Balmy!

This morning was much warmer. I'm a bit conflicted though. The warmer weather makes the sidewalks and roads a bit more slick. I was fish-tailing and sliding all over the place. Once the snow is gone, no big deal... but for now, I think I'd prefer below freezing temps.

Day 3 Weather Report

Rode today. Colder yet. No wind but very crisp to say the least. I braved the sidewalks because the streets haven't been plowed so they are far to slippery for my taste. I tried to ride on them yesterday and I almost died 3 or 4 times.



How many work days are there in a year? Approx. 261. So, if I ride my bike every day. I've been going about 2 blocks out of the way to work so that makes the distance right at 1 mile. That would mean I ride a total of 522 miles just to work. That's not too bad. I wish I had a longer commute now.

Except on days like today. It's cold...

Another Cold One

I didn't ride today, instead, I walked. It took about 15 minutes and it's cold. There is definitely a nip in the air. The weather states this will be the last of the cold stint for a while. The rest of the week looks like it's going to be in the 20s and 30s.

I didn't get a chance to ride all weekend. The cold weather and snow and slippery conditions hindered my wants. Good weather will come soon enough but definitely not soon enough if you know what I mean.

10 Degrees

That was the temp this morning on my ride. 22 mile per hour winds with gusts over 30. -10 is the temp with the wind chill. I rode. Yes I did, I rode my bike. It was swell. I need better gloves and a better cover for my ears. Other than that, if I would have had to go any distance, I would have been over dressed.



Ride your bike!

Been A While

I'm a bad blogger. I guess I won't be getting any bloggeriffic awards. Not that I was shooting for that anyway. My content sucks.

It's been hard to keep up with this now. My new job is taking alot of time to settle in and there is tons of work to be done. Apparently when you have 3 designers and about 2000 employees and 750,000 customers, there's plenty to do. It's really good so far and I feel I made the right move. My days are full and I ride my bike to work each and every day. The communications department has even considered writing a story on my biking adventures.

I do work for an energy company and I'm very impressed with the amount of environmental work they do. They definately try to offset their foot print the best they can. The promote many environmental issues as well as alternate transportation, weatherizing your house, etc. It's really a great company from the inside out.

So far out of the 8 days I've worked there, I've biked every day but one. That day I had something going on where I needed a vehicle. However, I found out today they have company vehicles I can use if I need to drive somewhere and I ride my bike. I have the best parking spot. Right by the front door.

Oli's hungry so I'll conclude with...

Ride your bike!

Kona Dawg

Does anyone want to buy a 2006 Kona Dawg frame and rear shock? 20" frame, grey in color with a fox vanilla R coil rear shock. In good shape, normal wear and tear, few scratches... I'm wanting $300 for it. Make offer. It will be going on ebay soon.

pictures

Day 1

My new year set off on a good note. Angie, myself and Oli made a trip up to Sturgis to see the in-laws. We spend a little time sledding down a nicely groomed, slick trail we constructed out of a couple weeks snow. It was extremely fast and never-the-less fun path. A couple of berms were constructed to make a once straight trail curvy. I took Oli for a couple of runs. He never cracked a smile and although he ended up with a face full of snow on the second run he never cried. I'm proud of my little dude.

After everyone went in, Chassis (the dog) and I went out on a short but exhilarating snow biking adventure. We only traveled a few hard earned miles in the snow and ice packed ground. I realize that I have a very over geared single speed bike that isn't well suited for the harshness of the snow pack. It was not easy, but the ride was fun. I snapped a couple of pictures that I will post tomorrow.

I feel excited about the upcoming year. The year I will train and the year I will ride more and also the year I plan to succeed in my endurance races. Leadville is my primary goal although I'm starting to second guess my challenge. I haven't yet sent in my application. The $250 price tag really holds me back. The race is very challenging and will take months of preparation. I have the motivation but again, the high price of the race and cost of travel expenses is not something we really need to worry about. If I had more disposable income the race wouldn't be out of reach, however I should make sacrifices and Leadville might wait another year.

The Laramie enduro is not out of reach. It's a shorter race, still 70 miles, but the entry fee is much less and travel would be half as far as Leadville. Training will still be required which I am prepared for. I also want to do much much better at the Dakota 5-0 which will fit right in with my training. I feel sad that I may not participate at Leadville but also relieved I won't be adding the extra expense on a frivolous adventure.

To a year full of adventures, biking and pursuits. Bring 2009 on, I'm ready!