The Weekend.

 Saturday Brinna and Avery had their Section Swim Meet.  Initially fans weren't allowed, later on that changed to two per swimmer.  Thus Jen and I headed over to Sauk Rapids a bit after 10.  It was an amazingly well run meet with tons of Covid protocol in place.  I was impressed.  The girls both did well considering they hadn't swam in two weeks due to being in quarantine.  An odd swim year for sure but at least they had a season.

After the meet I headed out on the Cutthroat for a spin.  It was below freezing, cloudy, but low winds.  I'll take it!  About an hour in I realized I forgot a headlight.  I wasn't planning on ridding too long but per usual I was starting to find my groove and wanted to go "just a bit more".  With the sun setting sooner everyday I made my way for home a bit earlier than I would have liked.  

Racing the Sun home.

The Ride.

Sunday I woke up to a dusting (.5") of snow and still falling.  Having ridden the previous day I knew the roads underneath were dry so icy spots wouldn't be hidden.  I left home a bit past 8.  I met Charlie at his house and we were on our way North.  

We jumped on the Wobegon Trail just South of Bowlus.  We took it just North of Bowlus.  The trail was rideable but any bridge still had a ton of snow.  They received more snow than us.

One of the bridges.

About 1.5 to 2 hours in Charlie needed to head back home.  I pressed on, alternating between North and West.  At this point the snow on the paved roads was melting while the gravel was staying strong.  I always try to ride the most gravel but it's inevitable to have to ride pavement too.  The spray was causing havoc as it was still below freezing.  I had to clear the ice from my derailleur pulleys a few times.  The shifter on my aero bars (Sram AXS) froze in the on position putting me in the hardest gear.  I managed to fix that.  I made an extra effort to find gravel versus pavement, even if it meant extending the ride.

It truly was a perfect day for the Cutthroat.

Eventually I had no choice but to take pavement.  It had started to dry some so the going was good.  But the closer to home I got it started to snow again.  By the time I got home both the bike and I were a mess!  The bike is coming with me to work today.  Hopefully I will have time to give it some loving.

Not sure how the Garmin Varia radar still worked.

Onyx Hubs!

The Ride.

Despite getting myself and the bike all messy it was an amazing ride.  So many surfaces and terrain to ride through variable conditions.  Perfect for the Cutthroat.

This morning, after Harper gets on the bus, I will head out for a bit on the Mukluk.  The North Loop has been opened for the time being so the Race Track, Sand Prairie, and the North Loop is the plan.

Happy Week.