Two

Did it. Got all the rides in for two years. Tonight's was a below zero (-6 to be exact) effort again, which seems fitting. 12/12.2

Time For a 2013 Recap
Miles: 10,471
Centuries: 8
Hammer Hundred: 1
Crash With Car: 2
Broken Bones: 0
Favorite Movie: All Is Lost
Favorite Book: Sex Lies and Handlebar Tape
Here are My Favorite Photos:

 

Thanks for a wonderful year. I appreciate all of you dropping by and taking a look at my obsessions.

I wish all of you a wonderful new year.

Bumpy Ice

Got out a little earlier today, just didn't want to deal with the trail conditions in the dark. Maybe a half-inch of snow over now frozen solid slush is not very comfortable to ride on. The light snow hides the ruts and ice. Another low psi ride with a white knuckle or two. The Beast is amazing...we stayed upright. Temp made it above zero by one. I was more than happy to keep it short and simple this evening. 10/11.5

Change of Persepetive

Only a 50 degree difference in temperature between yesterday and today's ride. Got home this afternoon and it was -5 with a wind chill of -25.
Trails were very crunchy. I'm not much into tire pressure ... every ride should be at 110 psi. Usually keep the Beast at 60 psi, but with so much ice and the trails frozen solid and all rutted up I dropped the psi to 40. Studs dug in well.
Kept it simple today...more slow and easy. I'm actually feeling better and am intent on getting over this burn out. Only two days left. I'm pretty excited. 12/11.1

Spectacular

45 degrees and sunny. End of December...who could ask for anything more? Out with Amy, Steven and Andrew. It just kept on getting warmer. This actually felt like a road ride...first time in a month. So Good! Great friends, lots of chatting, easy on the effort and terrific temps = one damn fine ride. 40/13.2

Felt Really Good

Beautiful day! Temp hit 40. I even saw shorts out there. This won't last. It is predicted that temps won't get above zero for 3 days starting Sunday.
Tomorrow will be near 40 again so I'll take advantage of it, on the bike, with some Birchwood friends.

Counting Down

Still basking in the afterglow of Christmas Eve and Christmas. I love every second I spend with my kids and grandkids.
Still at it. Rode Evil. Day off tomorrow. Weather Gods have taken pity on us...up to 25 degrees today. 12/13.1

Change Ahead

Got in a short, late afternoon, Christmas ride...delightful with temps, oh, so bearable (in the upper 20s). 11/11.9

Lots of hot chocolate, cookies, pie and eating out. Lots of kids, grand kids, family and friends. This year end celebration, that I was raised up calling Christmas, has been wonderful. I am a very fortunate person. Now, before I become a very large person, I need to get my act together, and undo all that was done over the past few days. So the discipline begins. Uuughh!

A Rough Winter For BOB

Along The Midtown Greenway

Twas The Night

Got a ride in with the temp hovering right around 0. 14/12.7
Enjoyed the day before Christmas very much. Got to see my kids and all the grand lumps, and went out to dinner with my brother this evening. Snowing pretty good right now, just hunkering down, staying warm and enjoying the warm glow from the TV. Actually I'm watching the 25th Anniversary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame with Sting, Stevie Wonder and others. Nice! Playing "Superstition" right now with Jeff Beck. Maybe not exactly the Christmas spirit, but pretty damn cool anyway.

Life is Very Good!

A Little Frost Around The Gills

It's official and probably has been more than obvious to everyone but me...I'm burned out, over-trained. Slept for 11 hours last night.
I've got a week to go to reach my goal of riding outdoors everyday for two years, with Fridays off. I guess I oughta be tired, but I have to admit I'm surprised it wound up being this hard on me. I promise to take some time off after January 1st.

Didn't get above zero today. Cold and dark out there again. 10/?? about an hour

Second Day of Winter

Out with my daughter while a little light snow lingered in the air. It was her first time on studs and parts of the trail were a bit challenging for her. She likes asphalt and her road bike. Great to ride with her. 20/12.2

Winter Ride Perks

Six of us rode, this first day of winter 2013. Great to be with friends. 32/12.6

Was a little anxious to get home, because this was waiting.

Lightening Up

A welcomed day off. Celebrated the end of darkness (solstice) having dinner and beers with Amy. We'll be out on the trails tomorrow, with more birchies, anticipating the longer days of light ahead.
I think I got all my Christmas shopping done today, too. Good Day!

Nearer To The End

Back to the cold. Trail was crunchy. Tank was empty tonight. Man, I may not even have a tank. 12/10.2

Took this on last night's ride when it was a lot warmer.

Ahhh Warmth

Was nice to feel the warmth of 36 degrees. Out and back to the Mississippi on the greenway. 12/12.3

City lights are not as bright as the light from the moon. Hard to get a good image of them together, even with my nice camera.

Day and Night

It's a completely different experience riding at night....one that I'm really getting to enjoy. 12/10.3

My heart almost ached when I saw this tonight. I knew my point and shoot wouldn't do it justice. I placed my point and shoot on top of a trail sign trying to steady it so I could get a long enough exposure. This is the best I could get. Just about froze my hand off. It hurt all the way home.
The moon was much more yellow than this, because it was so low to the horizon. When I first saw this I thought it was just another downtown light.

Things were a little brighter when I started out.

Darkest Time of Year

An inch or two of snow on the trail kept things interesting tonight. I really didn't have anything to worry about, though. The Beast just plowed right through it. 12/10.3

Slow Cold Sunday

Always great to ride with Amy, but the cold must've really gotten to me. I was dragging for the entire ride, with the end being the worst...I was fading big time. Only 20 miles. Temp went from 0 to 1 while we were out. Stayed on the trails which were covered with about an inch of snow. Just lazed around for the rest of the day.
Hitting the hay early now. Plain old tired. 21/10.7

Saturday Sun and Snow

Seems like it's been forever since I rode with Amy.
Snowy and sloppy today. Amy finally just took control of the ride (yeah, like that's never happened before) and got us out on the road. I was content just bumping along on the trail, but she was not having any of that. Sun surprised us with a visit and even though the temp was about 10 degrees we stayed plenty warm.
I put a new chain and derailleur on the Beast last night and quickly found that I should have replaced the front chain ring too...started skipping if I turned up the watts.
Good 3 hrs in the saddle today, with good friends. 36/12.2

Another Friday Off

Night Rider

Double digits sure felt good. Almost too warm. 12/11.9

Darkness Prevails

Played in the dark and with negative numbers on my ride tonight. It better be in the 70s come January. 12/??

More Than One Way To Have Fun With Water

Leg is feeling better and the ribs are too. It wasn't a serious injury, just some strained muscles. I feel lucky.
Got up to 8 degrees during my ride tonight. I hate to say it, but that felt pretty good. I even lightened the layers some. We know winter well here, and sure we complain, but it's a relationship like Amy's and mine....couldn't live without each other. 12/??

My rule has always been, if it makes me stop it's worth taking a picture.

Getting Old

Still plenty cold. High today was zero. I rode the Beast in it for a little over an hour. It can warm up any time. This is getting old now. 11/??

City Ride

20 degrees warmer than yesterday and it is still plenty cold. Trails are in good shape, but have been plowed down to hard pack/ice. Today we had light snow all day, which covered up any evidence of what lay beneath. I opted to put new studs on Evil, he was due, and venture out. About an inch of powder over the hard pack/ice kept me guessing a little, but the studs grabbed into the ice and held on tight.
With the cold and my mileage goal met, I have to admit I'm taking things pretty easy, but don't worry, I'll be out there everyday (except Fridays) 'til the end of the year. Too close to stop now. 23/??

Over The Mississippi

Target Field (Twins Stadium)

Box Cars and Railroad Ties Along The Cedar Lake Trail

Greenway

Ice Accumulations (looking forward to some hot chocolate)

Beautifully Frigid

It was so cold my computer batteries died. I, on the other hand, was warm and toasty. I geared up just right for -11 degrees with a wind chill at -25.
I've got to put in a plug for the boots I use, they are amazing. These are not shoes and would not work for racing. They are quite clunky actually, but when it comes to keeping feet warm, I have found nothing better. http://45nrth.com/products/softgoods/wolvhammer
Below zero I add chemical toe warmers along with two pairs of socks.

Happy to be out on a beautifully cold Minnesota winter day. I've been doing this for a good many years now and pretty much got down what it takes to survive riding in this type of weather.

Just kind of meandered today, not wanting to be too far from a warm place, just incase of a flat or break down. I was out for about 2 1/2 hours and estimate I put on about 28 miles.

Enjoying a well deserved cup of hot chocolate now.

Whoa!

Baby, it's cold outside. High today was 3. Temp is about -5 right now. Nice day to be off the bike hunkering down.

Only The Nuts

5 of them out there tonight. 5 whole degrees and that's discounting the wind. Gotta be nuts to go out in this stuff. Greenway was plowed down to a hard packed, icy trail that the Beast's studs dug into with no problem. Out for about an hour and a half...plenty warm. 17/10.7

White Time of the Season

Apparently the ribs took a hit last night. Right side (impact side) is sore.
About 5 inches of snow for tonight's ride. Beast and me. I took it very easy. 16/10.9

Greenway is the Whiteway

Again?

I got hit by a car again tonight. I was crossing Cedar on the parkway trail and a lady made an illegal left turn. Fortunately neither of us were going fast. Unlike Saturday, this motorist stopped and seemed genuinely sorry. The crash broke her side view mirror off. I didn't go down and nothing happened to Evil.
As luck would have it a cop saw everything and pulled up with lights on in like a minute. He asked if I was OK, then started telling the lady what she did wrong. I was in the cross walk, and a left turn at that intersection between 4-6pm is not allowed. She got a ticket, I rode home.
I don't remember ever being hit by a car and in the last few days...twice.

I don't know...I just don't know.

Be careful.

Late Ride

Dark out there tonight. Took the Beast with me for protection, studs and all. 11/??

One Down

Woke up stiff and sore from my encounter with the car yesterday. Only needed 27 miles to hit my goal of 10,000 miles for the year. Stiff and sore wasn't enough to keep me from it, but I did take it plenty easy. As the ride progressed the soreness abated. 40/15.6