I had little confidence in the Illinois road crews to clean the quiet roads of Monroe Country by Saturday. Riding in the afternoon, when the temperature were due to warm up, was not an option. These were conditions for getting intimate with the trainer. I popped in a tape of the '07 Tour and watched as they rode through the Maurienne valley, up the Telegraphe and Galibier and down to the finish in Briancon. Good racing action that made for a pleasant 2:15 ride with a mix of 5 and 10 minute intervals.

This morning we had our standard 8:30(?) start. The temperatures were a bearable upper 20's but the high humidity made it feel a bit cooler. Hanging around a parking lot for 30 minutes does not help a person's warmth either. Once we began rolling my hands, which felt okay on the ride out to Kirkwood, were suddenly spirit-breaking, painfully, teeth-grindingly, cold. More than once I considered riding home rather than continuing the suffering. I desperately need some warmer gloves.

I kept telling myself that the digits would warm up once we found a good uphill. The hills finally came and the fingers found some warm blood coursing through them. Unfortunately, they warmed up quickly and then hurt from warming up took quickly. My fingers felt like they were going to explode but my body found a nice balance by the time we reached Haute Arrete.

The rest of the ride was quite enjoyable. When the effort was put forth, I went pretty well. I was satisfied.
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Today's photo is of the atrium at my work. The early morning lighting added a nice feature.