Weather and Climate

Last week it was cold and rainy I was thinking about writing a winter cycling primer. Today, we're supposed to be over 40° C (about a bazillion degrees F) in some parts of the San Francisco Bay Area.

It's a dry heat, though, and it really isn't too bad. Keep yourself well hydrated and you should do fine while cycling. In last Friday's heat I even set a new personal best for my Menlo Park to San Jose bike ride, making the 24 mile distance in just 70 minutes (that's wall time, not cyclocomputer time), for an average speed of 20.6 mph. This is with traffic, stop signs and red lights, and for me that's pretty good since I generally average in the 17 to 18 mph range.

My cyclocomputer was really flaking out on me Friday evening. I must be in downtown San Jose at 6:15 to catch my bus to Santa Cruz, and I know an 18 mph average speed will get me there on time. Since my cyclocomputer was busted, I had no idea how fast I was going or even what time it was, so I just put everything I had into the ride and showed up 20 minutes early.

Back to the heat: Since the mornings are still relatively cool, you can probably get away with wearing your office clothes to work, especially if you keep the going slow. Be prepared to wash the sweat out after your evening commute, though.