Just riding around and around....

Some bike rides are more extraordinaire than others, today was one of those rides.  Extraordinaire that is, I have no reason why it was, it just happens and when it does, you ride it out.

We  the local Fat Tire riders were planning on a group ride today and communicating via Face Book. The weather forecast was for over an inch of rain with temps in the low 30s. With lots of snow cover out there it was mutually concluded to stay off the snow mobile trails because it would be nothing but slop, muck, mud, and sludge.

Well I’ve never been accused of following the crowd and I decided to go out and ride the snow mobile paths and Heritage trails anyway. The trail I take to get out of town was a lot of work to pedal over. With last week’s snow storm there was only frozen footprints to ride over and that was quite a hard chopping bouncing ride.

I arrived at Heritage trail at the same time the icy rains did. Occasional squirrels and deer were the only other creatures out here besides me.

 

 

Riding  in the drizzling  rain, settling in to my zone, listening to music, and slowly getting soaked as my “water resistant’’ outer garments began to break down and let the rains in to my inner wool layers, I became very peaceful.

 

 

My Garmin said 32 degrees, the temperature where water and ice will co-exist together simultaneously.

Hence was the case, puddles of water were forming on top of the frozen trail and getting deeper. I tried to ride on the edge of the trail where there was an ice ridge and stay out of the increasingly getting deeper water puddle down the center of the trail. That wasn’t working because I was sliding all over the place and would be crashing if I continued to ride this icy ridge.

 

 

Water was filling my cycling boots and was getting to the point where I thought about taking them off and ringing out my socks and pour water out of them. Wool socks do an amazing job of doing their best to keep you warm when wet but that can only work so well, my toes were numb. I was 10 miles from home and had 40 miles in and decided to just keep going. I pedaled fast, I wanted to get my feet warm again as soon as I could.

 

Arriving home, hungry, cold, exhausted, and happy.

Now my clothes are drying and I'm getting wetter.

 

 

 

 Tomorrow is looking like more of the same.

Cheers,

Dave

 

 

THE END OF WINTER

Seems I always marked the coming of March 1st as the end of winter. I know we get snow storms and often get below zero in March but the the 'muscle' of winter is gone. Snow storms may come but go fast, the days are longer and getting warmer.

The weather forecast for this Monday and Tuesday March 5th and 6th is this.

"A storm system is expected to track into the Midwest and slow down, producing a prolonged snow event with periods of moderate to heavy snowfall. 8 to 12 inches or possibly more can be expected, with the exact locations of the heaviest snow to be determined"

This weekend I rode a metric 62 miler on trails that Snow Mobile inhabit and own in the winter on Saturday. Rode myself into exhaustion fat tires on a fat bike on snow zapped my legs, and I was loving it.

Rolling out the front door and thinking I should shovel my sidewalks when I return.

I found the path out of town virgin, and I got to make "first tracks."

Went out and explored gravel roads on Sunday. The snow was mostly gone out on open gravel and found myself weaving in and out of ice patches. 40 miles of gravel and back home.

As much as I enjoy the winter riding I am ready for spring and summer rides. Bring it.

Sent my registration in to race 2013 Dairy Roubaix 4/20/13. A gravel race of 100 miles. At 60 years of age the race has become a ride and my plans are to hook up with who is riding my pace and enjoy. I will take my Cycle Cross bike that I have been working on, going toobless and trying a few things.


meanwhile meet my new friends..nyuk, nyuk nyuk.

 

Thanks for dropping by,

Dave