Cycling Selfie

It was the first ride of 2023 and the weather was perfect.

At lunchtime on Wednesday, I checked the forecast for the next few hours. It was sunny, the high was going to hit about 17 or 18°C, and the wind was calm, with gusts only reaching about 17 kph.

The wind needs to be a steady 24 with higher gusts for me to seriously weigh whether I'll ride or not.

As soon as my workday was done, I changed into my cycling gear. Though the temperature called for short pants and shirt, I feared that in some sections of my route, where I might encounter shade and sections of the ground that were still deep in snow, I feared that any breeze might act as an air conditioner and make me feel cold.

So I added leg warmers, toe covers, and a lightweight sweater to my apparel. If I got hot, I could always remove layers or unzip my Bicycle Craft Brewery jersey.

I also wanted to test my latest 360-degree camera, so I attached it to a selfie stick and clamped it to the steering neck, just below my handlebars. It looked goofy but, in retrospect, it kept a-hole drivers in check (one came up behind me and started yelling something until he saw the camera, and then he went quiet).

I bought a new helmet a couple of weeks ago. My old, black one was more than a decade old and was dropped at the end of last season: not from a great height—from about knee level—but it wasn't worth the risk. I chose a fluorescent yellow to stand out.

It also matches my cycling gloves.

I wasn't sure how far I would go on my first ride so I planned to get to Manotick and see how I felt. And once I reached this village, I knew I could go further, so I crossed over to River Road and followed it all the way to Roger Stevens Drive, crossed back over the Rideau, and made my way back to Manotick and home.

Fourty-two kilometres.

I did the same ride, yesterday, without the camera.

But on my first ride, I managed to catch myself hanging a left turn, in Manotick, onto Bridge Street.

Of course, with the selfie stick hidden in the camera's stitch line, it looks like someone else captured the image.

I'm taking a break from my bike today. Tomorrow, I may go further. After all, I'm training for a 70K ride on May 7.

Happy Friday!