First outdoor ride of the year

[Crankin]

We're having our January thaw, quite conveniently on a day when I was at home. DH came home at noon and we went on a little 15 mile jaunt, just on one of our regular routes. I know this is nothing compared to all of you tough winter riders, but I really don't ride regularly outside Dec.-February. Anyway, took the Jamis Coda out and I took the pannier off for this ride. It makes a big difference in the feel of the ride. It was quite a nice day, about 42 and partly sunny, with a light breeze from the "warm" wind direction.
Just a fun ride, and I feel like my winter training program is making me strong. Frankly, I want to enjoy the next 6 weeks of winter so I can x country ski more and then have the snow magically go away on March 1st!
Meh, I'm at the university now, waiting for my weekend class to start, so I have to miss riding outside tomorrow, since I have to be back here at 9 AM.

[HillSlugger]

We're having our January thaw, quite conveniently on a day when I was at home. DH came home at noon and we went on a little 15 mile jaunt, just on one of our regular routes. I know this is nothing compared to all of you tough winter riders, but I really don't ride regularly outside Dec.-February. Anyway, took the Jamis Coda out and I took the pannier off for this ride. It makes a big difference in the feel of the ride. It was quite a nice day, about 42 and partly sunny, with a light breeze from the "warm" wind direction.
Just a fun ride, and I feel like my winter training program is making me strong. Frankly, I want to enjoy the next 6 weeks of winter so I can x country ski more and then have the snow magically go away on March 1st!
Meh, I'm at the university now, waiting for my weekend class to start, so I have to miss riding outside tomorrow, since I have to be back here at 9 AM.

Congrats!

The thaw is happening here, too. I'll get my first outdoor ride tomorrow. :D

[sundial]

Isn't this break in the weather great? :)

I took advantage of the 55 F weather and rode today too.

[Catrin]

The weather is wonderful - and I took advantage of it as well! I am really looking forward to when I am safe to hit the roads and be able to put some miles under my wheels!

[Owlie]

It's been really nice here too this week (even considering the fact that I have to dodge the big clumps of snow falling off various campus buildings:eek: ). I've gone out several times and thought "This would be a really good day for a bike ride!" then realized that my bike is back home in Cincinnati. :( Come on, March!

[chicagogal]

my first outdoor ride of 2010 will be on Sunday! I can't wait. The temps are supposed to be in the low to mid 30s - still cold, but so much warmer than we have had! (still need to bundle up, though . . . )

[DebW]

It wasn't my first ride of the year, but I did extend my commute home from work today by taking the bike path toward Lexington for some extra miles. I was happy to have studded tires due to the snow and ice on the path, but there were some commuters on road bikes riding the path also.

[moderncyclista]

I tried last night to do a critical mass ride on my Aurora. We got over 10 inches of snow in late Dec. and it has yet to melt. Main roads were clear but all side roads were a mess.

Also, I'm getting over a minor cold and wore out fast. Still on medicine. Well it was a valiant effort at least. :)

[Dogmama]

You ladies are amazing. In AZ, I hate anything below 60 degrees. I'll ride in it, but I hate getting dressed up like the Michelin man. We pay in the summer - when landing on the pavement can net 2nd degree burns to your body. Rubber side down!

Deb - I can't imagine riding on ice & snow on my road bike. But, I can't imagine DRIVING on ice & snow. :eek:

[withm]

Woo Hoo!

Not only did I make the 1st ride of the year, it was the first ride in over 10 weeks! It was only 13 miles and frankly by mile 5 I was thinking it was time to turn around and head home cause my shoulder started to ache.

It's been 8 weeks since my AC decompression, 7 weeks of PT, and I'm up to about 50-55% range of motion (starting from ZERO ROM) so I figured it was time to try it out. It was about 45oF, cloudy, but no wind to speak of so that was good. By 2:30-3:00 it started to get cooler. It really felt good to be outside having fun after all these weeks even if the sun didn't participate. Still looking at another 4-6 weeks of PT though.

Martha

[crazycanuck]

Urgh...I rode early early this morning & glad i left at 615am! It wasn't too hot heading into the hills(..well ok except for the wind) but about 5km from home I could feel the temp rising...

Tis already 32C outside & who knows if it'll reach the forecasted temp of 41C...we'll be inside today :)

[XMcShiftersonX]

I know the feeling! I did a couple end of the year rides that were in the upper 30 degree range, and with my facemask and warm clothes it was actually just fine. No ice on the road, just a few slick spots. This is my first year that I intend to ride outside as long as it's not raining. I did my first ride of the year a week ago with my husband. It was my 3rd time outside with my clipless pedals, and my first time doing hills with them! We did a nice 30 mile rolling hill ride. It was so nice to be outside instead of on a stationary bike or a trainer - I can't stand it, but I know need it!

[HillSlugger]

It was in the low 40's today! I did 26+ miles on the tri bike. I'm definitely not in outdoor riding form :(

[makbike]

I too took advantage of the winter thaw. I squeezed in 22 miles and it felt great to be outside even if I was a bit chilled when I arrived home. Back to the trainer tomorrow for the rain is moving in for the next week. It was nice while it lasted.

[Crankin]

I was so jealous yesterday; it was 45 degrees and sunny out and I was in class. She gave us a break, so I did get to walk about 1.5 miles. There had to be at least 100 cyclists riding up/down Mass Ave. in Cambridge.
At least I got outside. Snow tonight. Since tomorrow is a holiday, I hope to get out and x country ski in the afternoon.

[redrhodie]

I also didn't get to ride in yesterday's thaw, but I did get 2 rides in last week. There was still snow on the sidewalks, but no ice on the roads.

With the thaw, the roads are wet and all the sand the city throws down for traction on ice gets in every crevice on my bike. It's a drag to clean, and the main reason I think twice about riding on days like this. I really need fenders.

[Thorn]

Played hookey Friday afternoon and rode 15 miles down the bike trail in 28F....first time out this year. Trail was covered with ice, but the studded tires had me feeling invincible.

Saturday was predicted to get up to 37F with early morning temps at 25F. Excellent. We got on the road at 7:30AM so we would get to the indoor farmer's market before the good stuff was gone (mmmm.....bleu goat cheese....mmmmm). No time to double check the weather. It said it would be warming up, right?

Gee, it felt cold. No problem, it should be hitting 30F by the time we head back. Nope...really cold. Head wind. Odd...

Got home. 19F the whole time. New cold temp record for us. While it was nice to know we can get out when it is colder than we thought, where did my warm weather predictions go???? Weatherperson....why, oh, why do you tease me so????? I was looking forward to the 38F you claimed for today.....sigh....well, thanks for Friday and Saturday's rides. It was a nice change of pace.

[newfsmith]

I'm hoping the snow is rain down here. The road over Moose hill is finally wide enough that I could commute tomorrow if it doesn't snow tonight. That would give me 4 days straight of riding, the most since before Thanksgiving.

[SheFly]

I'm hoping the snow is rain down here. The road over Moose hill is finally wide enough that I could commute tomorrow if it doesn't snow tonight. That would give me 4 days straight of riding, the most since before Thanksgiving.

Sorry - supposed to be snow here. Less north. I just came from Maine where we WERE able to get out on the snowmobiles in NH on Friday, and skated in mashed potatoes at Sunday River yesterday. Man - they need some snow cover up there, BAD!

Did make it back down here for a ride with some of the team today. Two and a half hours on an "endurance" ride - yeah right! More like a tempo/LT interval ride :D. I think we were all so happy to be OUTSIDE and not on the rollers/trainers, that we threw our traning plans out the window.

Hoping for some snow to make the skiing better this week. Weston was pretty poor last Tuesday...

SheFly

[SLash]

Finally, things are warming up here in OK. I've been able to ride twice this year and hope to get another one in tomorrow. My riding goal for January was only 25 miles and I've almost doubled it - :D

We have had unusually cold weather here so have been riding the trainer (when I could make myself exercise ;)), so getting out on bike is nice.

Took this picture last week on a ride. The sun was brilliant, you can't see it too well in the pic, but there were lots of geese in and around the water - quite beautiful. I love to watch them fly and have almost ridden off the road doing so... the peleton in the sky.

I haven't been to the forum in awhile so thought I would check in.

Happy trails...

[tulip]

I rode 50 miles this past weekend--the longest I've been out so far this year. I did 30 miles on Friday and 20 on Saturday. I had planned on another 30 miler yesterday but it was pouring down rain. I don't ride in the rain. The weather looks reasonable for the rest of the week, so I hope to get out for at least a few more rides on Tuesday and Wednesday, and then a 50-miler on Saturday or Sunday.

I did surprisingly well on my rides--14mph even though I have hardly ridden since October. I guess getting out for 2-hours of dog walking every day helps.

[Crankin]

Well, it did snow overnight and I can't decide what it's doing now. Sleeting? Freezing rain? My plan was to ski alone at Great Brook Farm, including the "black" (it's not really) trail. Then, my friend called me when I was in class yesterday and she wants to go snow shoeing. I feel bad, since she hasn't been out on her new snow shoes yet and she wants to go with me. She's the one that just started riding about a year and a half ago. Anyway, I emailed her and told her to call me in the morning and I will decide based on conditions. The snow looks wet and heavy/slushy, so I am not sure the x country conditions will be that good.
Back to the trainer tomorrow.

[skinimini]

One New Year's resolution out of the way. 1st ride today since my leg and ankle injury Sept 1. :D Rode 10 easy flat miles and it felt so incredibly good. Ice on the ankle as we speak!

[tulip]

Today would have been a wonderful day to ride. It was sunny and mild. But I had so much work to get done, so I was good and did it. Or almost all of it. When you work from home, you don't get Federal Holidays off...but there are tradeoffs.

[Geonz]

Once you start sneaking out in a "thaw" you start realizing that a layer or two is all it takes... I stuck to in town errands 'cause we're having freezing fog. Invisibility on slick roads - no thanks ;)
Hoping to get in 500 miles this month and I"m on track for it...

[owlice]

I got in a little ride today, after spending most of the afternoon at lunch with two friends, from 12:30 until 3!

Had a few things to do at home after that, and by the time I got to the trail, the sun had set. Just the usual close-to-home trail, so only 10 miles, but still fun! All the snow and ice on the trail have melted; I was bookin' along at what is pretty fast for me, at least while there was still some daylight. It was nice to not have to worry about ice skating while biking! Once it was completely dark, I had to slow down. I'm kind of thinking that perhaps I should add another light to my handlebars...

[Ritamarie]

I got out for a 32 mile road ride today. Fun! First time on my road bike since last year (Dec 31). It was nearly 50 degrees here. Felt more like March than January. And my bike felt like a feather compared to my cross bike.

[Bike Chick]

I got my first ride of the year in today. It warmed up to 50 degrees and I took off. Did 22 miles and it felt great!

[XMcShiftersonX]

I got out for a 40 miler with 2200 ft of climbing with my husband today, rolling hills and tiger moutain. It felt awesome, at least after the first 7 miles, when I was pushing as hard as I could go and couldn't go faster than 10 mph on a flat, and felt incredibly winded! Turned out my brakes were rubbing! After we fixed that it was back up to 16mph and I suddenly wasn't as tired! Also the descent on the mountain was awesome! There are few things better than flying down a hill so fast tears are rolling down your cheeks from the wind!

I was going to ask what people's favorite winter gear is? Mine are this craft jacket and pant that I just got. Both wind, rain, and cold protection. I just throw those on over a jersey and a pair of shorts and I'm good.

Its really nice to read everyone just getting out there despite the unfavorable weather. Good job! Its really inspiring for me to read.

[AnnieBikes]

After four rides in the last week of December, it got COLD, as in BITTER cold here. Our last ride was on the 30th. But, when the snow came and my boys came home from Colorado and brought their bikes, I knew we would get a ride in sometime. NOT!! We did, however, get in some great cross training with a hike to a fully frozen water fall on the Appalachian Trail...awesome! Then we did three snowshoe trips on the AT, every other day for six days. It was so cold, in the single digits, but oh how gorgeous it was in the woods. DH surprised us with a backpacking stove in his daypack, with hot chocolate for us. Only problem was that in the three hour climb, our water had frozen!! Well, melted snow worked very well, thank you!!

Anyway, we rode for the first time yesterday, with 1700' of climbing (where I live, every ride has over 1500'...very hilly in East TN) and 28 miles. Today it is pouring rain! He is training for the Southern Tier so I am staying in shape with him, but I could definitely feel the legs after a three week hiatus, except for the trainer which I got for Christmas. The next break in the weather looks like this coming weekend with rain all the way till then. I do not VOLUNTARILY ride in the rain!!! :D

[sundial]

The temps were in the 50's and I got in a 33 mile ride yesterday. Rain is in the forecast for the next several days so I wanted to take advantage of the good weather while it lasted.

[annielynn]

This Saturday will be our first ride of 2010. The unusal cold weather for Florida and us being out of town couple of weeks has put a huge damper on our cycling. I am really looking forward to get out there. I just hope that I don't fall off my bike. I haven't riden with a group since NOVEMBER! This should be interesting.