Go eff yourself, Phil!

That's Punxsutawney Phil, in case you were wondering.

Yesterday I was looking for inspiration anywhere I could find it. Temps never got above 22 degrees here all day and the flag was whipping violently when I poked my head out at 3:15. Unroadbikeable roads meant MTB with Nokians would be the recipe for the day. Shitty weather, 30+lb. bike with studs, and thrashed legs from previous day gym session (yeah, I went to the gym, sue me) would make for a lovely ride, no?

I was in a no-win situation, really. The road conditions meant MTB, weather conditions meant hills to get HR up and keep warm, and legs condition meant go home and watch Family Guy for 2 hours. I managed to get dressed without letting thoughts of not riding steer me otherwise. This was going to be a 2 layer under the jacket ride for sure. I opted for the chemical toe warmers on top of the sock only. Usually a sub 20 degree day would warrant the double dosage (top and bottom of foot) but I figured the new LG 0 degree boots I got the other day would be sufficient. Besides, Bicycling says they're rated to 5 degrees...

I personally think that the Nokians are perfect for roads like these with intermittent patches of frozen slush. I ran higher pressure so that turning them over on the clearer roads wasn't as much of a chore. The one time I took them off road at the Res they just seemed to cut into the snow. I had to drop them to ~25 psi to get anywhere.

One positive I took from the ride was that it was still significantly light out until about 5:10 or so. Yes! I didn't have to throw my helmet light on until about 5:30.

If you look real close at the dirt spot, it looks like Ryan Seacrest. Ok, maybe not.

The last 5 miles of the ride started to really suck as my fingers and toes were numbing with each passing minute. The ice cream headaches were setting in on the descents and my water bottle was reduced to yet another slush puppy. Speaking of slush puppies, I think I may have to start doing some sort of upper body training again. I was getting thirsty at one point in the ride and stopped to drink only to find the top of the bottle completely frozen. I tried forcefully unscrewing the top and I pulled a muscle in my forearm/bicep. Pathetic.

I completely underestimated the length/overestimated the speed of the ride. Given how cold it was, I should have done a better job of mapping the route. I think final metrics were 25 miles, 12.4 avg., 3100 ft. of climbing- not too bad all things considered. I'm happy to report that the LG 0 degree boots held up fine though the last half hour started to get painful. Who's stupid enough to ride for 2 hours in that weather anyway?