The Holiday ride thread. :)

[Christophe Noel]

Holidays are sometimes a great time to ride...if you can get away from the couch, food, and family for an hour or two. Anyone else plan on getting in some holiday rides this season?

We're visiting my wife's family in exotic Lincoln, Nebraska. I took the opportunity to ride the MOPAC trail, which is a 25 mile long rails to trails route. Usually, that would be pretty boring. However, added weather made it a challenge.

Wind: Gusts to 35mph
Temp: High of 24 degrees
Miles: 63





It was brutal. Brutal. Really Brutal. Wind chill was somewhere around zero.

 

[ThomD]

I"m a wuss. It was 45 and foggy on Sunday, so I spent 3 hours with Coach Troy. Too cold outside for me.

 

[Rallyroo]

I've been biking on the bike path along the beaches. It's a great time in the season because there are basically no pedestrians on the bike path (signs everywhere that say NO PEDESTRIANS ALLOWED. Runners, roller bladers, etc, are ok though.) Slow pedestrians have their dedicated walkway, but they seem to like to walk 4-5 people wide across the entire bike path instead. I tend to do a leisurely round trip of 30-40 miles.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Today was a biggie!

85.7 miles on rural gravel roads around Lincoln, Nebraska. Temps in the low 40s. Moderate winds.

The roads were frozen when I started out which was awsome. Once they started to thaw my 'cross tires were sinking significantly into the fine gravel. That sucked, but it was way better than pushing in couch cushions. I burned roughly 4200 calories. Bring on the Christmass cookies!

 

[thecriscokid]

I am currently eating Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter by the spoonful without guilt. Rode 2 hrs+ today in the lightest snow. Mostly climbing until I froze on the one decent. It was 23F in the valley before I climbed out. Just back roads, some dirt. I don't want to think about the wind chill on my descent. I just got a trainer for my wife and I. It just looked really boring today.
Christophe, 63 miles in the mid 20's is BRUTAL. Good on ya! What are you wearing on your feet?


Still not sure why people want to hunt cows...

 

[fairweather]

Independence Pass outside of Aspen, they run snow cat tours up there so it gets packed out enough to ride a fatty. 38 miles, 4k vert and killer scenery. Last mile or so was hike a bike, just too deep and it is the steepest part.

 

[Christophe Noel]

Christophe, 63 miles in the mid 20's is BRUTAL. Good on ya! What are you wearing on your feet?..

The cold wasn't as evil as the gusts to 35 mph. I had two "wind dabs." You know it's windy when it forces a foot down. On my feet I'm wearing Pearlizumi Barrier GTX winter shoes. They did okay, but I still had cold toes the last hour. I think I am going to try the new Shimano winter shoes next.

You Colorado boys are tough!

 

[jaygoss]

Evergreen Mountain in Evergreen, CO (Alderfer 3 Sisters' Park). Short loop (about an hour riding time) but enough for me to once again say, "I love living in Colorado!". This was my first time in packed snow- I figured out it's more of a finesse thing than anything. Slow and steady in the granny gear going up and stay loose coming down.

 

[Flagster]

All these cold weather rides had me shivering...I do love a snowy ride on my cross bike but usually when the cold starts blowing here in Flagstaff...I head 30 min down the canyon to some warm red rock riding in Sedona...