What a fantastic day it was this past Sunday with record setting temperatures in the mid-60s, gentle breezes and lots of sunshine.
After riding the previous weekend in the west metro with my brother (which I did not document on the blog, but can be considered ride #1 for the 2010 season), we targeted our follow-up ride for Sunday afternoon. The forecast was indicating that it would be the better of the two weekend days, but there were no expectations that the temperatures would be record-breaking. I had envisioned the typical low-40s temperatures with a little moisture in the air – producing that “clammy” feeling that is inescapable when outside. But, instead, the sun decided to break through the thick cloud cover from the past few days and heat the whole place up.
The Mall on the University of Minnesota East Bank looked ready to take on the green of spring on the wonderfully warm March day.
Earlier in the day, I hit up two different bike shops to purchase a few extra things for managing the colder weather rides during this time of year. My main intended purchase was toe covers for my cycling shoes. Up to this point, I have two extremes when it comes to my feet. It either needs to be 60 degrees or warmer for me to ride comfortably in shoes-alone. Or it needs to be 30 degrees or colder for the neoprene covers that I already own. I was hoping to find a really basic shoe cover that would work in the mid-range temperatures of Minnesota spring. I found what I needed at REI, and picked up a pair of wool cycling socks (from Smartwool) and a thin helmet liner that would also work in that same springtime temperature range.
Sunshine, fresh air, and warm weather are a big part of why we ride.
I then swung by Erik’s Bike Shop and picked up an additional pair of cycling socks. Why so many socks? In all the things that I have discovered in my return to cycling, it is that the latest sock technology makes a HUGE difference in long-term comfort on a bike. These new engineered socks are truly amazing both in materials and construction. Plus, I have learned (the hard way) that standard cotton socks are the worst choice for exercise-related activities and no longer resort to such things when on my bike. At Erik’s I also picked up a small saddle bag (so I could stop carrying all my tools in my jersey pockets).
Prior to heading over to my brother’s house on Sunday afternoon, I bundled up thinking that the ride would be slightly warmer than expected. This included a base layer, arm warmers, knee warmers, second layer, bib shorts, and a jersey. This was a perfect combination for a low-50s ride. But, as I got closer to my brother’s house in St. Paul, my car’s dashboard temperature display stated it was 65 degrees outside. That is summer-riding weather and I knew that I would be over dressed. Still, since I would rather be a little warm than cold, I only shed the mid-layer (a long-sleeved poly shirt) and stuck with the arm/leg warmers and other cycling standards.
We headed out with no real plan for the ride. The early decision was to head up along the river into Minneapolis – with intention to cross the river at the University of Minnesota area. The river roads along that area were pretty common pathways for me while I went to school there in the early 1990s. It’s a little scary to ride through campus and realize how little things have changed. We cruised quickly through the East Bank, crossed the famous Washington Avenue Bridge, and moved right along through the West Bank buildings.
Normally, a March bike ride would involve no exposed skin, but Sunday's ride was unseasonably warm.
From there, we decided to ride up to Hennepin Avenue and take it through downtown Minneapolis. To get there we hugged the river (passing under the newly built 35W bridge following its unfortunate collapse), passed along the new Guthrie Theater (which reminds my brother of an Ikea store) and stopped momentarily by the Stone Arch Bridge to watch the pulsating Mississippi River crash over the St. Anthony Falls. The river was definitely at full-surge and the rush of water was an amazing site to see. Check out the video I captured to get a small sense of how powerful that river can truly become in springtime.
Across the Stone Arch Bridge we made our way north to the Hennepin Avenue Bridge and crossed back over the river one more time before entering downtown Minneapolis. Not realizing some changes to the driving patterns, the City of Minneapolis has re-configured Hennepin Avenue so that the entire right lane is dedicated to cyclists and right-turn only vehicles. Thus, my brother and I had a full lane to ourselves as we made our way right through the heart of Minneapolis. If only all cycling pathways were that accommodating.
Hennepin Avenue dumped us off at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, so we snaked around the park and ending up on the Cedar Lake Commuter trail that leads out from downtown Minneapolis and eventually connects to the Midtown Greenway (our choice path for making our way back to my brother’s house). Once on the paths, we encountered tons of Minnesotans venturing out to stretch their legs and breath some outside air. The Minneapolis Lakes are busy any time of year, but were especially so due to the great weather.
The new 35W bridge demonstrates that, with enough money, anything can be built ahead of schedule.
Once we hit the Midtown Greenway, we were on the loop back to our origination point, which was good as the sun was getting pretty low in the sky and we had already been on the bikes for nearly 90 minutes. Plus, that was the time that my brother’s bike started to act a little finicky and loosened up his bottom bracket. He was riding an old vintage Trek that he had just finished re-assembling after a nice new paint job, so these types of problems are to be expected. We had hoped that the Freewheel Bike Shop along the Greenway would be open, but it was closed for the day. Thus, the ride back was a little slow and calculated – which was OK since neither of us have a lot of miles in our legs.
All-in-all we spent nearly two hours on the bikes and covered 27 miles. That’s not a great average velocity, but this ride was not about speed. It was mostly meant to enjoy an afternoon of wonderful weather and get some time into the legs in anticipation of a fun, long season of cycling in Minnesota. We’re hoping to do some extended rides this summer – including one or more century rides – so any time in the saddle aids in the conditioning process.
