My only goal for this weekend was to spend two hours on the bike. I initially had intended to suffer through another long session in front of the TV as I burned calories but went absolutely nowhere, but when I woke up yesterday, the temps were around 30, snow was lightly falling and I decided it was a perfect day to get out the Rig and tool around the bike path for a roughly 21 mile snow excursion. My Gary Fisher Rig is a single speed mountain bike that I outfit with studded tires for winter riding (primarily commuting).
Almost immediately I realized it was going to take me the better part of two hours to do what I would normally do in just about half the time. The bike path in Sioux Falls had been plowed at one time in the last month, but several inches of snow were still on the path covering a lot of ice and even more footprints from runners that have been on the path over the last few weeks. It was slow going and it was quickly evident that legs and calories were going to burn as I diligently looked for the smartest path and exercised great patience at every corner for fear of having to pick myself up out of the snow.
It was very slow going with a lot of sections where I could barely muster eight miles per hour as I worked my way through the crusted footprints of other path users. There were a few sections where I could manage 13-14 mph over sections that had been wind blown, but they were very few. By the time I dragged myself home, I was absolutely exhausted, but knew that it was just the ride I needed.
I'm quickly approaching the six month to go point in my preparations for the Gutcheck 212 race this summer. I will suffer much more on that ride than I did yesterday, but it was a good ride for me to do at this point in the year. Road miles (of any sort) equal about twice the value of any trainer session or spin class (in my opinion) when it comes to practical application on the road. Not only that, but it's a heck of a lot more fun.
