WTF #1

Can you identify this image?  Is it...

A) The notorious "fleshtone unitard?"

B) A disturbing never-before-seen Deliverance outtake?

C) The winner of the coveted green polka-dot jersey for exceptional navigational skills racing home from the awards ceremony at Chelsy's?

Correct entries will be entered into a drawing for a free bike tuneup at MRDBS, no warrantees expressed or implied.

Chris

Munday Funday

I woke up this morning to perfect winter riding conditions - 1" of fresh powder, 20F temps, and brilliant sunshine.

So I fueled up with a cup of espresso and an ample slice of fresh home-made apple pie, saddled up, and spent the next three hours laying down the very first tracks on both sides of the lake.

Since I got back four hours ago it has been snowing non-stop. After lunch I took Sydney and the girls over to the lake for short hike and a romp on the ice. Conditions were perfect for ice formation last week - wicked cold, no wind, no precipitation - and the result is optically clear and pefectly smooth.  Kirk was skating on Saturday (before the snow) and said he could see the fish moving under the ice as he skated over them.  

It's 3:30 now and still snowing and I think the riding conditions might be even better than this morning. I think I just might...throw this morning's wet clothes in the dryer......and head out to do it again.

Skin in the Game (but not Exposed)

Temps during last nights ride fell through -14C. That is a mere 259 degrees above absolute zero - the hypothetical and physically unattainable point at which all molecular motion stops. Seven riders seized this rare opportunity to test the limits last night. Some highlights:

• One rider (the first one to put skin in the game) ironically turned out with absolutely no skin exposed (chickenhead and ski goggles). Oh, and wearing a Steelers Jersey.  
• Our digital thermometer that was strapped to the handlebars of our team meteorologist froze up early into the ride. How a digital thermometer "freezes up" is beyond me but one would suppose it has something to do with the cold.    
• The fleshtones were reportedly in use but this time as an under layer, not an outer layer. Probably best for all concerned.
• No ride of this nature is complete without a crash. It the entrail delivered for us mid-ride with a very loud thud. The victim swears it was a soft landing but I assure you the ground was not soft last night - perhaps the extra clothing or the numbing cold was a mitigating factor.

And as predicted, the first 10 minutes did really suck (ok, maybe the first 15) but it is still amazing how the body acclimates and you reach a point where you could seemingly ride 

indefinitely in  that stuff - it is actually the stopping that becomes the problem.  

At any rate we seized on the opportunity and now the polar express is departing and leaving behind some prime grade-A riding conditions for next week (teens at night, low 30s during the day).  That doesn't suck even a little.

Clarity from the Cloud

I recently added a tag cloud to the mo7s blog. This triggered some observations which I think are pretty interesting:

Race is by far the most frequently used tag with 26 postings.  We are neither terribly frequent nor terribly successful at racing so this is very odd.  Apparently we just like to talk about it, I guess that makes us "enthusiasts."

Debauchery is pretty big with our crew, but Dave (19) and Jim (18) are each way ahead of debauchery (13).  Of course we have multiple daves (at least 4) and multiple jims (at least 2) so I suppose there is some tag teaming going on here.  Debauchery is safe for now.

Crash is pretty big (19), but I think that is mostly older postings from when we felt immortal. Few of us feel that way anymore (I sure don't).

Politics just has 1 posting, but that's probably a good thing.  No religion yet but just a matter of time I am sure.

Fleshtone Tights (1) doesn't display as prominently as it should.  Whoever has them (you know who your are and so do we), maybe those puppies should come out for a reunion tour?

Chelsy's (13) equals debauchery (13).  I think that should be our new motto.

Chris

P.S. We need to crank up a Chelsy's ride before too long so we can test our new motto.  Maybe next week once temps moderate a little because I know that some of you Nancies don't like the cold.

A Potent Combination

Do you know what this means?  

It's from Accuweather and it means the days of constant rain and sloppy trails are coming to an end and that next week we'll be zipping along on firm dry singletrack again!

And not a moment too soon because I for one have been in a nasty tailspin since Thanksgiving. The crappy weather has seriously limited any riding opportunities and I personally filled the void with a potent combination of cookies, eggnog, and Wii Sports. Nothing to be proud of there.  

But opportunity for redemption is on the way.

Consider this to be your official heads-up that some really prime grade-A winter riding conditions are around the corner.   Ask any of the regulars who rode through the last few winters, and they will tell you that yes it can be a push to get yourself out of the house and into the cold after dinner, but I don't think anyone ever came back from one of those rides wishing they had stayed home instead.  

Ever.  

Go ahead and ask around. 

Because the cold really isn't a factor if you're dressed right and the engine has been stoked for 5 minutes or so.  The riding is awesome and it is really rewarding to be playing outside in conditions that most people find completely intimidating and debilitating.  

Get pumped!  Don't be debilitated!

Chris

P.S. Snow is in the forecast for Saturday so stay close to your email in case we rally a last minute snow ride.  The snowy forecast also bodes well for the Sunday morning ride, 9am as usual.  

Positive Attitude

Three things.

#1 - Don't you admire this gal's attitude?  I mean like, I really dig bikes but she is really over the top.  

#2 - A couple of us plan to hit the trails tonight if we are lucky enough to get some snow.  We are keeping it fairly loose since the forecast is for snow changing to "wintry mix" sometime tonight.  We are suckers for snow but not for wintry mix.  If we go it would be sometime between 6:00pm and 9:00pm.  Let me know if you are interested and I'll be sure to keep you in the loop.  

#3 - Performance is running a pretty good sale right now on tools, clothes, components, accessories, bikes, etc (basically everything).  I was just over there and even got a 10% lunchtime discount on top of the sale price - a $40 chain cost me about a nickel.  Plus I got to rap with a new mechanic who custom built his fixed gear bike with "offset cranks" to solve a knee pain problem (Rob I will have to kick this one around with you).  

If you are in for #1 then you should probably keep it to yourself.  However if you are in for #2 you need to let me know promptly.

Chris

Solo Opportunity

Today's ride was solo so offered an opportunity to document some of the iconic images on my way out to the bonus loop (ok so "iconic" may be overstating it a little but you get the point).  Sub-20 degree overnight temperatures made for wicked fast trails.  Brilliant sunshine was the icing on the cake.   Sometime soon I'll round this out with a photo tour of the west side of the lake including the under-appreciated white trail.

Trivia: see if you can identify the location of the middle top row image (clue is in the background).  

This was also a great opportunity for me to get acquainted with my new bike with the big wheels. We are getting along famously!