Will the wind ever stop?

Oh, so windy yet again. On the one hand it dries things out in a hurry, but it makes it so difficult to motivate to ride. It definitely 'enhances' (read: makes it more difficult) the work out. I guess thats what winter mileage is all about... some suffering to reflect on when you think things are bad in the summer time. Yeah that must be it, developing mental toughness.

Route: Dirty Bismark 1/29/12
Activity: Mountain Bike
Google Maps URL:
http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/76b1/9a3d/4f08/d9bb/Cyclemeter-MountainCycle-20120129-1115.kml
Started: Jan 29, 2012 11:15:35 AM
Ride Time: 1:52:13
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 20.40 miles
Average Speed: 10.91 mph
Fastest Speed: 44.56 mph
Ascent: 675 feet
Descent: 595 feet
http://www.cyclemeter.com

How windy?

It snowed yesterday?

It seems lame to ride the same circle 3 times a week but thats what's dry these days and mountain biking beats road biking every time! It was 29 with 80% relative humidity and snow yesterday. Today? Nice and dry!

Route: Dirty Bismark 1/25/12
Activity: Mountain Bike
Google Maps URL:
http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/76b1/9a3d/4f08/d9bb/Cyclemeter-MountainCycle-20120125-1428.kml
Started: Jan 25, 2012 2:28:23 PM
Ride Time: 1:45:29
Stopped Time: 3:49
Distance: 20.87 miles
Average Speed: 11.87 mph
Fastest Speed: 48.87 mph (what? no way!)
Ascent: 913 feet
Descent: 731 feet
http://www.cyclemeter.com

Awesome to be getting such quality time on my mountain bike.

High (and dry) Plains.

Nice and Dry

It was a balmy 45 this afternoon, no wind to speak of. The weather forecast says snow tomorrow so I better get out and take advantage of the dry conditions while I can:

Route: Dirty Bismark 1/23/12
Activity: Mountain Bike
Google Maps URL:
http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/76b1/9a3d/4f08/d9bb/Cyclemeter-MountainCycle-20120123-1406.kml
Started: Jan 23, 2012 2:06:40 PM
Ride Time: 1:51:59
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 20.54 miles
Average Speed: 11.00 mph
Fastest Speed: 35.70 mph
Ascent: 802 feet
Descent: 795 feet
http://www.cyclemeter.com

The Canyon's of Boulder County

I have only ridden up Left Hand Canyon one time, a few years ago, on a road bike. It was brutal, something like 19 miles of climbing up to Ward. Lots of traffic on a steep, winding road. Not an experience I cherished. I have started up Sunshine Canyon several times and routinely I ride to the end of the pavement. It's a nice, steep climb, and a 2 hour trip out and back. Four Mile Canyon involves riding up Boulder Canyon part way to get to Four Mile Canyon road. The bike path isn't maintained all the way to Four Mile Canyon Drive so it can be spotty in the winter time (like last week it was horrible when I did the Poorman loop).

I finally closed the Four Mile to Sunshine Canyon loop through Gold Hill:

Route: Four Mile To Sunshine 1/14/12
Activity: Cycle
Google Maps URL:
http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/76b1/9a3d/4f08/d9bb/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20120114-1128.kml
Started: Jan 14, 2012 11:28:24 AM
Ride Time: 2:56:37
Stopped Time: 5:40
Distance: 25.42 miles
Average Speed: 8.64 mph
Fastest Speed: 49.35 mph
http://www.cyclemeter.com

It looks like there was a GPS issue with my phone. I'm sure it struggled since an iPhone depends on a cell signal to help with GPS accuracy. There has to be more than 3 miles missing from that data. I have a Garmin 205. Maybe I need to dig it out and charge it up for riding up canyons without cell coverage.

The weather was warm. Everything around me said 'It's March!' Except my leg's reminded me it's still January.

While I was riding up Four Mile Canyon the only comparison I could come up with was this brutal hill in the Bailey Hundo. It's about the same length, in the 8 mile range, has similar elevation, roughly 2800 feet of climbing, but in the Hundo it comes at mile 80 (D'oh!). I was trying to think of a ride combo that would come close to approximating that agony and I think I found a route. Super Walker (ride up Flagstaff to Walker Ranch and do a lap or 2) back down to Four Mile Canyon up and through Gold Hill and Down Sunshine Canyon home. That should be in the 60+ mile range with 6000+ feet of climbing. Maybe my leg's will be in shape by May when Walker Ranch will be rideable again. Stay tuned!

Snowbike

Yesterday I commented that I wished it would dry out or get cold. I guess I got 1/2 my wish. The high temperature today was just after midnight at about 30F. I don't know when the snow started but at 7, when we were all up this morning, it started really coming down. We met Megan at the South Side Walnut Cafe after her workout for a 'late start' breakfast. While we were in the Cafe more than an inch of snow piled up on our bikes.

It was big fluffy flakes of the best Colorado powder and it was starting to accumulate.

I checked the snow report to see that Eldora was reporting 5 inches overnight and Still snowing! Too bad Jack and I already had plans for a ski day Thursday.

No skiing? I guess I'll go mountain biking:

Route: Snowbike 1/11/12
Activity: Cycle
Google Maps URL:
http://maps.google.com/?q=http://share.abvio.com/76b1/9a3d/4f08/d9bb/Cyclemeter-Cycle-20120111-1412.kml
Started: Jan 11, 2012 2:12:15 PM
Ride Time: 1:36:51
Stopped Time: 0:00
Distance: 13.78 miles
Average Speed: 8.54 mph
Fastest Speed: 21.81 mph
Ascent: 544 feet
Descent: 413 feet
http://www.cyclemeter.com

It was fun and very challenging. I crashed a couple of times but it was like wiping out on a snowboard or ski's, all fluffy and cold.

It was quiet and still. It was really nice. It is not that often you can go to a place like the Marshall Mesa Trailhead and be all alone on the trail. Most of the way there weren't any footprints (other than the cows and coyotes).

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Posted By dave to Boulder on the fly at 1/11/2012 08:30:00 PM