Gower into the raking wind . . . and cold, too, did I mention cold?

Text on my phone at 10 am "Thinking of going out at 3:30" Later, after confirming I would go, "Starbucks 330". . . and that sealed it; I was doomed for more cycling into the wind and cold. 38 F or less, with even more wind than yesterday, if that would be possible. This route takes us up and over Hillside,, and I swear on that route, at that spot (top of the rise near the Army Reserve station) the wind is ALWAYS in your face. 

Hair-raising. 

or at least hair blowing. . . . 'course with winter riding gear, stocking cap, helmet, ear warming band, three layers of jerseys, wind block fluorescent lime green jacket, bib shorts, long pants, toe covers, criminey, socks even. 

It doesn't help. It's cold nonetheless. Blows you backward, it seems. So tearing up in one eye, feeling it in the finger tips, we press on. Down the hill, swerve left, onto Maxon Extension (nearly stopped by the Schenectady police for running the red light, that takes forever) to cross the bridge into the face of some wind down the Mohawk that surprised even me. 

Sunnyside was the 'into the wind' part that was heart-stopping in its length and flat . . . into the wind. Washington, around by the apartments. Lou is not far from where we pass. Cuthbert, on the other side of the lighted intersection, thence right onto Vly. Into the wind. 

Route  5 is no better, into the wind, and we dither about which hill to cllimb. Ti man doesn't want to commit to any climb, but  figures if we just do Rte 5 into Amsterdam, we'll die of boredom. Gower it is. 

Gower is one of the climbs up this escarpment that really has a mind of its own. We pass my entrances to 'palatial homes or some sort of installation' says Ti man, thinking back to a Google Globe search he did one day to figure out what is back behind the long driveways. Thence on to Sanders Preserve. There are even some trail  heads!! Charming. We'll come for a walk when there's less WIND. 

There is no real wind in the trees, but you can feel the cold. 

We wind up on the road we will take across Ridge to take Bolt all the way to Swaggertown. By then we've had enough. We didn't want to take on another thirty minutes of riding, so we turn right. For a change we take Van Buren so we end up on the Rexford Bridge on the way home. It's down Bolt and sections of Swagger town we find the moments to go 45 mph (72 kph) with a little help from the nasty wind. 

On into town and the familiar route up the hill through the Niskayuna Community Center, our favorite until the Rail Trail unencumbers itself of the snow and ice that's been there since the serious snow and ice began in January. We haven't seen it since then. 

Ti man peels off a Barcelona and Regent, to ride another day.