Not often you get one of "those days" for riding. Temperature in the mid wenties...with brutal winds making it feel like 11... so, I pull out the single-speed mountain bike and head for the trailhead. It was cold riding...lots of ice/snow pile near the side of the road from the weather we have had around here. Got to the traillhead--no one around. head down the hill...pretty dry, bits of ice on the trail, but I can plow through them without a problem. Very silent. Just the crackling of my tires on the frozen surface. Good thing about this is I don't get muddy

A couple of places I have to get off the bike and walk it--because of the ice/snow on the trail, but for the most part, I can get through it. At around the halfway point, the trail goes through some lowland swamps that were frozen over. I tried to go across what looked like very thin ice--with the hopes of breaking through it and getting a grip...but it was thincker than it looked, and mountain bike tires are no match for ice, so down I went.. and of course my body weight broke through the ice, so I got wet on the 1/4 inch of water below the ice. Oh well-- it's part of the experience. The rest of the ride went well. Got back on the W&OD (MUP) and there I felt the wrath of the wind. Wow--what a difference being in the woods makes. I just put my head down and kept pedalling.

Ended up riding 25 miles in a bit over 2 hours. Pure enjoyment though. There is something about being in the woods on a mountainbike that is hard to beat.

train safe-