Ride Interrupted

This winter has been both great and terrible for cycling.  It is the warmest winter with the least snowfall we've ever had.  Freaky warm ... feels like spring most of the time.  That would be good.  But it has also rained tons.  We just got through a stretch in January with precipitation on 20 out of 22 consecutive days.  Only a few of those were real "wash outs", but still, rain it is.  It feels like the trails will take about 3 years to dry out enough to even think about mountain biking ever again.

This past Saturday I cleared my schedule for a 6 hour, 80 mile effort.  I left in the morning with the slight chance of being joined by a few flurries at some point.  I thought I could live with a few flurries and still get in my time.  But two hours down the road it started to rain, hard.  Freezing cold, non-stop, sideways rain.  Fortunately I was passing through the small town of Frazeysburg and managed to find shelter from the spitting wind.  But I clearly wasn't going to ride another four hours in this stuff.  Time to call in the reinforcements (wife with minivan).   It rained hard for about 90 minutes or so.  This really sucks!

Sunday, I planned for a 4 hour ride in the 60 mile range.  I got to the edge of town and was greeted by 30 mph head winds with gusts even stronger.   Ok, I could have toughed it out.  Though the sun was out, it was a chilly 30 or so, with windchill in the lower teens.  But I just didn't have it in me.  I turned around and went back to the basement to log 2.5 hours on the trainer.  Good workout, but still not 6 hours on the road with real-life hills instead of imaginary trainer ones.

Tuesday was a beautiful spring day (in January!).  So I went out with lights on after my wife got home at 5:30ish.  Nice air temps but again very windy.  There was the slight chance of precipitation LATER that evening.  Once again, I got about an hour into the ride and the rain came.  Cold rain coming at me sideways with 20 mph winds.  Yuck!  Fortunately I could turn with my back to the wind and TT'd my way home in about 30 minutes.

I've got Southern Cross coming up in a few weeks.  Its only 50 miles, but I haven't ridden 50 miles in several weeks.   Friday is supposed to be nice again and I already had the day reserved vacation from work (supposed to do a ski trip, but no snow!).  So I will head out for 80 miles or so on Friday.  And hopefully ride with Todd on Saturday or Sunday for 30 miles or so.  It will probably hurricane or earthquake or something, or maybe a plague of locusts?  

Yup, nice weather but not so nice.  Ride interrupted!