Hey all you MA cyclists

[Crankin]

Went for my first rides of the season this week. On Tuesday, when the roads were still full of ice and lots of sand, I took my mtb out on the road. It was so nice nice when I got home from work. Riding that dual suspension mtb on the road was SLOW, but it felt great. Today my husband and i went out for our ignaural ride...only 15 miles, but I felt really good. My husband's comment was that he thought i am in better shape to start the season than he is this year. Maybe that personal trainer paid off!

[DeniseGoldberg]

I was out there too both yesterday and today. I'm riding one of my touring bikes and letting the state of the road dictate where I go - dry roads are much better because those puddles still hide salt & sand. It seems to be working since I've been able to get home without trashing the bike!

It's funny. I had two good rides - 22 miles yesterday, and 20 today - but I feel like I've got a ways to go to work back up to reasonable mileage. I normally ride on the weekends all winter long, but this year that just didn't happen because of the snow and the cold. I just looked back at my exercise journal, and I managed to ride once in January, twice in February, and so far 4 times in March. OK Denise, stop complaining; it is officially the first day of spring after all, and it's only going to improve (I hope!)!

I'm so glad there's a touch of spring in the air. My bikes are happy to be out on the road with me, dreaming of getting back to touring this year...

--- Denise

[Surlygirl]

Hey Robyn,
Nice to see we are all on the same wavelength. I posted in Northeast thread too. Had a great ride yesterday. The roads are a mess and it took an hour to clean the bikes but I'm still happy to have been out on the road after a very long long winter. Happy Spring!

[Crankin]

Where is the Northeast thread? I haven't navigated too much on this site.

Going out again tomorrow, maybe 20 miles. Denise, I give you credit. I don't ride in the winter (outside). This year I felt virtuous because my last ride was on Nov. 30th.

[DeniseGoldberg]

I don't ride in the winter (outside). This year I felt virtuous because my last ride was on Nov. 30th.

Robyn -
I never used to ride outside in the winter, but in our more normal winters it's not that unreasonable of a thing to do. Riding in 40 degree weather is pretty easy; riding in 30 degree weather (for me at least) is of shorter duration, but it's still possible to dress for it. Below 30 is too cold for me though... That said, my winter rides have always been sort ones!

And it sounds like you spent a good amount of time on your bike indoors. That's one of my usual exercise modes for the winter, but for some reason this year I just couldn't stand it, so I stuck with (fast) walking outside + using an elliptical trainer inside. I'm so glad it is finally getting warmer; it's definitely time to ride!

--- Denise

[Surlygirl]

Hey Robyn,
If you scroll down in the women's discussion forum, at the bottom is the "places to ride" section and it shows different forums for different sections of the U.S. and beyond. You should check it out, there are rumors we might all meet when it finally gets nice enough.

[Crankin]

Surly, I found the thread right after I asked that dumb question! I will keep looking for the chance to ride with you guys. Right now I am looking for someone to ride with on Friday, since I don't have work.
Denise, I did spend a lot more time outside this winter, but not on the bike. I also did walking, some hiking in the conservation land around here , and cross country skiing. I ride indoors at the gym in spin class; I really hate the trainer. It feels harder and more boring than anything else I could think of. But I did put my bike on it last week, to get ready for the outside. I can comfortably ride down to about 40. I did a little mountain biking at around 35, but you aren't going as fast (at least I'm not!). I have all of the technical stuff to wear, but at a certain point, I think I am usually ready for the season to be over when the wind is blowing at 35 degrees. I was able to survive the X country skiing at negative 7, so that was my cold weather experience this year.
Went out today and rode about 17.5 miles with my husband after work. I'm still feeling pretty good about my endurance, but I have to work on some technical skills.