First Snow and First Fat Bike Ride.

Snow was predicted for Friday afternoon last week.  I woke up to rain but by the time I had dropped the kids off and was on my way to work it was starting to switch over.  I love snow but I wasn't too sure I wanted this to materialize.  It's been a very warm November so the ground wasn't frozen and the temps a week out looked warm...all making for a mess.  But we got got somewhere between 4-5" of the white stuff, making it good for playing in.  As luck would have it my fat bike, Salsa Mukluk Carbon XO1 (swapped out for Eagle), showed up Friday too!  Huge thanks to all the dudes at Salsa and QBP that pushed this through!  Ok let it snow!

Saturday we had our Nordic Team Day at the shop so I planned on getting up early to ride.  However I was really lacking the motivation at 5:30.  The wind was whipping and the roads were pretty much ice rinks.  I couldn't fall back asleep so I decided to give it a whirl.  I headed over to the North Loop to break in the new bike.
The snow was the wet, heavy stuff so I spent a lot of the first lap shaking out branches and getting way to much snow down my back.  No matter, it was a blast.  Something about being the one to lay down the first tracks.  Two laps and the ride there and back took about 2 hours!  No Strava KOM's were made!

Sunday Mike and I had our final ski swap in Mora.  Again I got up early to ride.  I really wanted to take the Cross Check Single Speed (bad weather bike) out on some gravel but I hadn't put on the studded tires yet and feared going down.  The studded tires are on now however.  So I opted for the fat bike again.  I hit a lot random stuff that would be boring in the summer but in the dark, in snow, on a fat bike it was pretty fun.  I made my way over to Sand Prairie and spent a good chunk of time there.  I never ride here in the summer but love it in the winter.  I'm excited for the ponds to freeze so I have more placed to explore.
I made my way up to the North Loop for a lap and then the 10th Street Quarries/Friedrich Park.  I made it home with 3.5 hours and 26 miles.  Yep the season of measuring your ride in Time and not Miles has arrived!

The plan is to hit the gravel tonight with the Cross Check and studded tires.  Tuesday more freezing rain and snow is predicted, making the roads worse than they are, thus get while the getting is good!

Happy Monday.