Start temp was 16 degrees. Just me and Amy. I got the clothes just right...very comfortable for the entire ride. Toe and hand warmers were blazing away. Although there was only a minuscule amount of snow on the ground we decided to ride the LRT trails on our cross bikes. We were not alone....Dunt dunt dunn!
About 5 miles in we came across some Loon State boys, and latched on. Yeah, we got a couple of looks, but stayed out of their way. Finally one of the guys said, hey Tom. It was Dan Cleary. Hard to know for sure with all the layers and balaclavas. He said something about getting a hundred in today.
They started to mix things up a little as we got close to Excelsior. Amy and I weren't sure what was happening, but played along. Two of their guys got away and none of us could reel them back in. Got to Excelsior feeling a little overdressed. Thanked the Loonies as they were done with their ride and we continued west feeling like it may not have been such a good idea to play so hard. Ten miles later we were still pretty sure it hadn't been such a good idea. Another five miles and my water bottle was frozen.
We were on a route of mostly limestone trails and dirt roads. It's a good thing Amy knew where we were going. If she hadn't been paying attention we could've wound up in Maple Plaine, or worse.
Lungs are a little sore now...throat kind of raw. Maybe it's just the first exposure to some good, real cold air. Nevertheless, it was great to be out, and ...you know... it was fun. This is the third or fourth time I've done this route. I think it's the second time for Amy. It's our best average speed yet....and it's December. Nice! 51/16.0
As I'm writing this I'm enjoying a delicious cup of Tom's hot chocolate.
2 cups skim milk
3tbs sugar
2tbs cocoa
pinch of salt
2+++ tbs of coconut flavored rum
and of course whipped cream.
Life is gooooooooood!
3 comments:
Tom-check out this guy's blog. He reminds me a lot of you!!
http://mrdaveygie.blogspot.com/
Sounds like a good ride today. Saw bikers today while in Minneapolis. I just love all the trails....you people are soooooo lucky.
Coconut rum in hot chocolate...very interesting.
Hi Tom, I was just gonna say what Lynne said. Seems we both ride year round as much as possible. Winter certainly bring a different set of challenges. I got two bikes with studded tires, a cross and a harttail so traction is typically not a big issue. Like you know keeping hands and feet warm is the trick. You mentioned hand and toe warmers, do you use those chemical activated warmers? Ok I gotta go wanna get a dirt metric century before my brother comes to visit. Happy and safe rides to you and yours.
Dave
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