Got out this morning before the rains came and rode the
North Bridge loop, 32 miles, with temperatures just on either side of 50, depending on where and when the thermometer was consulted. Still a bit of snow and ice to be seen, but the roads are clear, the birds are chirping, and the trees have visible buds if you look for them. The Concord and Shawsheen rivers are high, and will only get higher with the weekend's rain. A lobster-back at the North Bridge seems to have effectively pacified the area, no worries from rowdy tourists. The ice is receding on the Cambridge reservoir. Felt good to be out on the road, without having to regard it as a Winter Sport...
The hard Winter just ended has not been kind to the roads, and broken pavement, potholes, and exposed valves were too common today, especially on Monument Street, Concord, which seems to have sustained exceptional damage; this matters because the rolling hills there can bring you to a pothole at speed. I missed the worst of them, and the new tires on the LHT--Compass Bicycles Barlow Pass Extralight 700C x 38mm--were wide and supple enough to damp out the rough spots I did ride; it was my second ride on them, and they rolled well, climbed well, begged for and rewarded acceleration, and generally made me happy.
rod