I haven't been on a real ride since late December and it was driving me nuts. Bad roads, high winds, and most recently dangerously low windchills have keep me from anything more than short miserable rides close to home. Well, most of the ice has cleared, and the temps got to around 20F with about a 10 mph wind today (and I'm actually off call) so I suited up and did a quick 20-mile lollipop loop through the country. Because we still have some packed snow and ice in places, I took my trail bike but still averaged around 14-15 mph despite the low-geared heavy bike and pretty full set of winter gear. Dang it felt good to be back in the saddle so I decided to post about it while my toes warmed up. With any luck I'll be able to ride more regularly from now on. Last year by the end of January I had more than 400 miles on but we had exceptionally good weather.

That is a pretty good speed for those conditions, you must have had some saved up energy to use.

We are having a warm-up here in Illinois too. Last night I did a late night spin for 8 miles around the neighborhood on my new bike with summer tires. Tomorrow and Tuesday it looks like I will be able to commute on the summer tires, since it will be way above freezing both days. The downside is that I am spoiling myself and will hate going back to the winter tires when the cold comes back later this week.

The way this loop is laid out, I was only facing directly into the wind for a few miles and was sheltered from the cross wind off and on for several more. Once the wind was at my back and I was warmed up I pushed pretty hard all the way home. The only places I didn't have dry pavement were in very sheltered areas and on the bridges. I'm probably going to be paying for it a bit tomorrow as I'm already feeling it. I have been doing a lot of eliptical trainer and spin bike work over the past couple of months to try to stay in shape, but it's not the same as being on the road.

Forecast says below zero F again the day after tomorrow and the winds are coming back, but no significant snow for the week. Well, back to the gym and praying for spring.

NW Minnesota. That is one place I would not want to be a cyclist in the winter.

Bravo - I know how bad it feels when you go to long without a ride - I remember once borrowing a local kids bike for a short ride around town in Italy - His Dad caught up with me on his Cioci road bike and took me for a winter loop that left me freezing for two days and a great big smile on my face - Sometimes thawing the frost off your face is just as much fun as picking the bugs out of your teeth....

Good thing I went when I did. The next morning we had freezing rain followed by snow. Today -20F actual temp with 20+ mph wind. Windchill warnings and low visibility yesterday and the first part of today. Tomorrow just cold (-20 again) to start with but the roads are back to being very rough with lots of ice and snow pack. Maybe I'll stop at the bike shop to see if the studded tires are on sale yet. Not that I'll ride with them. With my typical timing, the day after I buy them we'll get a good thaw that will last until spring.

I know what you mean.

Last year, I rode all winter.It was fun.

I put the bike away in October and decided I wasn't going to ride again until spring. I was going to run instead. Well........that didn't turn out as planned. I've been getting the itch to ride so I went out last weekend. Then I went out this one too. It felt great. I'm not sure If I am going to ride again. I may get a carbon frame and transfer all my components over. If I do, I will not ride until the spring.

I did however, get all my winter cycling gear out.....just in case.

Dang, we finally got some decent temps and the roads are thawing nicely but what's in the forecast for tomorrow? Blizzard with 6-12 inches of snow and whiteout conditions lasting well into Monday. I shouldn't complain though as I understand the NE is getting hit very hard as well. Here's hoping for an early spring for everyone