My Cycling MacGyver

I had the day off on Friday and since it wasn’t raining for the first time in weeks Jenny and I headed out on our bikes for a ride. It was a cooler morning in the low 50s so we layered up for the ride. We normally wear a small pair of knit gloves over our cycling gloves just to keep our fingers warm. I was able to find my gloves (nice black ones) but Jenny had left hers in the car that the high school kids had driven to school that day. Before our youngest left for school Jenny borrowed a nice pink pair of gloves from her. So off we headed to the Centennial trail. Once we got to the parking lot we did our ritual of sitting in the car and putting on all of our gear. Everything was going just fine until Jenny pulled on her pair of gloves.

When she pulled them on she discovered that the tip of one of the fingers had a hole in it. Personally, I would have just pulled on the glove and been on my merry way knowing that I would have a cold finger tip. I guess exposed body parts of any size are unacceptable to Jenny if the temperature is below 65 degrees. Like a true cycling MacGyver she took a look around the car and found a couple of options.

Option Number 1:
Jenny tried stuffing a cotton ball in the end of the finger with a hole in it. This looked a little funky but it was a great idea because it added more than enough protection from the wind. Since there was a chance of the cotton ball falling out this option didn’t pass the test. Option Failed!!

Option Number 2:
Since option #1 failed Jenny resorted to the other item she could find in the car. OK, I would have never thought of this. Jenny pulled out a Band-Aid from the first aid kit and put it on the tip of her finger. Then, she slid glove on her hand. This allowed her finger to be shielded from the wind. Here’s a picture of the MacGyver solution.





With this crisis solved we had a great ride. It was so nice to ride outside again. Here’s a short video clip of Jenny doing a functional test on her glove solution. As you can see, it worked out great and the threat of 50 degree frostbite was adverted. This solution gives me comfort that if we are ever stuck in a real blizzard Jenny will save us from doom with cotton balls and Band-Aids. She’s a keeper





On another note, I’m currently reading a new book written by Jill Homer. It’s about her participation in the Iditarod Trail Invitational. It’s a fascinating book about how she rode/pushed her bike through 350 miles of snow and terrible weather on this race. If you’re looking to give someone a great cycling book for Christmas you can’t go wrong with this one. Here’s a link where you can order one.

When I finish reading this book I’ll post a full review.