15 February 2010

Snow+warm temps=Mud

Saturday was fun and snowy. Sunday was fun and really wet. The tarmac was dry, but I chose a path less traveled. I hit my double secret off-road training loop for a planned 2 hour ride. To say it was soggy out there would be an understatement. Once I got into the lower part of the loop, down by the river, the double track was so wet that the tires sank, literally, an inch into the soft ground.
I got all the way to the climb out, and I was unceremoniously stopped by what could be considered a small pond. It looked like a certain large, furry, dam building, semi-aquatic rodent had been at work at the normally placid stream crossing. Fuzzy little bastard forced me to backtrack...!
A big effort followed once I was back on the access road...according to the video camera timer, it was 10 minutes. Doesn't sound like much, but with 45 pounds of air in 700x40 tires, on a wet, sandy, chopped up farm track, it was plenty.
A quick pop onto Bluff took me around the stadium. I felt pretty good, so I turned up into the railroad yard and went as hard as I could until I ran into S. Beltline. It worked out to another 10 minute effort on what could be described as a poorly maintained service road. Thanks to CSX for my own, personal stretch of Hell.
Short spin home and that was that...well, not really...because of the softness of the ground, and my forced turnaround, it was 2:20 on the bike.
The Salsa was so disgusting that I was forced to load it up in the War Wagon and take it to the car wash. A quick hit with the high-pressure sprayer and it was back to it's former glory. VERY euro...
5 days on last week...today is a rest day...
Thinking about a dirt ride out through Blythewood and Ridgeway next weekend, if anyone is up for it....
Peace!

2 comments:

spokejunky said...

Saturday?

MM said...

Yeah, Saturday...I went out and rode in it! Did you? :)-