Today I wanted to make up for yesterday’s non-ride and at least attempt to get out on the road. The ride’s length would be determined by the conditions of the roads. Ideally, I hoped they would have been plowed of the drifting snow but still left with a wonderful layer of tire gripping snow pack.
Well…
Most of the roads had indeed been plowed and there was way less drifting. And a couple of roads did have some nice snow pack on them, but almost ALL of the roads featured large sheets of ice that seemed to go on for a half mile or more at times. The county threw sand down on some of them, but most were solid ice with a light dusting of blown snow on top. There was a LOT of ass puckering to say the least (I think I heard it whistle once), but not as much as in the past when I was on the 29er, or worse, my cross bike!
Some of the roads may have been doable on a 29er with studded tires, but the mix of packed snow, occasional snow drifts, ruts and criss-crossing tire tracks left me thankful for the wide girth of the Pugsley’s rubber. Case in point the downhill above. That thing was solid ice with occasional ruts. I was very happy for the soft girth that was under my very own soft girth (speaking of my man blubber’s soft girth, not my man meat… this time).
I was hoping to get an hour and a half of riding in, but with the amount of ice and ass puckering I was experiencing, I knew that plan was not going to happen. Instead, I did the same abbreviated ride that I did on Sunday. Drat!
A fat bike friend of my mine here in Mt. Peezy told me that he is running studs for the snow and ice-covered dirt roads, but for now, I am making do with standard fat ass rubber. Really, these rides are more for my mental health than my physical health. Just being outside for a little over an hour felt brilliant and made the rest of my day that much better. While I admit getting a big ass sweat on at the gym can feel good, it just can’t compare to being outside. Correction, being outside on a bike… any bike.
GEAR NOTE: My first couple rides (and the race earlier in the month) I dealt with a my eyewear fogging up. So yesterday I picked up some ski goggles at MC Sports for $25 (on sale). They made a WORLD of difference. There was no fogging at all and truthfully their size even helped keep me a tad more shielded from the wind. I felt like sort of a douche, but really, I always feel like a douche on some level. It’s Gods’ gift to me.