Slow Nose

Riding in the Chicago fall and winter is a challenge.

In these parts, (Illinois) we call that syndrome when your face becomes frozen by the cold, “slow nose,” because it is diagnosed by wrinkling up your nose and then counting the minutes it takes to slide, like frozen maple syrup, back into a normal position in proximity to your upper lip. When you realize you have no idea where it is on your face and not obviously in home position, it’s time to turn back.

I am not going to try to do any kind of all-encompassing treatment of cold weather riding, except to say that one thing is clear: it gets harder as one gets older, and I am not talking about my nose.