March is enjoy the weather month. Summer in the south is muggy, hot, and late afternoon rains (which only make things worse).

Nice century ride in Solvang, CA March 10. It is my 19th year. Lousy bumpy roads, but I came back every year (I did miss two years). There is a 50 and 62 mile option as well as the 100. Probably just do the 50 this year.

We went backwards - it’s January again here, meteorologically anyway.

Overcast
14°F
-10°C
Humidity 58%
Wind Speed SW 9 mph
Barometer 30.23 in (1025.7 mb)
Dewpoint 2°F (-17°C)
Visibility 10.00 mi
Wind Chill 2°F (-17°C)
Last update 3 Feb 2:53 am EST

[MENTION=459436]Slightspeed[/MENTION], that is a beautiful bike! Love the detail they’ve put into the black and yellow color scheme. I’ve never heard of Culprit, so I’ve got no clue about the brand, but aesthetically it looks really great. You’ve color-coordinated yourself pretty well there, too.

I love my Culprit. It's the best bike nobody ever heard of. It it built by an American guy, Joshua Colp, with a factory in Taiwan. Di2, TRP disc brakes, very responsive frame, around 17 lbs. That is an old picture. I've upgraded the wheels to Reynolds Assault carbon since then. Google "Culbrit bikes", and you can see that he no longer sells complete bikes, but the frames and components are reasonably priced, and of great quality. As for the fashion statement, the jersey is from my first Solvang ride in 2000, the bike came along in 2014. Heres an updated picture. Thanks for the mention.

Looks great with the Reynolds wheelset!

Just spent a couple of minutes trying to find out where in the world Mar was.

March may turn out to have more than a few good riding days this year. Since Jan didnt have a "spring thaw" we may have a more normal spring. The years we have a warm Jan, the spring is usually cold and wet till the first of June.

This a somewhat off topic but here goes anyway. For whatever reason, some Japanese people have an affinity for Spanish flamenco music. This is very surprising because Japanese are restrained people and flamenco is just the opposite. The attraction is strong enough that a replica of a Spanish village (a theme park) has been built. There are also schools that teach Spanish and flamenco dance and guitar with many Spaniards or Gypsy instructors.
As I said, Japanese people are highly disiplined except when they are not. For background, the form of dance the woman in the video is performing is called bulerias. It is a burlesque like form, sometimes even a bit raunchy, that mocks something. The movements can be awkward but express something Spaniards find necessary. Notice the very un-Japanese group hug at the end. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FGIZvW2FkUk

21 years ago I was starting my tour of Ireland. I was there by march first..

Cool video! I didn't know that the Japanese had such an affinity for Flamenco but it certainly makes sense and probably flows out of the decades-long association that Japanese luthiers have had with the great guitar makers in Granada. It was to Granada (primarily) that the Japanese came to learn the art and craft back in the 1970s. Masaru Kohno learned in the shop of Arcángel Fernández (Madrid), and Yamaha Guitars sent workers to learn from Antonio Marín Montero (who is 85 and still building world-class guitars!).

Great stuff!

I did not know that but it makes sense to me. I like flamenco and the classic guitar and listen to many such videos on You Tube. There are a surprising number of very fine guitarists from Japan and S. Korea. I myself have a cheap classical guitar made in Korea. Although it cost only $180 about 15 years ago, in the last year it has begun to sound a great deal more resonant and with a very pleasing sound. This leaves me with no excuse for my own poor performance.

Hmmm, looking at last March

3-11-17 16 degrees, wind chill was in the single digits, biked thru the woods to Carver, on a snow & ice covered paved trail, 11 miles

3/18/17 39 degrees wind 5-10 mph, mostly sunny, 10.6 miles on a gravel power line trail

3/25/17 & 3/26/17 temps in the high 30s, conditions terrible, but managed 12 rough miles combined on muddy, icy dirt

I agree. That bike is hot. 10/10. Would ride.