Snow Ride at Manawa

Today I made my first singletrack ride of the year. We got an inch+ of new snow overnight, so I was the first wheel tracks down the trail.

My plan was to ride my hardtail. But, I had problems getting one of the pedals loosened (wanted to change to combo or flat for my boots). When I skinned my hand, I decided to ride the Fuel EX7.

Tried riding with the air pressure in the tires (about 30#). That was too much, so let out more air. Riding much better now. The other thing I did was lock the rear suspension.

The wind started to pick up, and felt a bit cool, so called it a ride after just short of an hour.

Studded Tires

This winter is looking to be another long one. Before Christmas I was thinking of buying a pair of studded tires for my hardtail. The trails around here in Council Bluffs are generally plowed. When the are plowed, we get several (many) icy spots.

In additional, last winter I learned how to ride singletrack in the snow. I would like to do more of that, to lengthen my riding season.

What I can see the Nokian Extreme 294 Studded Mountain Bike Tires - 26" looks to be a good tire. I like the tread and stud pattern. Wondering if anyone can comment of the tire, other recommendations?

Snowy Full Moon Ride

Andrew, Blaine, and I braved the elements to do the first Xtreme Wheels Full Moon Ride of 2009.

By the time we headed out from the bike shop, the snow was falling heavily. There was a strong wind from the North. Sure happy we rode against the wind heading out. Very pleasant riding with the wind later.

We stopped at Valley View Park. By the time we stopped to take a couple of photos, our tire tracks were nearly obliterated as we recrossed the bridge over Mosquito Creek. Ended up at Village Inn for eats.

Xtreme Winterfest Bike Ride

Today was the 7th Annual Xtreme Winterfest Bike Ride sponsored by my friends at Xtreme Wheels Bike & Sport and the Council Bluffs Parks & Recreation Dept. It was NOT my first ride of the year (I got out an rode New Years Day). It was the first ride in the bicycling calendar.

The ride started from the Western Historic Trail Center and ended up at the Riverside Grill. The weather was "damp" - constant mist with temperature of 36 deg. Not the best conditions - but could have been worse.

Some folks rode from Omaha and around CB, stopped at the Riverside Grill, before heading home. Several rode on up to the Bob Kerrey Bridge. Others (like me) just rode up to the restaurant and back to the trail center. I was damp enough when I got back!

Bill (Xtreme Wheels) estimated some 70-75 riders participated. Pretty good attendance with the nasty weather!

Photos I took of Xtreme Winterfest Bike Ride can be found (and ordered - hope that works) at win-photo.photoreflect.com

End of the Year

I did not get a posting written with my total year miles. In case you are interested, I ended up with 2203 miles in my log.

The breakdown is 261 miles on my hybrid (Trek 7200FX), 781 miles on my hardtail (Trek 4300), and 1160 miles on my trail bike (Trek FuelEX7). (OH, if you added it, there would be a mile missing - that was on my friend's comfort bike).

The photo with this posting was a ice covered Lake Manawa, taken during my last ride of the year.

Winter Ride

Damn, it felt good to be back on the bike! Over 2 weeks since I rode. Weather had been in the pits. Today dawned clear, light winds, and promise for moderate temperatures.

The ride will be the first one for the winter riding season. The thermometer in the car was reading 37, plenty warm enough. Parked at the Wabash Trace Trailhead headed toward Manawa and the Trail Center. A little wind from the SW, but not enough to stop me.

What DID stop me was the ice on the paved trail. Everything was fine until I got to the road to mountain bike trails. Just past there, the trail was ice-covered (see photo). I was not ready to tackle the ice, to rode around the lake.

On the way back to the trailhead, I decided to ride on over the Xtreme Wheels. Added a couple more miles and short visit with Bill.

Forecast looks good for most of the week. I'm planning to end the year with a bike ride on Wednesday. Who's up for a New Year Day ride -- start the year off right? (FYI, as of today, the Lake Manawa Singletrack is ICE)

New Mileage Record

While I may have not blogged recently, I have been riding my bikes. Last night was the Xtreme Wheels Full Moon Ride.

Andrew, Blaine, Brandon, and I took off from the shop, heading to Lake Manawa. We had a little head wind on the way (the wind was biting with the temperature being near freezing). Great ride in the woods. Made a full lap at Manawa and headed back to the shop.

The 16.8 mile ride took me over the top on my record annual mileage. My log now shows 2167.85 miles. Still a couple weeks for riding. Will I end up with over 2200 miles?