Winter Blues

Man, I was doing great riding in the cold. We've been having the freeze thaw thing going on. Snow piles melting into the streets and then freezing into black ice, just in time for my commute. On Monday, I had what was probably the most elegant fall of my life. I gracefully slid down onto my left slide and spun around on my side all on a nice big sheet of black ice. There was a car following behind me but, saw it coming...luckily. I don't know if that spoofed me or just bummed me out but, I think I rode one other day last week and that was it. We did have some serious high winds, too. They aren't very motivating.

I've been craving dirt like crazy. Thursday me and a buddy wanted to see what the trails were like that we take care of. After work we went out. One person had walked on them since being covered in snow. There is probably a good 6 inches of snow still on the trails. Just frozen enough to be a pain to ride in. Needless, to say I felt like a kid on a stryder bike the whole time. We were able to do traverse the main loop. It had alot of small trees and brush down but, nothing requiring a chainsaw. Thankfully. I'd like to get out there sometime in March to clean it up... If this snow ever stops falling.

Having my road bike done up all commuter like makes me not want to ride it for anything else but, commuting. I haven't been doing long weekend rides like I used to do. I'm hoping once it warms up, I'll be more motivated. My Mavic mtb shoes have a nice crack next to my cleat. These shoes are less than a year old. I got to give them back to the LBS so he can contact Mavic to see what they want to do about it. The problem is, I use them. How long am I gonna be without my shoes? I have a pair of road shoes but, they're too small for winter layering. This is just Another thing that is un-motivating me way too quickly.

On top of that, I park my truck on the street in front of my house. I hadn't moved it for a month. Someone, somehow ran into the front of it and drove off. Thankfully, it only messed up the bottom plastic skin that is 60$ and not the whole bumper. The thing costs me money even when I'm not driving it.

How to keep your feet warm... Or at least try

 

Yeah, that's my shoe. I used gaffers tape and a bag my wife got from Gap. I Cut a piece to fit under my insole. Wrapped the toe cover in plastic and taped up all the vent holes. This plus shoe covers. I use the Pearl Izumi Mtb barrier Elites. They work well. They velcro around the back for a seamless front to maximize wind blockage

They're a tad pricey but, I knew I was going to be riding in sub zero temperatures and wanted the "best." These plus, those neoprene socks I got a few weeks ago, along with a wool type work sock, keep my feet pretty dang warm. Now, you do wool sock first. Then neoprene sock. This is something I did not know and had to research to find out. My feet usually feel wet by the end of my ride but, not cold. I'm not sure how it would fair in a longer ride situation. I'm usually only in the saddle for about 45 minutes max on my commutes so, keep that in mind. Hopefully, this keeps your feet warm.

Snow storm

So I knew there was a storm coming. It was expected to arrive right when I leave for work. When I woke up it was raining. By the time I suited up and got out the door, there was a coat of snow on the ground. I thought, "no biggie. It can't land that fast." Yeah, no. I was wrong. There was a good two to three inches on the ground by the time I reached the shop. A half hour later than normal. I fell once, walked a few hills, pushed a car out of a ditch, and couldn't see freaking anything. Between the sleet, the snow, and my glasses fogging up; it was an adventure for sure. Next time I think I should take my mountain bike to work... I am.*edit* holy smokes! How could I forget that I had three deer run out in front if me and would of been plowed over by the last one had she not have slipped on the ice. Talk about a freak out moment. Did I mention I have a terrible fear of dying by deer?