I'm hoping some of you experienced cyclist can help me here. I live in Iowa and have been commuting and keeping track of my ride time and average speed for my trips to work and home. Well, early morning temps are now in the upper 40's and lower 50's. Instead of a t-shirt and shorts, I'm now in long sleeves and jogging pants for my morning ride. My times have dramatically increased and my average speed has dropped. Example, August 25th ride time 27:01 with an average speed of 17.0 mph. That was the last day I wore shorts. Today after having 5 days off ( I should be rested ) my time was 28:57, average 15.8.
My question: is my body affected by the colder air I'm breathing in, or can I attribute this to the extra cloths in aerodynamics or additional weight on the bike? After 630 miles in the last 2 months, I'd expect my legs to be stronger and me getting weaker is not the reason.
The last 2 months my morning commute was usually in the 60 degree area. Also, my ride home has not been impacted yet, but that is normally in shorts and temps back up in the upper 70's and 80's.
Thanks in advance for your comments.