My wife had some running miles to get in today, and since I realized I’m closing in on my biking goal, I decided to go out and inch a bit closer to my 650 mile mark. There isn’t any snow on the ground, it was 31 degrees and the sun was out, so it was a good time to try biking in the cold.

For layers I put on tights with knee-high wool socks. On top I layered with two shirts and my regular running jacket. For my face I had a balaclava, beanie, and some work goggles to keep the wind out of my eyes. I also wore some standard biking gloves with windproof over-mittens. I’m happy to report that almost everything was a success.

My legs were just fine, and I had no issues there. One change I need to make to my upper body is to replace my running jacket with something that is windproof. Unlike running, when you’re biking at 12mph, you generate your own wind. The air was passing right through the jacket I was wearing and chilling me more than I would have liked. My only issue on my head was the work goggles fogging up. I eventually had to lower the face-mask to just under my nose to stop them from steaming up. Once I did that it was clear the rest of the way. I do need to get some actual riding goggles though, as the ones I was wearing are meant for working in a shop.

The main surprise to me was my toes. They got very, very cold, as I was just wearing wool socks and tennis shoes. I need to look at booties to see what I can get to keep the wind off of my feet if I’m going to ride in the cold. I just don’t get enough circulation in my feet while biking to keep them super warm.

Overall, I felt like today was a success. I stayed warm for over 11 miles and was comfortable. With a few adjustments I think I might be good to tackle even a bit colder.