We had Kona (SW) winds today so kind of warm for winter (80+). Did my usual Thursday 50. I forgot to put on the sun screen so probably will feel it tonight and tomorrow. Early in the week it was nice and cool (though our house has neither heat nor AC so when it's 55 outside at night it isn't much warmer inside).

scott s.
.

Two days of no riding due to two doctor appointments, a retirement luncheon and bike maintenance. Today's ride with Frankie and Steve, netted a nice 61 miles. First metric of the year.

cruel

40 miles today. Got to ride with three different riding buddies at three different times in the ride. That doesn't happen too often and it was a nice change in the daily routine.

Today is cold for my home area with temps below freezing at 25 F. I went for a short ride to the library, 11 miles total and being a bit under dressed, I was cold by the time I returned home. After I got home, I noticed the Bristol Yacht Club was having a frost bite regatta out in the harbor after which they all retire to the club bar. Sounds like a plan to me. We cyclists are not so well organized.

41 miles @ 15.5mph in 28*F weather.. .awesome.

Beautiful day, so I got out for some base miles. 33 miles but it seemed like more, and 16 mph and it seemed like faster :o But I did have three personal records on Strava and four seconds so I guess it wasn't all that much slower than usual :)

I haven't been able to ride for 12 days. Rain, snow, ice, more snow, it's like Winter out there. I ordered cyclo-cross tires for one of my bikes (the Aluminum Allez) but had to settle for 35C because no one had 32C in the cyclo-cross tread pattern I wanted. My bike friend has been riding his cyclo-cross Crux (Specialized) for the past two months and it's very stable in these nasty weather conditions.

But they won't be here until next Thursday so I went out today on the skinny 23Cs and rode the streets next to the bike path, which is still covered in snow and lots of ice. High today will be 35°, it was 28° when I went out. Only 6.1 miles (9.8k) but at least I got a ride in. 12 days off takes its toll, My legs were tired before I got on the bike :foo:

2017: 47m (78k)♂Total: 15,035m (24,197k) · Tarmac SL 6m (10k)



Friggatriskaidekaphobia is the fear of Friday the 13th. That phobia is a cousin to triskaidekaphobia, the fear of the number 13
(I'm sure you always wanted to know that.)

A great, but slow, 50 mile ride with Frankie this morning. Winds were strong and the park was extremely crowded. Not much you could do with that.

Easy 30 mile ride with four other members of the group cycling skills coaching squad I captain for the Club. Roads were sloppy wet, and temps were hovering around freezing all morning, but the sun was out & the company was good!

The ice storm that we were threatened with this weekend didn't materialize in Indy - I was able to get out this afternoon for a ten mile/1 hill ride in dry conditions in the mid-30's.

Early Experiments in Winter Riding
 

Did a rail trail ride Thursday, 1st time this year. Not too motivated, gotta get out more. 20 miles round trip and my ass was killing me. I tried the new long pants with some padding, not the same as the bicycle shorts. Won't do that again.

ha, thanks for that. reminded me of a French woman I used to know. soooo frustrating

:thumb: yeah I look at the time spent rather than the miles. single speed tho - kudos to you! beafy looking bike especially with those tires. are those 26" wheels? that fork has a decent rake to it

were they cycling pants?. I use my favorite cycling shorts under a variety of other outer wear depending on the weather & temps. the outer wear is always cycling specific

Yes, they were but didn't have to much padding. I will wear my regular shorts 1st next time.

Yes, 26" wheels. I saw these tires on another bike and just had to try them. They give pretty good traction on the ice and snow on paved trails, but they're not too effective offroad in the snow. The studded/knobby combo will be skinnier, but the fenders will add some visual weight to the wheels.

That biplane-style fork was one of the main reasons I bought this Pug. I like relaxed geometry in my bikes, it's more comfortable for long rides. This one is definitely a keeper.

A great, but very windy solo ride this morning. First solo ride in a few weeks so I got to kick it up several times during the ride. Even got a short ride (about 1/2 mile) with Amanda. Too bad I jumped on so close to where I was turning off. I haven't really ridden with her since October; before all my sinus issues started up.

The sun finally came out today, but it hasn't had time to melt the frozen snow and ice yet. I rode part of the bike path, snow/ice in the middle but clear pavement on the sides (mostly). Some of it just wasn't conducive to cycling (see pics). I still managed 13.5 miles (21.7k) on skinny tires.

2017: 62m (100k)♂Total: 15,049m (24,218k) · Tarmac SW SL3 56m (90k)

Attachment 549224

Attachment 549225

50 miles Monday, first long ride since Thursday. The day turned out nicer than expected after Sunday night's huge t-storms.

Sunday I was up early and out as daylight broke, I did the toughest 41 miles I've ever done on a bike with 5000 feet of elevation. The climbs weren't steep but relentless and just kept going on and on and on. Even worse coming back down as I started to cool down and the twisting road didn't allow for a reasonable speed to heat me up.

12.3 miles (19.8k) but Ol' Man Winter got the best of me. I slowed down approaching a patch of white ice but before I could even touch the brakes a small patch of super-slick black ice zipped the Roubaix right out from under me. Sprained the right wrist and scrapped the knee. My bad, I should have known not to try riding the uncleared bike path. But it's the last day I'll be able to ride because there are three storms on the way starting tonight (sigh :() Maybe next January I should take a month long trip to warmer climes.

2017: 74m (120k)♂Total: 15,061m (24,238k) · Roubaix SL3 Ex 12m (20k)


Yes, English can be weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought, though.

After a month of holidays,bronchitis, and pretty consistently rotten weather, the stars all aligned
and let me get in a ride yesterday.
17 whopping miles for the first ride of 2017.. How fitting....

36 miles Wednesday night, including a 12 mile group ride and the 24 mile round trip to and from. Cool and a bit muggy. It was that awkward in-between temperature -- mid-50s to mid-40s later -- hard to dress quite perfectly for. I was overdressed the first half with a lightweight windbreaker over a hoodie, and still a bit sweaty on the way home with the hoodie only (and baselayer shirts underneath). And really didn't need the full tights -- should have just taken the knee warmers, although those weren't really necessary either.