My cycling really took a hit over the winter. I had a really tough time getting out and riding. I spent lots of hours on the trainer but that doesn’t seem to count.
Even when good weather arrived, I seemed to struggle. I wanted to ride, I did ride, but my mileage and time in the saddle was just kinda poor. I had a couple one hundred mile weeks but more often they were in the 50’s. Of course, business travel got in the way.
So, I rededicated myself. Basically, I had a stern discussion with myself about priorities and the importance of continuing to get fit – for myself. Thankfully, I was in complete agreement with myself and things started to look up. My attitude was better and my time on the road has significantly picked up. I did one hundred and fifteen miles last week!!
rechargeable light set to make me feel more comfortable on the road with traffic during the early morning hours. A new carbon handlebar and new brake/shifters. The two latter items are in hopes of resolving some hand soreness that I’ve been experiencing. A friend reported to me how comfortable carbon bars can be (absorbing vibration/shock) and my existing hoods do not fit my hands well. 
I’m hoping that a new level of comfort will spur me on to two-hundred and fifty mile weeks!! Finally, a carbon wheelset – no, not the high-end, multi-thousand dollar option but the relatively cheap Chinese option. Since a new ultra-comfort carbon bike is not in the budget, I thought perhaps these wheels would soften the ride of my existing Giant OCR-2 and make me twenty miles per hour faster. We shall see soon enough!
I also concluded that better winter clothing may help my winter riding. So, this fall I am going to gear up and attempt to keep the activity level up once the temperatures come down.
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