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	Todays ride was a Jens Factor 2, but on the Philip scale it was about a 4 or 5. It was probably one of the more difficult riding conditions I have gone out solo in a long time. The temperature was bellow 35 degrees with constant winds of 12-15 mph, gusts near 25 mph. But with all of that, after 30 minutes I didn't seem to mind the wind or cold. In fact, my body seemed to become acclimated to the harsh weather. My route was an out and back from my parents house to Lake Lanier and back. Primarily on the way out I was hit head on by a brutal head wind, slowing my speeds to a near crawl at points. The route is fairly well known and traveled by local cyclist but today I only found one other brave soul on the roads. It seems everyone else was at home in the warmth, shaded from the wind. My effort on the way home was sizably less than my effort out. I took full advantage of the tail wind pushing me back to my point of origin. So much so that my average pace sped up a full mph with seemingly much less effort. All in all I would say it was a good ride. Traffic was light, the roads were clear of ice, and although chilly the weather was deceivably nice. The only real problem I had was that my Garmin died a few miles from home, but that's really not a problem. Today taught me that I can ride, and be comfortable, in far worse conditions than what I thought I could. Until now, I have not wanted to get out in weather below 40 degrees but now I welcome it like the awkward brother I never had. See the route »