Vik gets on for second ride 2010

February 27, 2010
Fort Collins, CO

I think there comes a point in Winter where you get tired of thinking, it is not warm enough to ride... We never say it is too cold to ride - just it is not warm enough to ride. You look out the window, you see a weak sun trying to peek through the low gray ceiling, you know some of the streets still have patches of ice and snow but the main roads are clear (except for gravel), you know the weather forecast said the temps could reach the high 40s, you do the math and know that the wind chill will put the temps below freezing at a certain speed, you know better - but, there comes a time when you say screw all that - let's ride.

So this afternoon we layered up and rolled out of the driveway for a short ride. Really short. Tim, the numbers guy says 33.3 miles to be exact. I know, not much of a ride. This was my first ride of 2010. The last time Tim rode was January 30. You can get in short rides with temps in the 40s. Our biggest obstacle this year has been snow packed neighborhood streets. We've had snow pack in our neighborhood for most of the Winter.


Frozen Snow Crusted Lake Loveland


Frozen Creek Fort Collins

Our short ride took us along the highway 55-60 mph (pretty chilly) to Loveland where we ambled up and down country lanes past frozen creeks and snow-crusted lakes. The mountains were stunningly white even against gray skies. The ride lasted just over an hour, enough to get The Ride's juices flowing and to give us chapped cheeks (yeah - face and butt - Ha!).




Lots of riders were out today, all of us padded in black layers to make us look like burly michelin men from the dark side... Most of us were doing the same thing, riding country lanes at lower speeds, enjoying the best day we've had in weeks to ride, knowing that tomorrow will likely bring more clouds and more snow, knowing Winter is still very much a presence in northern Colorado.

Word is temps were in the 60s in Texas today. Many of our friends had rides planned and I look forward to their photos and blog posts. Dad is laid up for a few weeks after surgery but it won't be long before he's out tearing up the country roads of north Texas and southern Oklahoma again. Be well, Dad.

Below are a couple of shots of Tim.


He's not hard to please - 33.3 miles will do I reckon....