The Not So Frosty Bike Ride

Last Saturday was The Frosty Bike Ride on a not so frosty day. When I lived in Lincoln this was one of the rides I tried to do almost every year as it was always a good time but I hadn't gotten back to one since 2013 so it was good to see how things have evolved during that time.


One of the changes that has happened is that the venue has moved to Cycle Works, which is how I got involved as I wasn't a registered rider but more of a helpful volunteer for the ride. The route followed the same route that we did for Global Fat Bike Day, being familiar with the route I was asked to lead the ride out of the shop but as anyone who has ever ridden a ride like this knows, there really isn't a lead rider as everyone tends to ride at their own pace.


Despite the abundance of snow on the ground the temps were in the 40° range and it really was a beautiful day for a ride. Not wanting to go too fast or too slow I decided to just cruise along and try to maintain a 10-12 mph pace.


On some of the shadier sections of the trail where there was still plenty of snow/slush/ice covering the ground, even that pace was a little on the fast side at times. I was really glad I had the tire girth of the Pugsley because the skinnier tired bikes seemed to struggle with keeping a straight line at times, some of them riding true road bikes opted to walk more than a few sections or turned back all together after a few miles. On a ride like this where there is no additional benefit of finishing the ride, safety is often the better choice plus you get to go back to the warmth, beer and food that much sooner.




The hot chocolate at the halfway point really hit the spot and was a welcome oasis.



We saw a few sledders on the east face of the Holmes Lake dam but most of them ended up being on the back side of the dam where the sun hadn't melted the snow just yet. Looked like a ton of fun, those kids were screaming down the slope, one flew between myself and Todd behind me so you had to keep on your toes so you didn't accidentally get taken out by one of the snot rockets flying across the trail.


One of the things I miss most about not living in Lincoln is the trail system, 17+ miles  on the ride and 98% of it was all multi-use paved trail and as a bonus it wasn't just straight line or mostly straight line.


Unfortunately I was limited on time due to other plans later that evening so once safely back at Cycle Works I had just enough time to chit chat for a few minutes then had to throw the Pugs on the car and head home.

I even missed seeing who had won the Surly Pugsley that they were giving away, luckily nothing is a secret anymore thanks to the interwebs. Stole this picture off of the Frosty Bike Ride Facebook page... Cory Cotton was the big winner, congratulations Cory!



This also happened, a drop bar Beargrease... this would make an awesome gravel eating bicycle. If only the pockets were as deep as the desire but some lucky person will take it home and give it all the love it deserves.

Frosty Bike Ride

The ride was scheduled for two weeks ago but then mother nature stepped in and dropped a few inches of snow and ice on the ground postponing the ride until today. In the days leading up to the ride thanks to the ever constantly changing Nebraska weather it was a bit of a touch and go... might snow again, might rain on the day of the ride... nope now sunny and almost 50... oh wait, now sunny but only in the mid to upper thirties but chance of rain/snow the Thursday before. When it was all said and done there was no additional precipitation at all but it was cold enough that the snow stuck around from two weeks earlier but it was the FROSTY bike ride so the show must go on as they say. 

The skies were sunny, the paths were clear and even though it was a chilly morning it was a great day for a ride. There were 150+ registered riders so I opted to ride to The Fox rather than add to the parking lot congestion, even though the temps when I left were in the mid teens the sun and lack of significant wind made it feel a bit warmer.

Almost 11 miles later, the "start" of the Frosty Bike Ride... The Fox and the promised crowd.

 

That's my, it's super chilly lets go already, face; after riding and getting warmed up sitting in the parking lot cooling down was not ideal. 

My partner in crime for the ride, with that jacket I'm sure not to lose him. 

And were off once again and getting warm, ear to ear smiles! Actually it felt colder heading this direction than it did heading to the ride. Not sure what it is about this section of the trail but it always seems to be 5/10 degrees colder. 

While there was plenty of snow on the ground still the trails were mostly clear with just a few icy patches that were already starting to melt and turn back into water at this point. 

At the halfway point we were treated to some very warm, very delicious hot chocolate. Never has a paper cup of hot chocolate hit the spot quite like it did today. 

Felt kind of wrong laying the bikes down on the cold cement while we enjoyed our hot chocolate. 

Back at The Fox post ride it was beer, as the hat implies, and free burger and fries time!

All in all The Fox put on a good spread, it was a great ride put on by Spearman Adventures and best of all it was a great chance to get out for a casual ride with out the worry or prep time of a race. Guess we will have to get ready and do it again next year.