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I didn't pay much attention to the weather last night, and was a little surprised with the snow that was on the ground when I awoke. We have had a few very nice days recently, so it always is a disappointment when the snow returns. It always does in March. I have been wanting to ride my regular commuter so I didn't let the weather change my mind, I loaded up and went to work. I ride right through Como Park on one of my routes, it keeps me away from traffic and I can take a breather on a bench if I need to.
Not that it was a lot of snow, but when you are set in spring mode, it is a bit disheartening.
That being said, with the weather warming up, the thoughts are turning to longer bike rides, overnight camping rides, dusting off the other bikes, and promising again to not wait so long before cleaning the winter bike. So long studded tyres, we'll need you soon enough. I appreciate your grip, but wow! those Panaracers ride loads better. Not to mention the 35's are way more comfy than my skinny 28's.
We made some national news last night with our "spring" weather. I knew it was going to be some rough going for the ride home, and I almost put on my pogies. Should have listened to my gut.
I rode to work yesterday in a light rain. It quickly turned to sleet as I continued north. I thought of my goggles still in their case, sitting on my dresser of bike clothing. But I had extra layers with me, it shouldn't be a problem. If anything, I could wear my safety glasses home. Throughout the day, the rain turned to snow, then back to rain, and then to mix it up, a little more snow. Temps kept falling from 2C, to around -12C when we left the shop.
Studded tyres are the best! There have only been a few times during the winter I have needed them and last night was one. No one went down, but it was close making the turn to the bank to drop off the night deposit. The wind was quite impressive and nearly blew me over coming around the corner. A bonus was being able to ride with the wind on the way back to the road that leads home. I was able to cruise for about 1/2 mile with no work at all.
One small stop to make Dan gloves from some extra socks and we trudged our way home. For all the wind, blowing snow, and partially frostbit fingers, I had a great time. Turning into the wind again, about 3/4 of the way home, I had difficulty because I was laughing and the wind and snow were making my teeth hurt. I couldn't help think of Trans Iowa. It is a great bench mark as nothing since has been able to compare to the beating we took. I know there are days when my mind is not in the right place, and the wind beats me down into a grumpy mood. I remember actually being angry at the wind for causing me such misery. I am hoping that I am growing out of those times and I can have fun, with snow or whatnot blowing in my face at 30mph, struggling to keep my laughing to a minimum to save my teeth.
I was able to attend the North America Handmade Bicycle Show this past weekend in Indianapolis. Ken, his brother Paul, and I drove down Friday. We were barely into WI when Paul asked me, "What kind of bikes do you own?". It was almost Madison before we exhausted the rideable inventories for all of us. Unfortunately, I was working through a cold over the weekend, so I battled fatigue almost the whole time. I know I couldn't concentrate completely but still had an amazing time looking through all the great bikes and amazing craftsmanship.
Turns out, I took just shy of 200 photos. Most of which only interest me and goofy bike people. My favorite, was taken in the hall right next to the exhibit hall. It was completely empty with the exception of the photo area at the far end. Not wanting to intrude, I stood at the entry, about 75 feet away and took this. You can't keep cyclists off their bikes! One of my favorite things about this photo is it turned out almost exactly the way I wanted. Shooting a fairly inexpensive digital camera, my shutter lag time has been hard to get used to. I don't think the silhouette could be any more perfect from my vantage point.
We had a great time hanging out with folk from Hiawatha Cycles and closely tied with Curt Goodrich Bicycles. (CONGRATULATIONS!!) If only we would have stayed a little longer to have a top shelf drink. It was nice that the bar in our hotel seemed a hot spot for bike folk. We enjoyed a lot of people watching there and then just a short elevator ride before crashing hard.
Seeing all the amazing work done, it sure stokes the fire to get some custom stuff going. I sure hope I make the time to do some projects this summer. Nothing like immersing yourself in something you're passionate about for 36 hours to prod you into action. I'm already looking forward to going again next year.
