The best way to

Enjoy a holiday dinner is to get yourself a bunch of extra calories "spend."

During the three day weekend I got in only one ride due to a combination of laziness and home projects.  Got the drywall and ceiling repair done in the basement back hallway but am missing  a "custom" piece for the laundry room door frame....  blah!

Saturday we were heading down to CT for Easter and it was decision time.... bring the HiFi or Georgia (the age old battle, trails or roads)?  Although I could picture a nice ride through Case and Gay City (or possibly exploring a different park closeish to my parents house) I opted to do a road ride.  Doing a quick google search I found a site that provided me with 3 (somewhat old, but useful) route options.

Sunday morning I got in a pretty nice ride.  42+ miles through some back roads of CT.  Temp wise it was in the mid-high 50s so I had the choice... my merino wool jersey or a jersey with a jacket??  In the sun it was nice... and figuring on a road ride I'd be exposed to more sun than not... I went with just the merino long sleeve.  I was kitted out in all red - wore the red bibs and everything!!  But seriously, I can't say enough great things about this jersey!!!  They don't seem to have it in red anymore (at least officially) but you can still find it out there at other internet vendor sites.

What I love about the jersey is that it keeps you warm and cool at the same time.  Not once during the ride was I cold up top, or overheated.  It seems to trap your body heat well, yet at the same time it is very breathable and allows you to stay cool - even when completely zipped.  My feet on the other hand did end up getting pretty chilled throughout the ride (of course I was only wearing a thing pair of sockguy socks.... so that is my fault there.

When I was first getting into the whole bike clothing deal I was wary of wool.  Didn't sound comfortable, sounded way too hot.  Well, I haven't gone the classic wool jersey route, but I am sold on merino wool.  That is FOR SURE!!  If you don't like snug jerseys, go a size larger than you normally would as my large is kinda snug.  But it isn't restricting and isn't uncomfortable.  It stretches easily and comfortably and in a way you forget it's there.  The one "eh" point of the jersey is that the center rear pocket is narrower than the other too... the downfall to this is if you wanted a water bottle in you jersey pocket you'll have to settle for it on the side rather in the middle...  may not be a negative for some riders, but I guess I like mine in the middle for balance.  But I guess to "make up" for that issue it does have an inner pocket to hold an ipod-like device securely and an outer zip pocket for the valuables.

Overall, I'm diggin it!!

Oh, and the ride reset my calorie total giving my a whopping 3000+ calories going into dinner... pile on the ham and keep pouring that coca-cola!!!