A particularly extravagant New Year's Eve dinner at Lilette, along with an equally extravagant quantity of wine and champagne, made me thankful that the first morning training ride of the year had been set for the luxuriously late hour of 8:00 a.m. At 7:30 I checked the thermometer, but didn't really believe it was as cold as it indicated. Well, not until I actually stepped outside. I suppose it was the dampness, or perhaps the overcast sky, but it felt ten degrees colder than it was. I immediately turned around and grabbed my vest. I'd rather be warm than cold any day, and I was certain that freezing my ass off would not make for a good start to the new year.
When I met up with the rest of the group, the first thing out of my mouth was, "it sure is colder than I thought." Everyone laughed, because apparently that had been the first thing each of them had said as well. A second later another rider rode up and immediately announced that it felt colder than he'd expected. We rolled out a few minutes late, but nobody really cared since most were not working today. As we made our 
way down the bike path toward Destrehan, we started picking up more and more riders, and after a few miles the group was up to fifteen or so. I'm sure we had about twenty at some point. This being New Year's Day, the group stayed in a nice double paceline for a long time, but as usual the speed started to creep up until we devolved into a single paceline for the last few miles. Likewise, the speed on the way back started out slow and ended up fast, but what do you expect? Some of these riders really are bike racers, you know. When we got to the playground everyone sat up for a little rest and the idea of ending the ride with a coffee shop visit came up. Naturally, I was all in for that, but the decision on where to go came so late that the front of the group never really got the message.
way down the bike path toward Destrehan, we started picking up more and more riders, and after a few miles the group was up to fifteen or so. I'm sure we had about twenty at some point. This being New Year's Day, the group stayed in a nice double paceline for a long time, but as usual the speed started to creep up until we devolved into a single paceline for the last few miles. Likewise, the speed on the way back started out slow and ended up fast, but what do you expect? Some of these riders really are bike racers, you know. When we got to the playground everyone sat up for a little rest and the idea of ending the ride with a coffee shop visit came up. Naturally, I was all in for that, but the decision on where to go came so late that the front of the group never really got the message. 
Nonetheless, Keith, Michael, Mignon and I eventually ended up at Z'otz on Oak Street, where we had some awesome caffeinated beverages, and admired the unusual art and accouterments of this rather bohemian establishment where the coffee preparation area includes the usual jars of sugar, spoons, cream, and wooden stirrers, right alongside a large container of condoms. None of us ventured into the "back room."
After we'd decided to organize a trip to the velodrome and finished off our drinks, I rode home slowly, shivering a bit in my damp clothes, and thought, "This year's getting off to a good start."
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