Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Very few bikes could prepare you for...

Thin ice on top of slush on top of water on top of concrete. Then, throw in some ice divots from people trampling in the mess.

This is easily some of the most difficult stuff I have ridden in. I remained shiny side up, fortunately. There was a lot of rear wheel slip, and the front wheel needed constant babysitting to keep from washing out. I don't think the studs hurt me much, but they certainly didn't help for most of it. I took the Quivira pedestrian path, and once I got to the zig-zag "stairs", I was thankful for the studs. I almost ate it on this structure the first time we got freezing precipitation. The studs grabbed what little ice was present, and allowed me to stop and turn effectively.

The whole ride home was like this. The wide outer lanes were narrow with slush and crap. In rush hour during winter, I have no problems or qualms about using the sidewalk, especially where there are very few intersections and driveways.

We've been hovering within 3 degrees of freezing for the last 30 hours or more. Temperatures are supposed to drop, but I just don't see it happening right now. Are we going to be doomed to a whole week of slush?

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