while some others out there would have you believe that i have disappeared from the cycling world and crawled into a dark corner to hibernate away the winter i am here to tell you its just not so!
some members of the Darkhorse singlespeed (see above) gang have been gathering to stroke out the miles thru the crusty snow and brave icy stewart pave but i have had other ideas...
on sunday after taking care of some family stuff i found myself with an afternoon, sun shining and a high temp of around 18 degrees. hmmmm, what to do?
the old trusty road steed had been hanging upside down since christmas. neglected and unloved. little air in the tires and she was good as new. bundle on the layers, fire up the ipod, fill a bottle and i'm out the door.
5 minutes in and i'm climbing thru some rolling rockland county back roads. legs feel good, cold air is burning the lungs as they adjust.
15 minutes in and i'm rolling along trying to come up with a route. just making turns that feel right at this point. climb some, spin some. body warms up, legs feel loose, widespread plays on the ipod.
cars pass, get an occasional glance from a passenger or driver. close call with a side mirror of a van. they dont even notice. i grab a bigger piece of the road avoiding the slushy mesh and the deep potholes on the shoulder.
35 minutes in i roll thru the empty streets of an orthodox neighborhood while matisyahu raps it out dancehall style. i giggle at the irony. the cold has apparently seeped into my brain.
there is nothing else out here on the road. just the pedals turning, steady cadence, nice tempo ride. build the base back up. no big ring hammering. climb steady, long and gradual thru the rolling hills. dont head out to the steep ones. save those for later. soon enough.
55 minutes in and trying to figure out where to go for another hour. pick a direction and head that way. no grand plan just spin. no economic crisis out here, no work stress, no obligations, no deadlines, just turn the pedals. rage comes on the ipod. pick up the cadence a little to keep in time.
1:35 climbing toward home. couple gradual climbs and then a short punchy one. keep it steady and feel pretty good. watch for glass and road debris. hands and toes cold. dont want to have to stop to fix a flat.
1:55 cold has seeped thru. almost home. coast the descent past the middle school and my loop doubles back on itself.
Home 30 miles in the books. gotta get warm.
and so it begins or it continues depending on where you start and or finish. almost febuary and soon the days will get longer and lighter and warmer. next thing you know we will be towing the line at the local races or heading south to test the legs in the mountains.
