One of those weeks

We have all had a week where life just gets crazy and schedules take over the time for exercise.  In my case, that week has becomes two weeks.  I have been on my bike once in two weeks.  The one ride I had was with a good friend and ended up being a sweet ride but still, one ride.  I feel the urgency of the oncoming winter, the forecast is looking gloomy. Plummeting temps and rain/SNOW in and out of the forecast. I just want to spend the last few good days on my bike before riding outside becomes more of a challenge.

So lets back up a bit.  Life has been busy for me here in the woods.  Two weeks ago one of our yellow labs had a litter of puppies.  If you follow me on instagram or twitter you may have already seen pictures.  This started very early on a Monday morning.  The first pup was born somewhere between 12 and 2 am while the last of the six was born around 11 pm that night.

A few months ago my wife and I found out we were having a baby!!! The Friday before the pups were born we found out we are having a girl.  Not that finding out the sex of our baby has made life more hectic it just allowed us to start registering for items for showers.

I have also had the blessing of sub jobs, which keep me busy and make it hard to fit in bike rides as the days are much shorter.  They also make it harder to take time off my primary job.

Life has been crazy good.  I am looking forward to being a dad for the first time and I am making connections in the schools in the area.  The puppies have been amazing to watch grow and my wife and I have been celebrating our sixth wonderful year of marriage.  It is great to be married to my best friend. I love you.

This is where I urge all those who love to ride to realize that there are things that are more important that the bike. I have tried to make sure that I am keeping my priorities straight.

Well... as of this post it looks like I will be receiving my new bike toy (Garmin edge 510) and rain on the same day... Wahwah.

More to come, in the mean time, keep pushing forward.

A Fall Ride

 I set out on this surprisingly warm morning with the intent of meeting my wife at the soccer fields to support some of our friends.  I was treated to gusting winds that blew me all over the road for what turned out to be a thirty-two mile ride to a field thirteen miles from my house.  This ride, while windy, was a blast.  The trees were in great fall form, bursting with color.  The leaves were blowing all over the place and at time I was riding through showers of red, yellow, orange, and brown leaves.  I couldn't help but take pictures.

My ride took me on Military Road, which stretches from Three Lakes to Eagle River.  This is one of the most beautiful ten mile stretches of road I have come across in the woods.  Sure, it does not compare with epic views from coastal or mountain rides but the beauty is found in the isolation, winding roads and rolling terrain.

This particular stretch of road has one sign that makes me laugh every time I see it...

Now it is hard to tell as I have already started up this epic four to five percent grade but it is...not steep, or long.  I think about a few rides I have done out in California, Mt Hamilton, Sierra Rd climb, Mt Diablo, cruising the foothills behind my parents house, and I can't take this sign seriously.  This hill is roughly three hundred yards long and maybe hits five percent.  Not what I would consider a hill worth marking.  In fact, it is sad that someone feels the need to let us know that a car may have to push a little harder on the gas pedal.

Okay, with that behind me...

This ride was much more satisfying than I thought it would be.  It was a beautiful and warm fall day, unexpected even, the wind added challenge and the trees, beauty.  I remembered why I love riding my bike.  I have a chance to explore on my terms, under my own ability.  You never know what surprise awaits you out on the road until you are there.

Riding Year Round, in the Cold

So... my last post was wishful thinking.  It is time to embrace the coming seasons.  It really is beautiful even though in my weaker moments I long to be back in California.  Riding up here goes from winding roads weaving between lakes to falling red, orange, and brown leaves to peaceful muffled snow lined roads.  The roads are perfect for a road bike.  The cold is coming no matter what I do.

Yesterday's ride to and from work was the first time I could sense fall in the air.  The chilly temps and the constant wind gave me a taste of the things to come.  Blustery fall and winter rides are more about getting out and turning the pedals over than improving speed and distance.  These rides are a grind.  While it can be challenging, it is important to get out and push.  This is where the base fitness and mental strength begins for the next summer.  My goal is to ride year round no matter what.  I can have some great rides on my rollers but the basement can get rather boring.  On my rollers I watch Breaking Away, American Flyers, or some archived race footage and  I need to get outside.

                 

The key to success in the cooler climates is the proper clothing.  This can be a challenge as there is no one size fits all solution.  Every cyclist has a different heat production/loss.  We all need to find what works through trial and error.  I thought I would share what I have found and I have been on some pretty cold bike rides.

I realized pretty quickly that my feet and hands are my weak points, as long as they have enough coverage I will be okay.  To accomplish this for my hands, I began using lobster mitts.  My hands nearly sweat at five degrees.  I don't have to worry about cold hands anymore.  The split mitt takes a ride or two to get comfortable with but once that is done they are easy to ride with.  Now, protecting my feet are my Garneau shoe covers.  These are great, they are lightweight, keep the wind off and are mostly water resistant.  All good except that they need to go on before my shoes.  This is a huge pain if you want to take them off  in the middle of a ride.  My next pair of shoe covers will be ones that close in the back.

My head and face just need to be protected from the wind and do not need a whole lot of insulation.  Enter my Gore Bike Wear hat and mask.  The hat is more than enough to keep my head toasty down to the coldest rides I have done.  The mask took a little bit of adjustment.  I had to figure out what temp it worked best.  The best feature is that it can be quickly removed and replace while on the bike.  The only downside is it has a tendency to slip down a bit.  I will experiment with a Buff gaiter this fall and get back to you.

As for tights, there are so many options out there.  It is impossible to determine which ones work by looking at a picture online,(that is all I have in the woods) you really need to try them out.  Last winter my wife got me some Pearl Izumi AmFIB Bib-Tights  and they were key to getting out in all temperatures and conditions.  The ones with no chamois allow me to ride in the bibs I am already comfortable in.  If I needed a bit extra warmth for my joints, I could layer them with my knee warmers.  The AmFib tights have a softshell front to protect from the wind and water and fleece lined lycra on the back to keep warmth in while maintaining mobility.  The AmFIB paired with the Pearl Izumi Pro Softshell and five degrees is no problem to ride in.

Now the downside of winter riding is getting all of these layers on.  Generally, if it takes more than five minutes to get ready for a ride you are doing it wrong.  In the winter replace five with fifteen and you are about right.  It is definitely much easier to ride in the basement in cycling shorts but there is nothing that beats being out on the road.  It would be easy to ride in sunny moderate climate all year but when the weather is rough it shows a deeper beauty that you will never find in the perfect weather.  So lets put on some Justin Timberlake and get suited up.