Saturday, February 9
2nd lift of the year
Worked on my ride/race schedule for the year. Had this Saturday as a gravel road ride to Fremont to mark out some mtb trail for a camp. Earlier in the week the weather forecast was doubtful but then they pushed the cold back till later today. I decided to go for it. I made it to Arlington where I called Danna to get a lift home.
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I stopped at Home Depot to pick up marking tape, then headed out a little after 9, I took 168th north to Dutch Hall Road, only the last mile was gravel but I wanted to get to Fremont before the cold front came through.
Went west 1.5 mi on Dutch and cut through Washington, then 3 mi north on CR 25 to CR 36. That's when I saw the clouds coming from the north indicating the front.
The next 6 mi to Arlington seem to take an hour but was probably less. The N crosswind picked up and I had to ride leaning into it. The cold and the hills were taking their toll and I was slowing down.
When I had to turn north for the last mile, I had my face down over the handlebar and pushing out a slow cadence (40?) and maybe 6 or so mph into what felt like a 30+ mph wind. I never paniced but realized I could get hurt if I didn't get inside soon.
Made it to Arlington about 11:30and thankfully they have a cafe on 3rd street. Went to the restroom to run water over my hands. First ride I've ever had problems with my junk getting cold. Same pain as cold hands thawing out.
In hind sight, when I saw/felt the front go through, I should have turned around and road the wind back home. I would have made the 13 mi back in probably the same time, and a lot warmer, than the 6 mi stretch to Arlington.
Nice work getting outside Dale. Saturday was a tough, tough day. Especially tough to be out there by yourself. You got more miles in than most folks did on Saturday.
I always think of 1x9. I could complain about the cold and stay inside on the couch, but What Would Doug Do? Be grateful you got a few miles in, in good health.
Good job to both you guys for getting out in the cold wind.
It was 65 degrees, no wind and 0 elevation gain when I went from the couch to the recliner Saturday.
I got a chance to ride Saturday morning also. I left at 5:45am to ride down to the IHOP on Cornhusker and HWY 75. It was a nice ride down there and I got there at 7:45 to be there in time to meet up with some church friends at 8:00.
We had breakfast and some great conversation and I headed for home at aroun 10:00. It was very nice at 10:00, but a VERY strong headwind from the north. I knew it was going to be a long ride home. But things declined from there.
Temps started to drop, the sun went behind the clouds, and the winds got worse. "Death March" came to mind more than once towards the last section before getting to the shop.
I ended up with 46.5 miles total and I'm still sore from the ride. That ended up being a MUCH bigger effort than I expected. But I'm still happy to have gotten out.
I always get pumped using the bike to get something done besides just riding. I think God appreciates us being good stuarts of his resources like the environment. Great job riding out to meet friends and eat, Bob. I can't imagine pushing a 42x17 into that wind on the way home.
I'm a little concerned about Ryan's sanity. Participated in that chaos called a caucus, then after the front came through, choosing to ride 3+ hours in it. I wouldn't have started a ride in those conditions. Averaging about 15mph, and more than a 1/3 of the climbing in the Firecracker 50, you are laying down a great foundation for some great form this year!
Doug, we are all on different training plans. Keep doing the right things for your body to heal well now and it will give you it's best support for the demands you place on it in the future.
Ryan, I saw president Nixon make a speech on main st in my home town of 2000 people back in 72. Being within 50 yds, it left a strong impression.
I'm sure going to Obama's ralley left an impact on you as well. And if he becomes president, it will be an even bigger memory.
Any comments you want to share on a public blog about your experience there and at the caucus?
I had a ride like that once this year already. Now i am careful to layer below the waist also.
I was going to ride saturday too. I saw that it was 35 degrees at 11 am, and thought in a couple hours it will be even nicer. Then at 1:30 it was 21, and a heck of a wind out of the north, I took the dogs hiking at tranquility instead.
Dale, can we start calling you CJ now (for cold junk) JK.
Geez, great job all of you who got out and did something (1x9 you are exempt due to extenuating circumstances!).
I got called Saturday morning (work) and ended up having to work most of the morning. By the time I was finished, I had no desire to step out into the cold, so I thought briefly about hopping on the trainer. Briefly.
So I ended up hopping onto the couch and playing PS3 and catching up on some TV ... I'm so proud of myself ... uggggh.
Tim... YEAH BABY!
Have been sticking to my running game when it gets real cold. My grandsons birthday party was saturday, so I ran on sunday. May have run into the cold wind too long. I do not breath thru my nose well, so my lungs are not happy today. Did not need to ride the short bus though, probly should have. Need to ride soon.
Caucus was interesting. Takes awhile but it makes you feel involved in the political process much more than typical voting. You get the sense that everyone is there for a shared purpose, and although there are disagreements, it is clearly bc everyone wants what is best for the country, for each other.
As Barack himself put it, "you can disagree without being disagreeable."
Your preferences are known and public, so even while standing in line its easy to talk to a person you may disagree with and work to convince them or even understand their perspective more.
Then to be in the room, part of the group, there is a definite energy there. One side of the gymnasium was overfilled with Obama supporters, Clinton supporters went to the opposite side. undecideds went to the middle. speakers took some time to convince the undecideds. Cheers, chants, and boisterous enthusiasm came from both crowds. There was no sneering, boo-ing, or name-calling at all-- and I think thats probably rare for a group of 1400+ strangers in confined space. But i think it reflects a new take on politics, and involvement, which was nice to see.
While we were waiting for things to start, I stood up and used my loud voice to start the wave in the obama camp. Rox's idea, I just executed (we switched roles for a moment). So we got 1000+ obama supporters to do the wave.
So that was the final count, just over 1000 obama supporters, with a smaller number of HRC supporters. Obama supporters represented 76% of the assembled crowd, HRC supporters represented 23%. Prior to counting, undecideds had a 5? min period to make a choice and move, while each side chanted campaign slogans and cheered for people as they moved from the center to eather Barack or HRC camp. A small handful remained undecided and left.
Overall, it was much more fulfilling that any voting I have done before. I think Rox, whose only interest in politics comes from my occassional refusal to give up the remote, also enjoyed it and felt a part of something important.
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