Vermont to Switzerland
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?
Snap from a friend after a fine fall day on the Burlington waterfront.
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.
Back is still in trouble. Started PT so I have some basic exercises to do – aside from casual spinning on the bike I foresee 4-6 weeks sans riding. Foot is back to 90%. Good to go, even in cycling shoes. Last Sunday’s ride was slow and painful due to my back. Trudged out maybe 20 miles around town. Snow is starting to fall. 4-8″ due in town this morning. I’m going to use this time to rebuild my core, get into a yoga class, and work on stretching, flexibility, and changing up my routine – maybe even getting into the pool for some swimming.
Messed up right foot. Docs, acupuncture, x-ray, – its not broken – but it hurts to walk. Have a specialist scheduled for next week. And my back is torn up from lugging suitcases around during out holiday trip. Last ride was a week ago – when my back crumbled on the Soma climbing 8% on the road. The foot was actually rideable in my stiff cycling shoes. Was a long slow slog back home and made for an uncomfortable Thanksgiving Day dinner. I’m sitting in front of the happy light taking in full spectrum waves trying to stay sane. No bike, no run. Maybe can walk a bit peg leg style with some stiff soled shoes. Making me a bit crazy.
I knocked off a nice chunk of body weight about a month ago, trending downwards and feeling great. That trend has reversed and I need to battle to get back in the groove – fight the gray and cold of winter coming on, and gain some consistency. Dreams of the Tour Divide keep me motivated and inspired – but 2-3 years seems so far away…