Shu_Fly

I'm not riding much these days for a few reasons but I'd like to live vicariously through other PNW people who are. How are you beating our dreary and cold (colder than usual) and drippy weather? Riding reports of your area with pics equal bonus points.

PDXaero

You are asking me to remove my gloves and open my pack and retrieve my camera during a winter ride?

Fine, next ride I will get pictures. Had some wonderful rides in the cold clear days of winter.
Biking to and from school thrice a week ( 22mi RT) is keeping me active but every now and then I feel the need to stretch my legs and put in a metric.

jdgesus 

did half the lake loop today. COLDDDDDDDDDDDD

woulda done the whole thing if i would have left earlier

BengeBoy 

Ha ha. Just got back from 30 mile meandering ride from the East Side to downtown Seattle. The weather was pretty decent for the first half of the ride but when I got downtown it turned really nasty for a bit -- heavier rain, sleet, etc. I wasn't prepared for weather quite that bad, so my fingers were getting cold...but then it let up. All in all a nice ride - pretty typical Seattle January outing.

I always have trouble getting motivated to get *on* my bike this time of year, but once I'm out I invariably have a good time.

Shu_Fly

Yes!
Not that I would though. Very cold out and it also means stopping which only makes you colder!

cheg

I did a 300k ride with 6 rando friends on Saturday. We started from the Seattle Ferry dock at 0500 and followed the Duwamish and Interurban trail to Auburn, STP route to Tenino, West to Elma, North to Potlatch, then through Belfair to finish at the Bremerton Ferry. It was a little dicey at the start due to heavy frost on the trail and it was very slick between Summit and Spannaway but everyone rode steady and stayed upright. We managed to dodge the rain other than a few sprinkles. Beautiful blue skies a lot of the day.



It started at about 34 degrees and worked up to 44 before going back down to about 35. I wore 2 wool shirts, rain jacket, wool shorts, arm warmers, leg warmers, shoe covers, wool mountaineering socks, silk balaclava, cycling cap, and 2 pairs of gloves. We did it in 15 hours 17 min. Missed the Seahawks game but no regrets

scozim 

It's averaged in the teens at night and low 20's during the day for most of the last month. -4 so far is the coldest. Every time it warms up enough, and the roads clear so I can get out, it snows again. I have to live vicariously also since the indoor trainer and I seem to be sharing a lot of time right now.

Shu_Fly

Cheg thanks for the great report plus photos, and I've heard about the Randonneur folks. You people are nuts.
Scozim I've also heard it's a windy you know what there in Ellensburg.

abarth

My winter riding had been great so far. The group I rode with ranges from about 5 to 30 people. The temperature was always around mid 60's and dry. I do it 2 to 3 times a week. The only down side with my winter ride is that no matter how hard I ride, I can't never drop anyone.

Cheg, that sounded fun. I wish I can ride 186mile in 15 hour. What was your riding ave. speed?

scozim 

Yep - sure can, but I'd rather deal with that sometimes than wet. The winter's are nice because the wind doesn't blow much - the trade off is it can be bitterly cold.

Sounds like a fun spinning group - haven't been able to attend ours yet. Too many kids involved with sports in the evening.

cheg

We had about 1:40 stopped time, not counting traffic lights, etc. so ~13.6 rolling average.

Does you tag say "I love soup" ?

Wicker

Seattle was panicking about the 'snowstorm' this evening, which gave me an excuse to leave work early and go ride. It didn't start snowing until the midpoint, and I must say that riding in snow when the roads are clear is great fun. I made the classic mistake of riding with a tailwind outbound without realizing it, but no matter, gotta take what you can get in January.

I was really confused about where in the PNW you lived until I saw scozim's reply. Now it makes sense

Fizzaly

Im about sick of the weather in boise, keeps going back and forth from highs in the teens to highs in the low 40's

dminor 

I'll give a ride report but with a different tack, since we have about 18+ inches on the ground here. This one looks fondly back at July in Whistler - - gives me something to look forward to again for next summer. My friend from Calgary (BF handle=never) was following me on Crank It Up with his GoPro. Good times.

hurricane harry

Nice.
I'm off in dreamland myself.

Porcupine Rim

abarth

I can do 13.6 ave, but don't know if I can do it over 180+ miles. Did you guys packed food?

Yeah my tag say "I love soup" and I am making борщ for tonight dinner.

cheg

I took some food, mostly perpetuum and gels, but we have to stop periodically to get receipts along the way so we generally eat then. We also stopped for a sitdown lunch at Rochester. I highly recommend the Highway Diner for pie and, yes, суп.

Forza

It's Easy! Just layer up and go!!

19 Degrees at the start of this one on New Year's Day - But Hey - it was BEAUTIFUL out.


January 3rd, a little warmer at 26 degrees...but you can see the ice..


This one was last weekend...38 degrees and wet, my kind of balmy weather...

PDXaero

Had a wonderful 10 miles home from the portland hills in the freezing rain on tuesday. still made better time than taking the bus.

zoltani

Hey Cheg, what kind of wool shorts do you use?

abarth

Rode 35 miles with a group from Tacoma Bike today. Great group, great ride, and the best thing was we were dry.

scozim 

The roads have finally thawed so I got out on the not quite finished 1981 Trek 510 the past couple of days. Need new bar tape and to find a rattle in a brake lever and it's done. Feeling like I live in western WA with the rain and wet roads. It hurt a little but felt so good mentally to get back on the road.

Shu_Fly

Regardless of the cloud overhang and weird weather, a highway with no one on it is choice.

Glad you made it out for a ride and thanks for posting pics.

Mtn Mike

Sunny and 47 degrees on our ride yestarday. We did a 40 mile loop west of town. Sorry no pics.

Jaye

52 and drizzling rain for 26 miles yesterday. Came home filthy from road spray and have decided I definatly need to buy a set of fenders.