New Year’s Day 2025
Well; it’s another New Year’s Day and I got another ride in. It wasn’t much of a ride; I only went a bit over 11 miles. I hit two different Supermarkets and bought groceries that should get me through the next week or so. It was cold and it was wet with snow and rain; but I was out on the bike. It’s a bit of a tradition with me to ride every year on the first day of January.
I haven’t always done that. When I was in Australia in 2016 and again in 2020, I didn’t have a bike to ride and back in 2001, I didn’t go for a ride, either. I had walked out of Terri’s apartment to go for my ride and was dressed for the weather and had the bike warming up. Terri came out to see me off and slipped on the ice and hurt her back. So, I helped her back into her apartment and got her comfortably situated, then decided to stay with her. I was riding every day anyway, so I felt that being there for her was more important than going out.
Some years, the ride is pretty short, like today’s was. Some years it’s a bit longer. In either 2007 or 2008, I rode from my house in Leominster, MA to the Emerson Hospital in Concord so I could take a picture of the heliport there for a Tag-o-rama I was involved with. I was bitterly cold, in spite of my electric vest and heated grips. It was so cold it killed the camera that was inside my jacket and I couldn’t get the photo. It was about 50 miles, total and the temp was something like 8 degrees F (-13 C).
Another ride that I remember was when I did a big circle around central Massachusetts while the temperature dropped steadily. It started raining just after I set out and as the temperature dropped, the rain became snow. There was slushy snow built up on my driveway when I got back home, and it froze as the temperature plummeted and showed my tire tracks in the driveway for over a month. It was a particularly cold winter and that rock hard ice that the slush became just wouldn’t melt.
I have had a few exceptionally warm New Year’s Day rides as well. I remember one back in 1982 when it was 59 degrees F (15 C). I was living in Waltham, MA at the time and we rode over to Brighton to the IHOP and got brunch. The following year, it was 15 F (-9 C) with very strong winds. I remember that was a very short and uncomfortable ride.
In 1999, I rode my Buell S3-T to Redbones in Somerville and Leslie Prevish took my photo for the BRAG magazine. That was my great highlight and my 15 minutes of Fame; or somethin’. Oh; I just remembered that I rode the ’79 Sportster that I built over a two year period on New Year’s Day of 1997 through snow and slick roads before shipping it to Australia to ride to Tasmania.
There have been many other rides, as well; but they fade in memory. It’s funny how you tend to forget the good rides, but remember the ones that were difficult.
Today’s ride wasn’t that difficult, so it’ll probably dim in memory as time goes by. The temp was right around the freezing mark, which isn’t that cold; but I find that I’m becoming less tolerant of cold temperatures as I age. It was freakin’ cold to me.
Anyhow; Tradition has been served. I have a very positive feeling towards 2025 and I hope and think it’s going to be a Very Good Year.
I sure hope so.
And now, Badweb's back!!! 2025 is looking better all the time!
Well; it’s another New Year’s Day and I got another ride in. It wasn’t much of a ride; I only went a bit over 11 miles. I hit two different Supermarkets and bought groceries that should get me through the next week or so. It was cold and it was wet with snow and rain; but I was out on the bike. It’s a bit of a tradition with me to ride every year on the first day of January.
I haven’t always done that. When I was in Australia in 2016 and again in 2020, I didn’t have a bike to ride and back in 2001, I didn’t go for a ride, either. I had walked out of Terri’s apartment to go for my ride and was dressed for the weather and had the bike warming up. Terri came out to see me off and slipped on the ice and hurt her back. So, I helped her back into her apartment and got her comfortably situated, then decided to stay with her. I was riding every day anyway, so I felt that being there for her was more important than going out.
Some years, the ride is pretty short, like today’s was. Some years it’s a bit longer. In either 2007 or 2008, I rode from my house in Leominster, MA to the Emerson Hospital in Concord so I could take a picture of the heliport there for a Tag-o-rama I was involved with. I was bitterly cold, in spite of my electric vest and heated grips. It was so cold it killed the camera that was inside my jacket and I couldn’t get the photo. It was about 50 miles, total and the temp was something like 8 degrees F (-13 C).
Another ride that I remember was when I did a big circle around central Massachusetts while the temperature dropped steadily. It started raining just after I set out and as the temperature dropped, the rain became snow. There was slushy snow built up on my driveway when I got back home, and it froze as the temperature plummeted and showed my tire tracks in the driveway for over a month. It was a particularly cold winter and that rock hard ice that the slush became just wouldn’t melt.
I have had a few exceptionally warm New Year’s Day rides as well. I remember one back in 1982 when it was 59 degrees F (15 C). I was living in Waltham, MA at the time and we rode over to Brighton to the IHOP and got brunch. The following year, it was 15 F (-9 C) with very strong winds. I remember that was a very short and uncomfortable ride.
In 1999, I rode my Buell S3-T to Redbones in Somerville and Leslie Prevish took my photo for the BRAG magazine. That was my great highlight and my 15 minutes of Fame; or somethin’. Oh; I just remembered that I rode the ’79 Sportster that I built over a two year period on New Year’s Day of 1997 through snow and slick roads before shipping it to Australia to ride to Tasmania.
There have been many other rides, as well; but they fade in memory. It’s funny how you tend to forget the good rides, but remember the ones that were difficult.
Today’s ride wasn’t that difficult, so it’ll probably dim in memory as time goes by. The temp was right around the freezing mark, which isn’t that cold; but I find that I’m becoming less tolerant of cold temperatures as I age. It was freakin’ cold to me.
Anyhow; Tradition has been served. I have a very positive feeling towards 2025 and I hope and think it’s going to be a Very Good Year.
I sure hope so.
And now, Badweb's back!!! 2025 is looking better all the time!
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