I thought this was the Mediterranean

It looks like I may have made a small mistake when packing for my extended stay here in Barcelona. Until recently, I never had a problem, but all of a sudden, as December approaches, the temperature is starting to dip a bit southward as well. Uh oh.

Normally, this wouldn't be a problem. I'd like to think that I'm a pretty hardy guy, and I've normally gone out as long as the temperature is above 15 degrees (Fahrenheit, that is). I've even more than once ridden while it was snowing. But, I've always had the right clothes to make the weather a non-factor, or at least tolerable.

Most days here in Barcelona, I ride at a pretty reasonable time of day, often setting out at 9 or 10 am. On Wednesdays, though, with class from 11 am to 3:30 pm non-stop, I usually opt to get out before class, as I just don't do well with afternoon rides. Like I've said before, I love the morning special and the feeling of starting my day off with a good ride, leaving the rest of my day open. When class starts at 11 and is a 30-minute commute away, though, that means I need to be out the door by 7:30 am to squeeze in two hours in the saddle. And at 7:30 am, it's usually pretty cold in the month of November, even in the Mediterranean, as I found out this morning.

The sun was not yet up when I left this morning. Things started out just fine as I rode out of town and then climbed 5 km to get truly out of the city. But, once I pointed my wheels downhill, the cold kicked in, and it didn't get better until I was going skyward once again an hour later on my way home. Ug. It's just no fun being cold, no matter how used to it you are. When you don't have the right attire, though, it's even worse. Fortunately, I only have two more Wednesdays left here and only one of them with class, so hopefully I won't freeze to death before returning stateside.

But fear not, fellow New Englanders: I'm not going soft. I'll still be riding in stupidly cold weather all winter long. I just want my damn warm gloves!