Slow and Hard

Now that I have your attention - get your minds out of the gutter!! That would be my description of my ride at Brighton this morning. It was actually a lot of fun given the 17 degree temperature and blustery winds. There was about 1-2 inches of snow on the trail with very little underlying ice. It was completely rideable and I only missed a couple of small climbs where I couldn't carry any momentum into the hill. The downside of it was the constant work - no recovery whatsoever. Even slight downhills required pedaling. I ended up doing the Torn Shirt Loop twice and the Murray once. It took me almost 3 hours. My original plan was to try out a couple of different tire combinations, but once I saw the snow, I threw that idea out and just rode. I didn't think the feedback was going to be all that useful in the tire department.

I think I am having circulation problems in my hands and feet. They seem to be getting very cold more easily than I remember in the past. Even had trouble with warmers in place today.

Some day I will find people who are willing to ride with me on days like today. As Robert suggested, might be time to start a winter riding series. Maybe make it a competition - points awarded for miles, quality of miles (more points for trail rides than road rides), bonuses awarded for temperature extremes, ... I am open to suggestions.