Winter drags on

Another cold day, but at least the sun was out. I celebrated by not riding my bike. Again. So it goes. I did go running, which in an effort to stay warmer and somewhat fit, has been a thing I've done a fair amount of this winter. Also trying to be more well rounded. We'll see how that translates this spring...when that arrives...in about 18 weeks.

The really cool thing to look forward to--2:00 a.m., Sunday, March 14th, 2010.

Daylight savings time begins. At least then I can be cold in the fading light rather than strict darkness.
My glass is generally half full, so I will take that with a big smile.

On a side note, my vote for the team with possibly the longest name in my limited recollections:

Team Hotel San Jose/Mellow Johnny's Presented by Subaru-Gary Fisher

Really? No joke. read the edge of chair sitting details here:

http://velonews.competitor.com/2010/02/news/gary-fisher-mellow-johnnys-sponsor-hotel-san-jose-team_105969

the "presented by" thing has personally always annoyed me. Nothing personal against THSJ/MJ p/b S-GF. Just a pet peeve type thing. Seriously. How do you "present" a cycling team? why not just "sponsored by"? Perhaps there is a good explanation, which I would be somewhat interested to hear. I could go on, but I have done enough blathering already. Time to drink some really good ale I got as a gift. Good stuff. and strong. wow.

Saturday slush

I could go on about how generally crappy this winter has been but after hearing about what my cohorts from the rest of the country have been up to...I'll save it.

Reports range from cold and wet to freezing and snowing...again. For example, got word that a few areas of southern PA have over three feet of snow on the ground. Even as it melts it is hard to ride. No trails for sure, and the amount of road space, coupled with the sand/gravel/slush mix makes travel on a bike pretty sketchy at best.

So, despite it all, I have it better than the bulk of my non-local friends. (save for one report about a nice long run out in CA with temps near 70)

The great snowstorm of 2010 dumped a lot on us here in the DFW area. The official measurement was 12.5 inches. Wet, heavy stuff. Great for snowballs and snowmen (or snowpeople to be PC?) but not so good for driving or cycling. I normally like to drag the CX bike out in the snow for a winter ride, but this stuff was wet and deep, so I made the right choice and didn't even try.

Two days later and there is still a lot on the ground. Today was sunny and the warmth was nice, quite a treat considering how little it seems we have seen around here lately. Everything was melting. This meant the roads, mostly clear of snow now, were wet. Wet like they get when it rains heavy in a lot of spots. Some of the more major roads were dry for the most part, so I tried to stick to those that had the combo of low water content and low traffic volume.

I succeeded for the most part. I did fail to stay dry. Within about a mile my posterior was soaked, and conditions continued to decline from there. The sun helped, and the lack of wind kept things generally pleasant, so I tooled around for a couple hours and returned home with numb feet but a smile on my face. So I'll chalk this up as a good day for sure. I also encountered several instances in which drivers went out of their way to give me a break. And that will always make me smile.

Hopefully tomorrow brings more of the same.

Oh yeah... Texas road racing season is in full swing now. Just seems too early in the year. Especially when it has been a struggle to log serious time on the road consistently. And to hell with a trainer! Medieval torture that is.