Doubling the size of the garden = blisters on my soft sitting at a computer all day hands. Need to borrow a wheelbarrow and shuttle all the sod to the back of our lot, then get a load of topsoil / compost delivered.
Expansion
Water, Wind(power), and Fargo
Good morning shakedown on the Fargo. Surprisingly capable bike, and even though I can’t pull in the reach anymore (I’m all out of stems!) – I was pretty comfortable on the bike path, road, and some trail this morning. Its snappier than I expected, and while it feels huge climbing aboard, I noticed that it disappears underneath me when I stop thinking and ride. Hopefully I’ll get a mixed terrain ride in this Sunday to put it through its paces – road, dirt road, maybe some connector trail. I’m thinking that the 2010-11 model will fit me better than the first generation frames. They’ve pulled in the ETT a bit, making the medium size closer to my IF. They also shortened up the chainstays and corrected the head tube so you can run a rigid or suspension fork. The Vulpines roll surprising well on pavement and hardpack.
My usual morning dirt / path loop is a bit flooded. I still have a pack raft on my list, so no mixed terrain / aquatics riding this morning.
Tesla Roadster parked in the ONE. Love the license plate.
Snapped a pic of the Fargo on the singletrack connector from North Ave. to the lakefront MUP. The Epic (Revelate) frame bag is really nice.
Soma Love
First ride on the Soma since just after the Pugsley arrived. Swapped bars, dropped the stem, pulled a used saddle from the OSH. Running fixed 32×17 at the moment. Nokians are still on – which helped in the woods this morning. I need to shorten the cables – I swapped from the Jones Titec back to the Soma Odin bar. Great morning to spin easy – the VT 200k is this Saturday, so I’ve been lazy all week.
Recent Snaps
First rainbow of the spring. First bike ride of the spring.
Spring
Easy recovery spin on the first day of Spring. Quiet this morning in the woods – snow melting, some crust to ride, some mashed potatoes, some frozen post holed rattled your teeth out sections of bike path.
Currently we are under a winter weather advisory, with fluffy snow falling outside the home office window. 3-5 inches by tonight. Sigh. While I love the snow, winter fatigue has fully set in, and I’m looking forward to exploring some single track this year, as well as upping my fitness as I take on both organizing and riding our local brevet series this year.
High Water
Got out on the Pugs today to try my ‘normal’ off road morning loop. Snow was mixed from mashed potatoes to hardpack to just a dusting. I was running relatively high pressure @ 10 psi to make decent time on the paved and bike path connecting portions – which meant plenty of hike a bike in the mashed show full of footprints.
I had wanted to connect through the Intervale – but high water covered part of the farm road on my exit. I’d guess there was 30′ of 3′ deep water to cross – not something I was prepared to do… the nearby Winooski was inches from the tops of it’s banks.
Back on the Pugs
Snowpocalypse
Wow.
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.
End
The end of winter is near. Trails are firm but starting to soften. Temps are rising. And rain is on the way. I may finally get in some quality (but wet) road miles this weekend. Spent the morning on the Pug. Aside from one over confident plunge into soft snow resulting in an endo, I had a good round of laps on the local single track.
I also took a side trip down to a little cove on the lake. Right off the bike path, but plunging down down down to the water.
Pug
Got out for the first quality bike time in about 5 weeks. Met up with Wil @ City Market and we took a road / bike path / dirt road cruise to Shelburne Pond. I opted for the Pugs as conditions when I left were sketch, and I didn’t feel like the fixed gear with studs or trying 28s on the IF in the slop.
I bonked hard on our return leg. Pushing the Pugs on the road was easier than expected – but I also kept to the shoulder and stayed in the marginal snow / slop so Wil could have the good lines. At one point while I was struggling along he wondered why we were moving so slowly… until he pulled in behind me to enjoy the oatmeal / wet cement snow. Eventually I needed to even the playing field so I opted to get off the main road and take the bike path back to town. It was a pleasure on the Pugs. It was work on skinny tires. I cruised along (relatively) easily while Wil worked on his cross skills and cursed me a few times.
