Good grief

The morning newspaper reports that the last time we experienced a temperature of 70 degrees here was October 11.  Which without necessarily checking the log indicates to me that it has been nearly 6 months since the last time I had a hard ride.

Today's efforts rather conclusively established that my fitness regime since then has been . . . well, insufficient.

Ride report?  Good grief, that was hard.

The first ride of the year is always a bit of a scramble/scavenger hunt.  I have all of the gear and it is all somewhere here in this house but locating all of the appropriate bits is the scavenger hunt bit.  The clothing is mostly in one spot, the shoes somewhere else, which socks, the helmet somewhere else, which pair of gloves, glove liners? helmet liner, which jacket is the appropriate one for the conditions.  Next up comes the test equipment scramble phase.  I needed a new battery for the cycle computer and I had to pump the tires.  I had a spare battery on hand (I am cyclist, hear me roar) although as most will know a new battery calls for complete reprogramming of the computer, and I do, of course, have about three options for pumping the tires.  There was also just a tiny bit of a panic before I located the water bottles.  It is perhaps worth noting that on last year's first ride I was about 3.5 miles from home before I realized that a) I would be wanting a drink at the 5 mile mark and b) I didn't actually have any water with me.

I chose gear that figured to be too warm at 70 and the results at the cattle barn demonstrated the wisdom of that choice.

Besides everything else there is still plenty of snow visible there on the north (sheltered from the sun) side of the barn.  It turns out that the official temperature may fall just shy of 70 (I heard 68 on the car radio when I was traveling to and from the grocery store) but I am still calling 70, we had 71 on our front yard digital outside measurement FM signal delivery to an inside display (popularly referred to I believe as indoor/outdoor) thermometer.  70 it is.

The gear worked out well as I had a no perspiration no chills ride, exactly what every cyclist aspires to, particularly at this time of year.

The ride had been going so poorly up to that moment pictured above at the CB that I was actually really pleased with myself to have persevered well enough to reach the Fairgrounds.  On the route I rode today I was nearly 8 miles out when I arrived at the Cattle Barn.

I am the local chronicler of all things Fairgrounds so I today report the on going construction establishing the new location for that welcome to the State Fair arch that there has been such a fuss about.

The arch is visible there just beyond the new posts upon which I assume it will be mounted.  Most people will recognize the jumping off point for the Skyride.  All of that Heritage Square business that used to be to the left of the Skyride has been demolished and replaced with a pretty heavy duty construction site.

The scuttlebutt is that a new transportation hub and welcome to the Fairgrounds center is what is being constructed there.

I took the short way home from there.

The first day is the hardest and the first day is now behind me.  I expect the second day to be at least easier, maybe not a lot, but at least easier.  And I don't expect my shoulders to feel so completely unused to the position as they felt today.  But mostly I rode as far as I possibly could, occasionally feeling as though I couldn't continue for even another pedal stroke.  Perhaps not too surprisingly as exhaustion approached I uncannily began to feel a certain rhythm settling in.  I have done this before.

Worst winter ever now will not end

I opened up my bike log today.  Not because I had any entry to make or anything like that.  I just wanted to confirm the stinking suspicion that I have that this spring is already well on its dangerous way to being as bad as last spring.

Two years ago I rode 252 miles in MARCH.  Last year I rode 164 in April.  Last April I got my first ride in on the 8th but the second did not come until the 24th.

Here are a few entries from between those two dates:

9th: rain and snow mix
10th: snow
11th: lots of snow
12th: flurries
13th: rain and snow
14th: morning snow
18th: 6 more inches
19th: more like 8
22nd: another 6 inches

Beginning last evening and ending this morning we got about a foot here.

Before it all started yesterday we had a bare rear deck and could see most of the back yard.

*sigh*

It melted pretty fast today though and we at least have a useable driveway.  At least until the next event.

Just as the fun was getting underway yesterday one of the  children living in the neighborhood was using the unusual combination of still warm street and just beginning to accumulate sticky snow to inscribe messages in the roadway.

And she was right, great is what we WERE doing.

Perhaps we will be doing great again soon.

Spreading the news

Photo taken by my brother Jim.

At the reception following the wedding of my daughter Emily.

My wife is also posting some photos at her Facebook page.

We are all pretty happy over here right now.

Gophers had three captains at the game tonight

Only one was on the ice.

But there were two more present in the fan base.  That's Andrea Martin's captain's jersey from I think 2007 on the left in maroon and Ronda Curtin's captain's jersey from 2003 on the right in black.  Note:  Neither is a replica, both are authentic game worn gear.

Tonight:  Minnesota 5, Boston U 1.  Hat trick by Kelly Terry.

Two time defending national champion Gophers advance to this year's Frozen Four with a record of 86-1-1 in their last 88 games.

Plus two

Absolute stone cold horrible fierce winter up through and including Saturday.

Sunday?  DST.

Two days later?  This DST thing takes some adjustment.  For example the photo below was taken just after 7PM.  It seems like only a day or two ago when night began at 4PM, now it is still light at 7.  Well, who would have ever believed THAT.  You can see the sunset making the branches of the neighbor's tree glow red in the dying of the light.

It is quite heartening what a couple of days of the sun at this angle and above average temperatures can wreak.  I hadn't until yesterday seen a single square inch of the concrete of my driveway since the most recent rain turning to snow freezing to all of the pavement within a 50 mile radius and then accumulating 10 inches snownami.

Today?  Well, one of my touchstones for beginning the bicycle season has always been that I need to be able to get from my garage to the street on bare pavement.  Not quite there yet, but pretty darn close.

First day of DST

Bicycling!

Well, some bicycling content.  I sat at my computer and prepared the template for BikeLog14.  I did not actually get out and ride.

But all kidding aside, it WAS a nice day, a day on which the spell is clearly broken.  The feeling out there today gives clear notice that there will be at least a few days this calendar year without snow on the ground.

The sooner the better.

More of the story

As reported at GopherSports.com:

"By now, you've probably seen the video -- Gopher men's hockey fan Adam Martin brought a clever sign to Minnesota's Feb. 14 (Valentine's Day) game vs. Michigan, only to find he and his younger sister on the Mariucci Arena Kiss Cam.

Video of the event was posted on the Gophers' YouTube account and quickly went viral, garnering over 12 million views in the first week and was featured in dozens of international media outlets, including the Today Show, Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, and many more.

Gopher Digital Productions sat down with Martin, a Minneapolis resident, during a recent Gophers practice at Mariucci Arena to hear the story behind the sign."

And now you know the rest of the story. *(Paul Harvey reference which is a reference only the more shall we say life experienced of potential readers will recognize.)

In actual hockey news tonight the Gophers scored FOUR goals in 57 seconds, fairly obviously a new school record for fastest four goals, en route to a tidy 7-1 victory over Saint Cloud State to advance to the WCHA Final Face Off, the finals of the conference tournament.