Waterfront, BTV, 5degF, never mind the windchill. Cold fingers.

Starting to refresh my photography knowledge. Picked up a Canon G12 last week during the end of the year sales. Lots to learn…

Temps were in the mid 30s with rain coming down most of the morning. Outbound we passed a steady stream of broken beer bottles on the side of the road. Eventually one of them bit me – so we stood standing in the rain and slop in Williston to do a change. I was thankful for wrapping my spare tube in a pair of rubber shop gloves – minimal cold mess on the hands. A small sliver of glass worked its way through the casing – so some hunting was needed. After a remount and a blast of CO2 – we were rolling again along the semi-frozen Winooski River.

Wil is riding strong, and pushing his studs on a bike with an 8spd internal geared hub he left me in his wake numerous times. He’ll be more than ready for the upcoming brevet series, and if he keeps this up he’ll be in prime form for his attempt at the 2012 Tour Divide.

Me – I need more work. The legs felt sluggish, and I needed to hit my inhaler at our cafe stop to settle down some coughing and a mild asthma attack. I’ve been battling a cold / sinus bug and its been challenging to stay active while it works its way through my system. Last spring I ended up with pneumonia just before one of our VT brevets. I’m trying to avoid that this year. I’ve managed my most consistent base in quite a while this winter (thanks Pugsley!). I added yoga to the mix last fall and have been back at it on a regular basis (Friday mornings!). The most promising change of all is that my weight is down ~25 pounds since this photo was taken on last years Fall Classic:

That’s not to say I’m floating up hills like I used to, nor chasing down friends as they pull away from me when the terrain turns up. Not even close. After I get through our first VT 200k on April 9 I’ll shift from ‘base’ to ‘intensity’ – I need lots of consistent sustained hard efforts. Repeated stays in the pain cave was the only way I got semi fast (still very slow compared to the racer boys and girls) back in 2006. Its the only way I see being able to attempt BMB in August.

And an important update – after three weeks it appears that the lonely baguette has met its demise.

Very slow going on side streets. Slow going on the main avenue. Enjoyed my coffee and bagel, pushed a few people out of the snow, and made it to the bank and back.

I was met with fist pumps and thumbs up from a few pick up trucks, to honks and ‘You’re crazy!’, to the angry laying on of the horn as I took the lane. Yes, I’m as crazy as you, small car driver who cannot get through the tire ruts from the side street and is now stuck. And Mr. DayGlo-Orange Camouflage pick up truck driver – you enjoy your time to ‘Gut Deer?’ – I’ll enjoy my time freely moving about town on two wheels (or two feet), even in the snow.

The mild temps and rain derailed quickly as we took off south (into the headwind). Temps plunged 3 hours before we thought they would. The rain poured down and the wind shifted around from the south to out of the north, and began blowing something fierce. We went outbound on Spear, heading to Mt. Philo. A quick discussion and a detour across the wind took us to the Red Brick Store to warm up. I added some plastic bags from the deli to cover my soaking wet socks and we rung out hats and gloves over coffee and some food.

Pulling out into the wind on Greenbush and I felt signs (mainly a feeling on my face) of the pouring rain turning to sleet. Turning up Bostwick confirmed that the changeover was imminent, and we worked through Shelburne to head in on Rt. 7, at which point Wil pinch flatted Nokian studded tires. We sheltered under an entryway at a nearby business and proceeded to curse the internal hub, the fender, and the tire that would not let go of the rim. I proceeded to shake violently in the cold and the wet. Perfectly warm while riding – but I was wearing every layer I brought – and they all were soaked. Teeth chattering commenced promptly.

I called for extraction, and a very understanding wife and little one rallied to our rescue. We retreated to a nearby cafe for hot tea, and waited for a very warm automobile. Upon loading up the bikes sleet turned to full on snow storm.