I just love conditions like this. Why I still do not know, but I really enjoy riding on frozen roads.
13 brave riders showed up for today's Lake Dabinawa Gravel Ride. At the end of the ride we all agreed to change the name to the Frozen Death Ride.
Gerard was on hand sporting his new custom made skull cap. He would need it later in the day for sure has temps slowly fell from a starting temp of 33 degrees. It would later drop to around 26 but the 30 + mph winds made it feel more like single digits.
In preparation for
CIRREM I brought out my new Bar Mits that my lovely wife Carolynn bought me for Christmas. It has been so warm that I have yet to use them. I am glad I had them today especially after my cogs got all frozen and I had to remove my gloves.
Jeff led the way for the first mile on the levee. The levee which is usually a nice warmup became a real suffer fest due to the softness. Instead of a nice easy 2 mile warmup we all basically had to endure what felt like a 2 mile climb of a steep mountain road. Only this road was cold as hell.
Most riders ride in the middle of the levee. A quick secret. If you ride right on the grass line it is usually a little harder. Not always, but I used this as a way several times to bridge back up to the group after taking photos.
No snow in Lawrence but as we rode North the conditions changed to frozen slush. These conditions were actually good. It was when we reached roads that were thawing out and had water on them that it got demanding.
Several small groups formed as usual. I was glad Bret and his group waiting for us. I give them credit for waiting but I just think they were lost :-)
Problems started to develop on the way back South. The roads were a mess and frozen drivetrains became common. I believe everyone had to stop at one point to try and clean out the frozen gravel.
Sometimes I think it is better to just ride single speed when conditions are like what we had today. I suffered miserably when I had to remove my gloves and try to dig out my frozen cog. Today I really could have used a knife. I always make fun of my son Christopher for caring a knife on rides we go on. After today I will be caring one also. Sometimes you learn things from your kids.
Frame clearance is very important when you are dealing with frozen gravel and water. This is one of the reasons that I like to use a 29er with cross wheel set on it.
On my Ritchey P-29er I had a lot of buildup but I had no tire clearance problems.
Check the remaining photos -
2015 Lake Dabinawa Gravel Grinder Photos.
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