The plan for today was to ride snow-covered dirt roads on the fatty, and that is what I did. Until I didn’t.
I’ve mentioned before, when I rid my fat bike, especially when the paved roads are icy and narrower than usual, I like to drive to one of two local parks to park and start my ride. It cuts down on my time on ice around cars and I just feel safer.
So this morning after watching some footy, breakfast, coffee and my normal four or five bowel evacuations, I checked the weather, saw a windchill warning, scoffed at it because there didn’t seem to be much wind, loaded up the xB and made my way to the ride’s start.
Once there I stepped out the car and was greeted with a hard wind blowing snow in my face. Shit! There was hardly any wind in town! I continued on, unloaded the bike got my gear, reached for my full face balaclava and realized that it wasn’t my full face balaclava, it was B-Man’s regular one. Shit.
Not to be deterred, I squeezed my giant head and fat face into a balaclava made for a ten-year old and set out right into the wind. I made it about a quarter-mile down the road when I realized that it just wasn’t going to happen. The wind was cutting through my usual layers with ease and too much of my face was exposed, especially my large pointy nose. I don’t need that thing turning black with frostbite! There was no way I could make it the 1.5 to 2 hours that I’m usually out. So I turned around. Shit.
I rolled back into the park, rode the service road down to the “Mighty” Chip, took a crap photo that looks as if there’s a smudge on the lens, rolled back up to the car and drove home. Shit.
Still determined to get a workout in, I put my gear away, ditched the layers, ear-phoned up and did an hour on the trainer while watching the first half of Palace v Spurs (Spurs have been my adopted team for a few years now).
Spinning in the basement is NOT my idea of a good Saturday, but I was happy that I didn’t just say “fuck it” and sit around all day. I made the most of it, got a workout in, grabbed a shower and had a good lunch while watching the second half of the match. Of course in that second half I saw Spurs blow the lead (no real shock there) and go on to lose to a team in the drop zone. Shit.
You may be asking why I didn’t just go home, grab MY balaclava, add on another layer and head back out. Well, I am sort of a superstitious person and over the years when things like this have happened and I try to “force” a ride after pre-ride mechanical blunders or scatterbrained forgetfulness, the rides most often end in disaster: dog bites, crashes, injury, double flats, etc., I error on the side of caution and was content with the trainer. Tomorrow is another day and another chance to ride.
Later.