Desperately seeking spring time

My usual routine at this time of year is to dress for what I think the weather is but then take a couple of miles in the neighborhood to be sure I am properly dressed before getting too far from home. Today for the second time in the last three days I found myself back at home after only a couple of miles.

I needed a different under helmet cap, the one that covers my ears. And I needed warmer gloves. I keep expecting it to be warm and that cold wind keeps blowing.

I rode into Saint Paul again and this time made my turn at Grand and Snelling (which coincidentally also seems to be the top of a hill). Riding through the college campus located there I discovered that on this quintessentially vernal holiday I was not the only one desperately seeking spring time.It may have been warm enough in the very, very occasional moments when the sun broke through but these college students are completely wrong about today. They are acting like it is finals week or something.

News from France: The spring classics continued today with Paris-Roubaix, the Queen of the Classics. Defending champion Tom Boonen of Quick Step successfully dodged crashes which eliminated one contender after another and won the race for third time, joining a list of luminaries from the sport including the likes of Eddy Merckxx, who have won the Hell of the North three times. Only one rider, Roger De Vlaeminck, has won four times.

News from Finland: US beats Canada to win women's hockey world title. The team includes some familiar faces for us, three players and an assistant coach from this year's UofM team. I found the website where the game was being streamed live and TOPWLH and I watched the last women's hockey game of the year. Count us as pleased with the results.