Some Promise Ahead

Looking forward to a warmer weekend. And we are being teased with the prediction of 30's next week. But, back to the present. Gym--elliptical--hour and a half.

Aaaaaaahhhhh!

Was lured out on the winter beast by a temp of 14 degrees. Felt great to be on something that moved, and to breathe real air. 21/11.5

I saw this barn near Blakeley, Minnesota, as I was traveling to Mankato, for work today. (I like the basketball hoop)

No Double Digits

Gym hour and a half.

Elliptical

Hour and a half. Double digits tomorrow will probably get me out.

Winter Sunday Solo Ride

Woke up at 9:30 this morning. Gotta admit that felt really good. It did keep me from getting out until a little after 11. That was good though, as the temp had climbed all the way to -5.
Part of my morning was spent finally getting a computer put on the winter beast. Now I can be depressed about how slow I'm moving along in this cold.
I decided to head out to Excelsior on the LRT. It was a spectacularly beautiful day. Everything seemed sharp, crisp and in focus. The snow creaked, squeaked, whined and groaned under the winter beast's Nokians. The sun couldn't have been brighter or more ineffective.
I got to Excelsior and my layering had worked great, but was pretty wet. I guess I'd been putting in a decent effort. That trail was like riding a paint mixer for two hours, man it was bumpy. Nevertheless, I was having fun, even with a suspension-less winter beast. A couple of those bumps did try to launch me.
I'm feeling good, and today's ride was a total blast, cold, washboard-trail and all. The winter beast was a champ handling everything perfectly. There wasn't a moment when I felt cold. I got home and the temp had moved into positive territory all the way up to +5. Kinda balmy! 32/11.7

Fun With Negative Numbers

Doubled up on the toe and hand warmers, then rode to meet Amy at the cafe. We had to change a tube on her Axis, because her tire pressure was low, but finally got out to actually enjoy some good old fashioned Minnesota winter weather. It was slow going, and figured it was because of a combination of the cold and the number of layers each of us had on. Actual air temp at the start was -12. I think this is the coldest air temp I've ever ridden in. I've been out in colder windchills, which, today, was around -25.
We knew what we were doing and stayed plenty warm. We kept it around town not wanting to be far from help, if there was a break down or other problem. These were dangerous conditions. That being said, we had a blast, talking like it was a summer ride with no cares in the world.
It was beautiful out. The snow was so white it almost hurt, and a cloud wouldn't dare enter the royal blue sky over us. We rode along the creek and lakes accompanied by the long shadows of deep winter. The few runners we saw were all red faced, the cold taking its toll. But even they exposed very little skin today. We acknowledged each other, with head nods and waves, understanding that despite our different disciplines we were united by our resistance to the attacks of winter. Today, each of us out there figuratively raised a single finger in the face of winter. 27/??

Nosecicle The Sequel

First RIde Of The New Year

Departure Temp 1
Departure Wind Chill -14
Finish Temp 4
Finish Wind Chill -10
NW Wind at 9mph
Barometric Pressure 30.51 and rising
Visibility Forever

Yeah! It Looks Cold and It Was

Nosecicle And Frosty Balaclava

Amy and I started the New Year out right, and that would be on our bikes.

Bright sunshine everywhere and no warmth anywhere. We plodded along at a blistering 10mph pace, for a little over 20 miles.