A small tweak. New Titec Jones H-Bars on the Soma Juice. I threw the Ergons on as I ran out of time to tape. So far I like them over the Soma Odin bar. Time will tell.
Enjoyed a really slow roll on the lakefront Monday morning. Was under geared for flat riding – so I cruised along at whatever speed 32/19 would take me. Listened to the birds. Watched cormorants fishing. Sat by the lake. Slow bicycle movement – maybe I should sign up.
Weather is changing.
Soma is hooked to the little one train for groceries, yoga, and playtime. Body weight is up. Mood is improving. Fitness is down. Kidervals to begin. Stopping at parks is a must.
Thinking about a Schlumpf Mountain Drive. 2 speed fixed gear. Mmmm. Where to find the $$.
House hunting continues. Hopefully townhouse selling will commence magically in the next few weeks. We’ve looked at a handful of properties – and only a few would suit our tastes and neighborhood choices. Those that do fit stretch the budget but also our imagination about life in town, good public schools, and being much closer to friends and family. Walking downtown? To the store? I could get used to that.
24 hours can make a big difference in the weather. Yesterday morning I was flying down smooth roads spinning easily on the IF. Today I made first tracks on the lakefront bike path and some exploring in the woods. Heavy, wet snow coated the bike. 30/18 and the studs was work in the 4″+ of wet, heavy snow.
Finding my morning routine again, now that the sun is coming up a bit earlier each day.
Lots of cold and ice here in BTV. Been out with the boys a few times in the last two weeks to play on the studded tires.
The water inside the breakwall is starting to set up. I’m still a bit leary of getting out on it – John and Jim gave it a test.
Parts of the Intervale flooded last week with the big rain. Lots of ice in the fields and woods where the river pushed over its banks.
A stiff link on the Homer had us diagnosing a shifting issue…
The Soma in its winter kit with a half frozen water bottle.
View from Battery Park. 2 foot+!
Great storm still underway. Expected snowfall totals to range from 15 to 30+ inches by the time it is done. Burlington Airport had a record 19 inches yesterday. Totals today shattered 120 years of record keeping – 32.6 inches recorded at last check of the local paper’s website – with more on the way.
Comfortable, dry. Even the toes stayed warm today.
I got out for a nice ride this morning. Singlespeed on the Soma, running 32×18 (a bit high with all the snow), and the Nokian Extremes. I almost swapped tires to the fat Nevegals – but was glad I had the 588 points of carbide along when I managed to break through to pavement. Logged just under 15 miles. Lakefront MUP was a mess – deep powder with footprints and frozen tracks deep below the surface. I kept to side streets and a few main roads. Most motorists were tolerant of the crazy on the bike. Made it into town to run errands, warm with some tea, and check out the waterfront. Digicam battery died – so I’m left with smartphone pics.
Church Street - plenty of kids climbing on the snow piles.
29er, studded tires, and my Indigo backpack with extra layers and an assortment of things I picked up in town...
The Nokian Extremes showed up just in time for a post holiday ride with freezing rain and a mini ice storm hitting upstate NY. First time in the woods on studs was good fun – and plenty of work. 1/4″ ice on the drive and minor roads. Studs on the bike worked well. Temps warmed and the trail started to slop… Time to reboot. Brevets, a flèche, and a bikepacking ride await next year. Resolutions?
First ride in 2 weeks. First decent ride since before the Thanksgiving holiday. Amazing how quickly fitness can slip away – but – I had a good time out today. We kept it mild – Jim and I explored the icy and snowy Intervale (sans studs!), and warmed up at a favorite coffee house. Temps were in the teens with wind chill dropping it below zero. I logged about ~22 miles just exploring around town.
I explored North Beach on the way home – very different experience riding on frozen sand from my last journey. I sat and listened to the waves and the ice / slush out of the wind and snapped some pics and let out a nice long sigh for a good day to finally get back on the bike. Back is mildly sore – I’m going to do my PT exercises this afternoon after my soup warms. I’m chilled – but not frozen. Time to start clawing my fitness back.
Just south of the Winooski... lots of driftwood.
Explored near home this afternoon after working this morning. Took a quick post lunch ride to check out a stretch of beach on lake Champlain. Part 1 turned into hike a bike over driftwood and through some boggy marshy reeds so I climbed out and tested the fat tires at North Beach. Firm and semi loose sand was no problem – but the pea gravel like mush didn’t like the bike nor the bike shoes very much.
Stunning November day. Hike a bike warmed me up.
1/2 mile or more to get to where I thought some decent sand was... so I backtracked it out.
North end of North Beach.
2.2s at low pressure. Seemed to work well enough. Compressed snow maybe?
The pea gravel mush was tough going.