Baby Steps To A Big Dream

Went for an outdoor ride yesterday. The first outdoor ride on my new frame. Allow me to set the scene...
March 21st, an overcast day in Northern Idaho. The temperature is chilly and grey clouds blanket the once blue sky. I was going back and forth adding layers, then taking them off again thinking I'd be to hot. In the end I opted for the extra layers thinking I'd rather be hot than cold. I was riding with a friend of mine who clearly had the opposite thought running through his mind. This was clearly evident when he showed up for our 3 hour ride in shorts, a tank top and no socks. I was shocked. The clouds were getting darker and darker by the minute. I asked him if he was sure he would be warm enough with his minimal clothing choices. He responded with pure confidence that he was more than prepared for whatever it was that mother nature was about to hit us with. With that being said we hit the road.

We headed West on HWY 2 towards Laclede. Light precipitation started within the first 5 minutes of our ride but we figured that was as bad as it would get. The weather held up pretty good until we arrived at the Klondike in Laclede. At this point we had to make a decision as to if we should venture further West or head back to town in case the weather took a turn for the worse. We decided it was best to head back to town seems how if the weather held up we could continue the ride closer to town. The second we decided to head back, the once light precipitation escalated to a heavy down pour. The ride back was brutal. Cars were spraying us with muddy road water, my lips were dusted with sand from riding behind Steve. It was lovely. The ride back took us about an hour and we were both substantially drenched. Sure enough Steve was freezing in his lame-o clothing choices. I continually reminded him that it was in fact March, in Northern Idaho and that his choice of attire was quite shafty. In the end we did make it back to the club. I took my cycling shoes off, poured out the standing water and thought to myself....what am I thinking? Ha just kidding, I loved every moment of that ride. Builds character and adds variability to my training. I'm hoping to ride the full CDA course this Saturday. Fingers crossed for gorgeous sunny weather!

Puravida!