Making the best of what we have

Oh how my options have changed.  Starting to ramp things up a little now,  the first big race is still a long ways away but  time flies.   This is a great time to start getting my head back into focused training sometime going out in conditions that I really don’t want to be in or doing things that I know I don’t realy enjoy but want the benefits.   Normally in the winter I spend as much time xc skiing as possible and fill in the down time with downhill skiing and of course squeezing the throtle of my snowmobile.   Ok so the last one doesn’t qualify as a workout but you ever want to screw with people on strava.   With not enough snow yet for xc skiing I started out with some quality road miles and that had me thinking back to winter riding in previous years.   We were a tougher breed a few years ago when our infamous Man Ride challenge was on.   About 9 years ago a few of the root AWI Racing members used to try and one-up each other riding in colder, winder or down ride stormy conditions to try and out man the next guy.   I’ve had a few -15 two hour rides at night.   It took 20 minutes to get dressed putting layer over layer hoping you got the right combo of clothing.   You usually knew with in 20 minutes.   You either over did it, started sweating then got cold and went home or just got cold and went home.   Then you would have those perfect days where you are perfect and it’s an amazing time in the crisp air.   Now all I do is turn up my blue tooth controlled heated foot beds and put a set of hot pockets in my xc skiing lobster claw mitts.  So much easier now to get it right, still take 15 minutes to get dressed.    Saturday had a crazy wind coming off Georgian Bay, rule one, always start into the wind during those cold rides.  Made my way up to Severn Bridge on upper big chute road.  Super popular riding route and with clear roads I was kinda disapointed that I didn’t see another cyclist.  The minus 3 and 30km/h winds might have been a factor.  In to the wind, top of the cassette, tail wind found the bottom.   It actually was an amzing 40km ride.   

If you are wondering gravel tires do work on ice, sort of   Had a couple holy shit moments.  

Sunday was yet anther 2 wheeled fun day.  So I’m still in full denial that I actually am enjoying it but a great two hour fat bike ride in Copeland forest.   I will still pick on fat bikes, I’m still not fully admitting that I own a fat bike. Shhh, don’t tell anyone i won a fat bike.   There is a time and place for it and today happened to be that time and place.  

The difference between endurance pace, tempo and race pace on a fat bike is .01 km/h    Brakes are not needed either, just stop pedalling.   It does have some perks though, there was no way that i could have ridden the trails today on a normal mountain bike. Busting through unpacked trails can be amusing.   2 hours of, well not fast riding, was way better than being on the trainer.   We saw a few people out xc skiing, it looked horrible.  Yes I am looking for a justified answer of owning a fat bike.    Getting back into a routine, it takes a little bit but for the first time in a few years I’m excited.  I found that fire and drive again.  That competative spark is coming back.