Theo

Hit Theo yesterday morning. It was another cold Minnesota day with temps hovering around the zero mark. The windchill wasn't much of a factor since I was in the woods. Somebody must have been out on Pugsley's that morning, because there were fresh tracks and the trail was groomed to near perfection. Everything was rideable, including the skinnies (although the expert loop at the beginning was pretty choppy and kind of tough with normal mtb tires). Theo is the perfect singlespeed trail in the summer, and in the winter it's even better. Those little ups become more challenging at slower speeds and with less traction, providing a good workout. Got 3 laps in and headed back to the parking lot, where I ran into the legendary John Schmidt. He claims to be in his early sixties, but I need to check his driver's license because he skis and rides like a man in his thirties. Good guy and a hell of an endurance athlete.

Another January Ride

Got out for about an hour and a half today, despite the Wind Chill Advisory. It was a balmy -2 with -20 to -30 windchills. I was a bit chilly starting out, but once I hit the unplowed section of Rice Creek I warmed up in a hurry. The path was covered by about a foot of super-compressed, choppy hardpack, making it feel almost like riding the singletrack at Leb. Riding the singlespeed meant keeping a high cadence and lots of weight shifting to maintain forward momentum. On the way back I saw this family of deer resting by the creek. Cool. My feet got a little cold towards the end of the ride, but the hands were super toasty with the ATV handlebar mitts. Best $20 I've spent in a while.

Subzero singlespeed tempo ride

-6° with -20° windchill when I left the house. Went with an extra layer of shoe cover, but it wasn't enough. About 40 minutes in my feet were frozen. My hands were getting cold as well, but started to come around. The pogies are working well. Almost got t-boned by a deer, scared the crap out of me. Managed about an hour ride before heading home for a hot shower and some Guinness stew.

Saturday Leb Hills ride

Hit Leb at noon on Saturday. Temps were mid-teens and sunny, so not too bad weather-wise. Rode the singlespeed (32x16) and had a blast. Ran into Janet and friends at the start of the second section. I went up ahead and could see and hear them along the switchbacks, but after waiting for a while at the start of the next section I kept riding to stay warm. I was riding pretty well, grinding it out on some of the climbs, but riding everything. I decided to hit the X and XX loops, and was glad I did. The trail pack was about half as wide here as on the outer loop, but still 100% rideable. Most of the rock gardens were buried, so they were pretty easy to ride. Even Tedman's Curve was no problem. The only trouble spots were the log ladder climb and the stupid gnome tree. Exit loop was fast and fun. Got to the parking lot, grabbed a gel and did another lap (outer loop only this time).

Second time around fatigue and calorie deficit were setting in. Not nearly as smooth as first lap. I kept straying off the hardpack into the snow. Just about went OTB on the Exit Loop, but somehow saved it (but smacked the top of my thigh into the top tube repeatedly, making for a nice bruise). All in all, about 2-1/2 hours of riding and another trainer-free day.

Cold Bear

With a -4 air temp, -25 windchills and zero sleep from another night of screaming baby boy, it was a perfect day to race. Got to Hillside just in time to register and get the pre-race 411. I signed up for the advanced class which meant 2-laps. There were 3 of us, everyone else was on Pugsley's or doing sport (1-lap).

The pirate flag dropped and we made our way to the singletrack from the parking lot. As soon as I hit the trail I knew it was going to be brutal. I rode Leb yesterday and it was super packed down and very easy to ride. No such luck today -- very loose, deep snow the whole way. I stopped about 2 minutes in and let out as much air from my tires as I could. Even with studs it didn't do much good. Riding the singlespeed (32x16) wasn't the best idea either. So, I did a LOT of walking. Pretty much any incline meant hopping off and hoofing it.

Did I mention it was -4? About a quarter of the way through Lap 1 my fingers were stinging from the cold. I sat for a minute and thought about calling it a day. My Camelback was frozen solid, my fingers were frozen solid and this had turned into a long walk that was briefly interrupted by occasional bursts of biking. The part of my brain responsible for reasoning was frozen, so I continued the slog. My hands suddenly felt better, and now I was roasting. I finally made it to the pay lot and Section 1, meaning I was halfway back to the start/finish. Lots more hike-a-bike, then into Section 2, which I was able to ride most of. If the whole race had been like this it wouldn't have been so bad. I got to the lap/exit sign and looked at my watch. What would be about a 40 minute lap in the summer was today about an hour and 45 minutes. I took the exit and downgraded to sport (which was an option presented in the pre-race meeting). The reasoning part of brain must have thawed, because I did not have the energy, desire or need for a 4-hour day on the bike (well, mostly on my feet). Saw one of the other advanced riders I started with throw in the towel after attempting a second lap.

Next time I need better gearing on my singlespeed or a geared bike. Otherwise, it's not a lot of fun. Think I finished 5th or something like that, but my overall concern was just to finish one lap, and keep all my fingers and toes. Managed that much.

Ice Ride

It got up to the 40's the other day, so everything melted and then froze. I would have been better off with hockey skates than a bike today. Definitely could have used studded tires. Only went down once but man that hurt. Tried out some new "pogies" today. Bought some ATV handlebar mitts at Fleet Farm for $18.99. Wore my lobster mitts underneath and was toasty warm. We'll see how well they do when the mercury drops again (low 20's today, not too bad). Anyhoo...I managed to slide around for about an hour and 20 minutes or so. Sketchy, but good to be outside.

Solstice Singlespeed Slog

It was the shortest day of the year, and maybe the shortest ride of the year as well. It was -7° with 25mph winds making it feel like -35°. I decided to change tires after I was about 90% dressed, so I was cooking by the time I got out the door. I got to the bike path and found it tough going. Parts had been cleared but the highway was plowed afterwards, creating several stretches of hub-deep, thick and choppy snow. Riding downhill in this stuff felt like riding uphill. Then, I'd hit some packed down snow and ice which felt like riding on greased-up rollers. Before too long, being cold was not an issue as I became a rolling Cannondale sauna. Dropping my balaclava below my chin helped cool me down a bit, but it was so cold I could only do that in spurts or my face would start to freeze (literally). I had planned on doing a couple of laps around the park, but the portions near the road were impassable. I was on borrowed time with my lights so I didn't dare ride on the road. I headed for home, back UP the section that was a struggle going down, and around the block to cool down. That's right -- -35° wind chill and I needed to cool down after a 40-minute ride. It was worth it. I got a "thumbs-up" from a hiker and with my red-tinted goggles on, the sunset was awesome. And once again, I successfully avoided the trainer...

Nightride

Got out for an hour tonight on the singlespeed. It was a balmy zero degrees with a negative 15 wind chill. The homemade pogies aren't sewn yet so I didn't get a chance to test those out. Instead I layered as follows:

Feet: wicking bike socks, wool socks, Lake MTB boots, 5mm neoprene booties
Legs: fleece long underwear, Cannondale windproof winter tights (old school), Castelli Y-Pro shorts
Core: wicking long-sleeve base, Castelli Zone 2 winter jacket, thermal race jacket
Hands: Gore-Tex mittens, Burton snowboard mittens with fleece liner
Head: Gore-Tex balaclava, Giro snowboard helmet, Smith goggles

I think my clothing outweighed my bike, but even in the driving snow and cold, I was pretty toasty. The snowboard helmet and goggle made a huge difference. Only bad part came when my glasses fogged up inside my goggles. Took the goggles off to get the glasses off and the goggles fogged too. So, I rode with neither -- a little blind and a little painful getting pelted by the frozen snow, Next time I'm wearing contacts.

January Singlespeed Ride

After a week on the trainer in the basement it felt good to get outside for a ride on the singlespeed. It doesn't hit 30 degrees often in January in Minnesota.