I've still got the bike love. Lately, I've been genuinely worried about it fading. I mean, these things happen. I rode a bicycle across the country in 2003 and then barely touched it for the next two years. This past summer, with three months solely focused on mountain bike training and a 2,700-mile jaunt down the Continental Divide, was pretty much the bike binge to end all bike binges. I've been admittedly bipolar about the activity ever since. But snowbiking brought me out of my first bike funk; who knows, maybe it can happen again.
This is what it looked like when I woke up in the morning. I'm still sick, sore throat and the like, but when you have a free morning and a date with your favorite snow bike, these things just don't seem to matter.
I hit up the Lake Creek trail. The gate's still closed, the snow's still shallow and the muskeg definitely isn't completely frozen yet, but the trail was surprisingly rideable up to the first meadow.
The thing about snowbiking that really makes it for me is the downhilling, picking a line and kicking up powder as the squishy tires hold true to an unseen surface. It's a blissfully weightless feeling, a bit like snowboarding, except for with Pugsley I can hit the flats, the dirt, the pavement, and keep on rolling.
Another thing about snowbiking that makes it for me is of course, the snow. Seriously, how can anyone be grumpy in a scene like this? You almost expect carolers to come out from behind the trees and sing "Winter Wonderland" as reindeer prance about.
I haven't been keeping track of my mileage for a good long while, partly because I fear how low the numbers might me, and partly because I don't have working odometers on either of my bikes, and I no longer have a boyfriend who is willing to do small tasks like ordering and installing odometers for a girlfriend who is truly, unforgivably lazy when it comes to optional (and non-optional) bike maintenance. But I do want to start tracking my effort, because I do want to enter a couple of snowbike races in 2010, and I want to be strong and tough and maybe even fast during those races. And I also want to climb mountains, snowshoe run, snowboard, learn to ski, and bomb downhill on my Pugsley.
Either way, I think it's going to be a good winter.
I've still got the bike love. Lately, I've been genuinely worried about it fading. I mean, these things happen. I rode a bicycle across the country in 2003 and then barely touched it for the next two years. This past summer, with three months solely focused on mountain bike training and a 2,700-mile jaunt down the Continental Divide, was pretty much the bike binge to end all bike binges. I've been admittedly bipolar about the activity ever since. But snowbiking brought me out of my first bike funk; who knows, maybe it can happen again.
This is what it looked like when I woke up in the morning. I'm still sick, sore throat and the like, but when you have a free morning and a date with your favorite snow bike, these things just don't seem to matter.
I hit up the Lake Creek trail. The gate's still closed, the snow's still shallow and the muskeg definitely isn't completely frozen yet, but the trail was surprisingly rideable up to the first meadow.
The thing about snowbiking that really makes it for me is the downhilling, picking a line and kicking up powder as the squishy tires hold true to an unseen surface. It's a blissfully weightless feeling, a bit like snowboarding, except for with Pugsley I can hit the flats, the dirt, the pavement, and keep on rolling.
Another thing about snowbiking that makes it for me is of course, the snow. Seriously, how can anyone be grumpy in a scene like this? You almost expect carolers to come out from behind the trees and sing "Winter Wonderland" as reindeer prance about.
I haven't been keeping track of my mileage for a good long while, partly because I fear how low the numbers might me, and partly because I don't have working odometers on either of my bikes, and I no longer have a boyfriend who is willing to do small tasks like ordering and installing odometers for a girlfriend who is truly, unforgivably lazy when it comes to optional (and non-optional) bike maintenance. But I do want to start tracking my effort, because I do want to enter a couple of snowbike races in 2010, and I want to be strong and tough and maybe even fast during those races. And I also want to climb mountains, snowshoe run, snowboard, learn to ski, and bomb downhill on my Pugsley.
Either way, I think it's going to be a good winter.
Just brilliant! The game of nature outthere and you as a player playing at playground. Beautiful. Good luck with it all!
ReplyDeletei think the fun of riding a pug will keep you biking!,how you feel about snow biking is how i feel about riding on the beach,the pug has rekindled my intrest in cycling,
ReplyDeleteIf this series of photos is any indication...you will have a wonderfully fun winter. The pics are stunning.
ReplyDeleteAs for your riding itself...you'll be strong and tough whether you track miles or not. I used to be a fanatic about keeping track of that stuff. I even had a color coded spread sheet that I used to keep track of time in each training zone. It became tedious!
Enjoy your Sundays with Pugs :)
Pick up one of the little Garmin bike gps/odometer things. I'm not a bells and whistles kinda guy and bought their low end unit (205 I think). Way more info than I need. All you do is attach the mount to the h-bar or stem with zip ties. Poof done. Buy a mount for each bike and switch the unit. No wheel size changes as its gps based. Life's simple.
ReplyDeleteYou don't even need a camera Jill... you words paint a beautiful picture in my mind. Your talent is unlimited, on and off your bike, skies, snowshoes and feet. Your writing is poetry and diary all in one.
ReplyDeleteJust hear those gears a turning,
ReplyDeleteand uphill churning it, too.
Come on it's lovely weather
for a bike ride together with you!
...its going to be a good winter for me too.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me how much i LOVE snow shoeing. Now for it to just get cold here finally...(I'm not in AK! :))
I can do that. Do you need a boyfriend?
ReplyDeleteSestsium
Beautiful pics of the snow.
ReplyDeleteTrack your hours not miles. All you need is a watch. Training hours are more meaningful than miles. You can count in hiking, bike commuting and other training things you do.
When we add up the hours of everything together it can be eye opening if not shocking!
I ride with with Doug and his Pugsley here in Duluth and am now convinced I'd like to have one, too! Snow biking looks like a gas!
ReplyDeletethanks again for all the great pics. Mine never turn out as great as yours....the snow looks great..
ReplyDeleteI'm with LW on this one...
ReplyDeleteYou are on a photo roll girl! Lens shredding! Nice!
ReplyDeleteFantastic. And to think that I hesitate to ride if there are some clouds in the sky.
ReplyDeleteNever again, LOL.
Keep the blog entries and pics coming. Grazie.
Great pictures of snow Jill. I am so ready for snow!!
ReplyDeleteFind yourself a pair of the backcountry ski version of your Pugsley. Something that goes up and down effectively. Will bring even more ideas to familiar haunts.
ReplyDeleteAll you all who keep recommending that I would be having more fun on skis have never seen me on skis. :-)
ReplyDeleteUm soooooo.....seeing as how you share all your crazy outdoorsy ideas and events with us, I'll share one of mine with you!
ReplyDeleteI want to train for - and bike Highway One in Iceland...its a route that goes all the way around the island of Iceland!!!!
Go check it out...you'll feel the pull too I promise! Georgous country - about the size of Kentucky. Not so bad!
i've seen you ski jill, and i am pretty sure if you learned how to ride a bike you can probably master skiing.
ReplyDeletejen