If you ever run out of conversation topics while in Minnesota, just mention the weather and you will likely initiate a good 30 minutes worth of reflection – both of the days long past and the expectations for the upcoming season. Minnesotans live for the weather because we have to spend so much of our lives dealing with it. Although world-renowned for our cold, we also have our share of hot, wet, damp, clammy, humid, arid … blah, blah, blah … all types that seem to change on a dime.
A clear sign of summer’s end – the sun takes its time showing itself in the morning and didn’t jump up above the horizon until nearly 7:00am on Saturday.
Take this past week, for example. Early in the week, we were still dealing with a hotter/wetter August than most people can remember. When it wasn’t raining, the temperatures were in the 90s and the humidity was nothing short of “thick”. But, by the end of the week, all of that was gone and evening temperatures dipped into the low 40s and the air presented that crisp, dry feeling that is normally reserved for late October (shortly before a heavy snowfall).
It was under these chilly conditions that a co-worker and I arranged for a Saturday morning ride starting at 7:00am. I got up at six (while it was still dark outside) to get some food in my system and gather my bike stuff together. A quick look at the outside thermometer (every good Minnesota has at least one of these around the house – some install several) indicated that it was only 44 degrees.
It would be a chilly morning for a ride – especially when the calendar indicates that it is still officially “summer”.
It was a morning that required the proper cool-weather gear to enjoy the ride. I chose to leave very few areas of exposed skin – at least for the early stages of the ride.
It’s been a long time since I had ridden in mid-40 degree temperatures, so I needed to think for a few minutes about the best approach to layering. Temperatures in the forties do require some attention, as any exposed skin will take on a chill and begin to ache. So I broke out the full tights, the full-fingered gloves, and my cool-weather wind breaker jacket. I put on a decent base layer, a jersey and found my extra-thick wool socks. The final few pieces included a skull cap and wind blockers for my cycling shoes. As the temperature would be warming up as the morning progressed, I knew that I would be shedding various articles of clothing throughout the ride. But, it was a good starting point and I was rather comfortable heading out the door.
The morning was indeed quite beautiful, as the sun just started to peak up above the horizon just as I left my driveway. Having no wind is any cyclist’s dream conditions, as Saturday morning was as still as can be – at least right away.
As one of my better cycling purchases, my toe covers offer the perfect amount of wind blocking for cool conditions, while still letting my shoes breath and not get overly warm. It sucks to ride with either cold or hot feet and these covers are the right choice when temps dip below about 55 degrees.
I met up with Brigham at the local Rainbow Foods and we quickly decided to hit the usual roads in the west metro and target a two hour ride (with no real pace considerations). Neither of us had ridden since the previous weekend, so there was no desire to push the pace. I think we were both just glad to be on the bikes again.
After looping around toward the northwest, we were heading back along Baker Park when I needed to make a quick stop near their primary 6 mile trail that surrounds Katrina Lake. Since we were already on the trail, we decided to follow it around until hitting Maple Plain before jumping down to County Road 6 for the return route. Although I really dislike using my New Steed™ on trails (not for concern for the bike – they just aren’t conducive to 20mph riding), this trail is quite nice for riding and we were able to keep a decent pace without the trail impeding our efforts.
Here is the map to show you how our use of the main roads took the diversion onto the meandering park pathway.
After 20 miles of quiet conditions, Brigham and I found ourselves in the middle of a coordinated race with cyclists in front and behind us. It definitely provided a little motivation to pick up the pace, even if there were no trophies waiting for us at the end of the ride.
Once we were back on County Road 6, we came upon an intersection that was being controlled by a volunteer in a highly-reflective vest. They were monitoring the intersection for cyclists participating in the Gear West Mosquito Man Duathlon – which combined running and cycling. This event had a curious layout where the racers started with a 1.5 mile run, biked for 8 miles, ran another 1.5 miles, biked AGAIN for 8 miles, and finished with a 1.5 mile run.
Rolling back into my neighborhood at the end of the ride, I was starting to feel over-dressed and was ready to shed some clothing. Layering is a key skill for any cyclist – but especially those who choose to head out early in the morning when the conditions can change rapidly over a few hours.
When we encountered the riders – the slow ones we passed were on their first cycling leg. We were also passed by several riders (mostly in dedicated time trial gear) who were probably on their second cycling pass and would soon be finishing the event. It looked like a fun event – although most of the cyclists were spread out and riding alone (which is always a little sad – but that’s the life of a triathlete/duathlete). Along County Road 6 there were several small groups of people (likely family members of participants) who were sitting alongside the road to cheer on the athletes. Thus when Brigham and I rode by, we were greeting by cheers of encouragement – even though we weren’t in the race. That was a fun surprise on what would normally be a rather quiet, uneventful ride.
My treat for completing the ride was some burgers that I cooked up on the grill. I did NOT eat both of them, but it was nice to have a little extra after the first one was finished off. I incorporated some fresh beef-steak tomatoes from a relative’s garden – making for a nearly perfect cheeseburger.
Not wanting to be further confused with the race, we left County Road 6 and headed back north to finish our loop and end the ride. By the time our ride concluded, it had warmed up to a balmy 52 degrees and I was starting to feel a little warm on the bike.
Of course, that is simply riding in Minnesota. If you don’t like the weather conditions, just hang on for a while as they are bound to change.
