Training Race #2 - BUST!

I awoke at 7 am today to assess the weather and was, to say the least, skeptical. I walked outside and slid my foot on the walk...slick. Nope, probably won't be a race today. So I called up Howard to tell him as much and he decided not to make the drive down from the Flathead. I made breakfast and waited for the confirmation email. I felt a little like Paul Revere waiting for a sign. Then the phone rang, it was Twohig, wondering, had I heard? Then Kyle buzzed in and confirmed, " the race is on!" Really? So I got ready and headed to MBW to see quite the crowd. I thought that it must be so, but as soon as I got inside I heard from Jed that the race was officially off. Too much ice on the road in Clinton for a safe race.

So here we are, twenty plus of us all decked out in our lycra and dressed for the cold, and for what? No matter, we'll all just go out for a training ride then! So after an hour or so of waiting for the latecomers, we decided to head out to Frenchtown to get a few salvaged miles in. I think that there were 16 of us total as we rolled up Higgins and onto the ICY pedestrian bridge. I wasn't even down off of the bridge and the group was around the corner, and noticeably hauling tail! I wasn't even sure I had a pulse yet! Oh well.

Seems all this adrenaline from prepping for the race and worrying about ice on the roads made some of the guys (and gals) a little antsy, so like a 2 year old filly, they were out of the gate and moving! So I guessed that this would be a good training ride, and it was.

The weather got colder and more windy as we made our way to the Wye. Nadia (NRO) and I decided to head out to the Mill and back home as I was really beginning to rethink my choice of even coming out here in the first place. We came back in at 30 miles, not quite frostbitten, and you can be sure I'll be counting all of my teammates' fingers and toes the next time that I ride with them.

So if that sounds like something fun to try, we're meeting again tomorrow, Le Petit, noon. Come on out and give it a whirl. Just be sure to dress appropriately and carry your emergency contact info, next-of-kin, you know, the essentials!

Big Thanks to Brent Ruby for the Pic!