Once I hit the outskirts of south Atlanta, though, Christmas shoppers slowed traffic to a crawl, the warming sun began to set, and the temperature started to plummet. My sunny daytime ride north through Florida and into Georgia was cool, but comfortable enough. I had ridden in 26 degree weather before, so I figured that the gear that kept me warm enough to ride then would suffice for what I’d be riding through now…. This wind chill index was developed to describe the relative discomfort and/or danger resulting from a given combination of wind and temperature.īefore I left Miami Beach for Elizabethtown, I checked the weather forecasts along my route, and found expected daytime highs in the low 50s with nighttime lows in the 30s. To estimate the heat loss based on temperature and wind speeds, the National Weather Service () created a Wind Chill Temperature (WCT) Index. We can feel or sense this heat loss, which is known as wind chill. The greater the wind speed, the faster it loses heat. The human body loses heat when it’s exposed to cold air. I did not properly calculate and fully respect the impacts and interactions of cooler temperatures, wind chill and the presence or absence of solar radiation.Īny distance riders from Alaska or Canada reading this article may be chuckling at this point, but Sunbelt cyclists considering a northbound winter run should heed what I have to say: So, why did I fail in my first attempt? Because … Similar road, traffic and weather conditions. Over the Christmas holidays, I attempted two Iron Butt runs … a 1,046 mile ride–from Miami Beach (FL) to Elizabethtown (KY)–which I aborted after 743 miles due to imminent hypothermia … and a 1,194 mile ride–from Atlanta (GA) west to Birmingham (AL), south to Mobile (AL), east to Jacksonville (FL) and then south to Miami Beach–on which I survived the cold and succeeded.
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