bit. But I figured I only had four more miles to my car; so I hung in there. Brrr-rr-rrr! It was as I got to my car and unclipped from the pedals that I discovered I couldn’t feel my toes! I probably looked like a bag lady but I put on every piece of clothing I had in my car to warm up and then drove through Wendy’s drive thru ordering a bowl of chili. Awwww! That’s SO much better!