However, the long range forecast for the weekend of 12/21-12/22 looked promising with a forecast high temperature above 40F. Bob Booth got in touch with me and asked me to put two populaires on the calendar for the weekend. I agreed and said I'd ride with him if the forecast stayed reasonably decent.
For the most part, weather forecasters can barely get tomorrow right some of the time so the forecast a week away needs to be viewed with a fair amount of skepticism but in this case they nailed it.
The morning of the 21st dawned quite cold, air temperature of about 24F but the forecast high was 43. Equally important, the winds were forecast to be "light and variable" and there wasn't a cloud in the sky so it looked like a good day. As an aside, it's funny how that first 40 degree day in September it's "too cold to ride" but 40 degrees in December is "wow, a warm spell! - let's ride".
In general, the roads were ice free with a slight layer of frost. At this time of year given that the sun stays low on the horizon and that it's hilly there are long stretches of road that never see the sun. Typically, in December these are sheets of ice and you either need studded tires or have to walk. on Saturday these could be ridden with care (no sudden moves, smooth pedaling, etc) and we managed them without difficulty.
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| At the start |
We rode over to Spring Green which is a mid-point for the populaire and had a nice leisurely breakfast at the general store before continuing on and finishing the ride. I'd recently made a route change for the ride that deleted the section after Spring Green that was wide open and generally westward (winds are normally either NW or SW so it's almost always a headwind) in favor of a slightly busier road that's more scenic and sheltered by pine trees on the south side of the road.
We finished the ride in 5:49 which was expected given the long lunch break and leisurely pace.
Overnight there was a lot of moisture in the air which turned into a heavy blanket of frost when the temperature dropped. It was a bit warmer in the morning (28 degrees) but the roads were coated with frost. We thought they might clear when it got warm but the ground is frozen hard enough that the places that don't get sun didn't melt at all despite the warmer air temperature.
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| Walking a frosty stretch |
Not a whole lot different on day 2 than the first day. Leisurely stop in Spring Green joined by Melissa and Marcia which made for a fun breakfast and a longer stop. The wind was a good bit stronger on Sunday out of the SW so the route change was appreciated even more. This plus the longer stop at Spring Green contributed to our 6:09 total time.
All in all, a fantastic couple of days riding!
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| Beautiful winter day |
