During my ten year hiatus from competitive cycling I swore I would never ride in shitty weather. Too many soggy rides in the rain and snow when I had to go out to contemplate doing so for fun. Well, with the acceptance of my new racing license those days are officially over. I got smarter in my old age, however, and built a bike with a single speed and full fenders. I used to think fenders were for pussies but one ride in the rain with them and I thought differently. I was actually staying pretty dry. I stepped up for some all weather paneled tights and now I fear nothing. The main reason for all this is that I want to avoid the indoor trainer at all costs. The single speed is nice because there are fewer moving parts to gum up and subsequently clean. Very sweet!
You'll notice I said "single speed" and not "fixed gear", or as the wannabies say now, "fixie". I know, doesn't seem like the proper ride for an old school roadie who got his first license in 1987. Truth be told, I was a total fixed gear snob for decades. It was simply what you did in the early season because, well, Eddie B. said so. After spending one particularly long winter on a fixed gear (sorry, just can't get myself to say, "fixie"), I noticed my spin was a bit flat when I switched to my road bike in the spring. That was confusing, of course, since the dogma was that riding a track bike would really develop your pedal stroke. After giving it some thought, I decided that it was all a bunch of bullshit. Riding a track bike makes you good at riding a track bike, period. Certainly, you develop a high cadence from riding downhill when you can't stop pedaling. This can be terrifying, actually. But the reality is that your stroke gets lazy as the force of the turning rear wheel drives your pedal over the top. When you remove this effect with a free-wheeled bike, your foot and leg effectively stop for a split second and the spin is truncated. I found that it would take me a couple of days to relearn to push over the top.
I also got tired of avoiding certain hills because it was so annoying spinning my brains out and, occasionally, having to use my little front brake to slow down. Why bother, I figured. The answer was to just ditch the macho fixed gear mentality and put a free wheel on. Let's just say that this was a very liberating experience. Now I could actually stop pedaling, shake out my feet on freezing rides, adjust my chamois, ride up hills without fearing the return, etc. After getting a cheap Indian made single and finding it noisy and cheap, I sucked it up and dropped down ($90) for the SWEET! White Industries sealed bearing single speed. What a difference. Smooth and quiet and easy to clean.
But I digress...
Anyway, rando season is over and the first road races are lurking this month. I had put some miles in on the trainer this winter, enough to remember what pressure on my ass and pedals felt like. But the roads were clearing and the urge to venture out of doors on two wheels was strong. I had already discovered last fall that rain posed little deterrent if dressed and equipped properly. I had that covered. Light snowfall was actually preferred as it tended not to wet me as much. But there is this peculiar in-between weather that proves to be quite challenging. I discovered it the other day and the effects are seen here in color.
It wasn't a bad temperature for riding, really. The snow was falling lightly but was not sticking on the road. I figured, perfect, I can ride outside. Well, I did not notice the runoff freezing to my bike at first but as soon as the road turned up, I felt the monkey jump on my back! I kept looking down to see if something was rubbing and finally noticed that my spokes were the size of pencils. I got off and picked the bike up and realized what was plaguing me. The bike must have weighed 35 lbs with all the ice coating it and the rim and spokes created an inertia-laden rotating mass that was kicking the shit out of me uphill! I turned around and headed home, enjoying that mass for the first bit and fighting it the rest of the way home.
Yes, being a road cyclist and living at 6,000 feet in the Rockies is a bit of a struggle this time of year. Next weekend I have to go and face all those Salt Lake guys who ride outside all winter. I'll catch up soon enough but these first few races will undoubtedly be a struggle.
A friend once theorized that the reason Jackson riders have historically done well in LOTOJA, the 209 mile Logan to Jackson road race in September, is that we start riding so late we are just hitting our stride in September. The others are fried and over it by then. In any case, I actually like going out in shitty weather now. It makes me feel committed. I hope it also makes me feel fast when I leave the line this weekend. I'll keep you posted. - Brian