There was a brief window of opportunity. The weather was holding. I had an opening on my calendar. Time to squeeze in a quick ride because, this time of year, you never know when the conditions will be favorable.

This was my shortest ride since last February 19, but an hour in the cold, with many layers of clothing to keep warm, is better than looking through the window wishing I could ride.

The photo is the Fox River Trail Boardwalk looking north from the parking lot on Sunset Dr.

11.16 miles. YTD 41.71 miles.

Wow, I have ridden every day this year so far! OK, this is day two.

It’s winter out there. The sun was behind clouds and all vegetation is brown. Not the prettiest site along the trail.

But I saw this one little bit of contrasting orange and had to get a picture. Too bad it’s a misplaced road construction cone.

I decided I should get a ride in today because the weather is turning tomorrow. It’s going to get ugly as mixed winter precipitation moves in.

When I started the ride it was 33 degrees. I wore lighter weight gloves and one fewer top layer than yesterday. At first this was OK.

What I failed to plan for was the dropping temperature. At my half-way point (Wales), I notice drops of ice on my bike frame. It was 29 degrees when I got home.

With the lighter weight gloves, my hands were cool, but not cold when I started. But as the temperature went down a few degrees the tips of my fingers got really cold. I had to place one had at a time in my back pocket.

Fortunately I could warm one hand faster than the other hand cooled, so I eventually got ahead of the icy fingers.

15.16 miles. YTD 30.35 miles.

It was about 26 degrees outside when I started. Not cold enough to freeze the water sloshing in my bottle, but cold enough to accumulate ice where the water splashes.

Pavement was clear and dry. My first thought was to take the Glacial Drumlin Trail west to Wales and back.

Very soon I realized how strong and cold the wind was, coming from the west. While I typically ride against the wind when leaving home so that I get the benefit of wind on the return trip, I decided to go east toward the GDT trailhead. Then I turned around and went west, part of the way to Wales.

It’s always a challenge figuring out what to wear in the cold weather. I was uncertain about the warmth of my choices so I didn’t want to end up with frozen toes too far from home. With the route I chose, I was never more than about 3 miles from a warm house.

I took my road bike today, thanks to the Pedro’s Bicycle Tire Levers that I received for Christmas.

On my last ride of 2014, using my own bike, I got a flat rear tire. I knew that using the tire levers I had would not be worth the effort so I called for a ride home. (Last time it took me 20 or 30 minutes to change the inner tube because my levers kept bending.)

Instead of changing struggling with the tools I had, I decided to ride my wife’s bike for the final ride of 2014. I figured I’d get better tire levers before Spring.

With these new tire levers I was probably done in 5 minutes. Piece of cake getting the tire over the rim, both removing it and putting it back on. Ah, the right tool for the job!

While on the trail I noticed these birds sitting on a wire. It’s cold, it’s windy, and they’re sitting there completely exposed. Doesn’t seem like a good idea to me. Then again, I’m out riding in this creating my own extra wind chill.

15.19 miles.