Adrenaline jolt on a cold ride in

[bobhamlin]

Left early this morning 4:15. Had checked the temp and thought I read 23 degrees. When I got to the office, Frederick was reporting 18 degrees. Me love my Gerbing!

Because I was so early, there was very little traffic on I-270, and what was there was moving fast -- 80-85 when I occasionally looked down.

The jolt: You know how if you frequently ride the same road at the same speed--or much slower--you get used to the feel of certain curves? Figuratively, you could drive with your eyes closed?

Now imagine that one morning you're riding at a lot higher speed than normal, and you really like this speed because, in about an hour, traffic will likely have slowed to a crawl. Your bike is purring along, sounding good through the helmet's wind noise. Other than being 18 degrees out, this is riding, baby.

But then, as you begin your normal lean into a curve, the immutable laws of physics disrupt your autopilot, and, belatedly, you realize that you are swinging a lot wider than you should be. You bring it back under control, but realize that you were lucky there was no car beside you.

JOLT!