Winter Riding Thread (December-February) Outside and Inside

[Catrin]

Beautiful!

[azfiddle]

Wow, beautiful photos. Death Valley has such a stark beauty

[khg]

I haven't been on a *ride* ride since September... Commuting, errand running, etc yes--but yesterday I finally got out on a bike ride for the sake of a bike ride!

It was one I've been planning on doing--a familiar loop of the south end of Lake Washington, and around Mercer Island--except I wanted to try it on my single speed bike to see if I could do it. Not only was it the longest ride I've done since September, it was also the longest ride I've done on that bike. I'm glad I finally did--I like how that bike rides a lot, and I find the single speed fun and relaxing. I'm never worrying about whether I should be changing gear, for one... Clears an amazing amount of mental space! There were a couple parts I almost had to walk, but I managed to stay on the bike the whole time (I was also very strategic with my route planning!)

It was a nice morning--a little chilly, but refreshing once I got going. Sunday traffic was pretty light, leafless trees make for better water and mountain views, and the snow on the mountains is really beautiful right now--I was having a great time. I knew that some rain would be moving in around midday, and I was hoping to either beat it, or that it wouldn't be that bad. Well, I almost beat it, but boy did I get caught in a downpour! The wind picked up and drove stinging needles of rain into my face riding across the Lake Washington bridge, but since I was just a few miles from home, it wasn't too bad, and I felt pretty badass for being out in it. And after a while in a piping hot shower, I regained feeling in my fingers and toes.

Of course, shortly after I got home, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and it ended up being a gloriously beautiful afternoon and evening. But it was a fun ride, felt like an adventure, and it was really nice to get out riding again.

[ny biker]

Catching up... I rode outside last Saturday. It was a club ride with 8 people. Temps were in the low 60s and it was cloudy, with a chilly breeze at the deli near the Chesapeake Bay where we had our rest stop. The original forecast called for sunshine all day so I had hoped for a nice lunch at an outdoor table at that deli. However on Friday afternoon one local meteorologist said he had a feeling that clouds would linger through the morning and early afternoon, and he has a good track record so I suspected he would be right, and it turned out that he was. Oh well, the clouds were not too gray or thick and we could at least see a vague outline of the sun through them. More importantly, even with the chilly breeze it was not really cold, and there was no sign of the snow and ice from a few days earlier. We rode 35 miles. Since I haven't been riding lately my goal was to keep my average speed above 12 mph, but as it turned out I was able to keep it above 13 without feeling too tired. I did slow down a bit in the second half to stay with someone who had trouble with a particularly steep hill. At the end I felt hopeful. We may still get hit with more snow, but I can see the light of spring at the end of the tunnel.

Last night I rode for 50 minutes on the indoor trainer while watching behind-the-scenes footage of the Foo Fighters recording songs on the Sonic Highways dvd. It was really interesting hearing them work on different tracks without hearing the vocals or drums along with it.

We should have another warm day on Sunday, so I'm tentatively planning to ride then, and then will take my bike to the shop for its annual clean-and-tune service. The LBS is offering a discount on their routine service packages through the end of the month, so this is a good time to get it done.