January 18, 2006

Kung Fu Ninja Training

Holy brainfreeze Batman!
Sometimes when I'm riding down the beach I wonder if it's possible, A few times I've found my eyes fixed on my front wheel for what could have been a few minutes before realize it, and then I wonder if it's actually happening.

Well, I've officially kicked off the 2006 season and it didn't take long to realize that it was going to be tough, as usual, to get those 3-4 base rides in when the temperature isn't above 26 degrees.
Today I rode the beach for 3 hours because there was a monster crosswind and riding the beach is pretty sheltered compared to the open road. Plus, the speeds are slower, there's no cars, I can get off and run when my feet get cold, and there's always something interesting going on with either the water or the sand patterns. Unlike previous years though, there is still NO ice on the beach. I've ridden there some years when the ice goes 100 Ft out and there's icebergs and water shooting up out of holes, that's when the beach is really sweet. It's like being on the moon.


Today I stayed quite warm actually. The saying that "there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes" could actually be true. Having the sun back is another reason why, it's amazing how warm it feels on your legs when you wear black tights.
Today I wore one short sleeve baselayer, one longsleeve baselayer, one longsleeve insulated jersey, one wind vest, one jacket and the key to the whole ride??? The $5 mittens from Kmart. Without these suckers you might as well stay home! I actually had to take them off a few times cause my fingers were getting sweaty inside these guys. Just slide them over your handlebar grips for a few minutes while your hands cool off.

Below the waist - one pair of tights, one pair of leg warmers, one pair riding shorts, regular socks, one pair of $.99 foot warmers, one pair of wind covers, one pair of insulated booties, and a couple strips of clear packing tape over the toes to keep the wind out. It takes about 1/2 hour to get dressed to do one these rides but I'd do that over riding the trainer any day of the week.
On the bright side, I'm heading out to Fruita, CO for some spring training with the Rocky Mtn. TREK boys in just over a week. We will be there for two weeks and then I'll be in Boulder for an additional two, so that is definitely some motivation to ride a bit before I get there and have them tear my legs off. Hopefully by the time I get back the temps will be back up, although they haven't actually been down that much lately so maybe it will just warm up into the 50s or something by then.
I wonder what flavor of Ben & Jerry's Brian M. is eating right now??

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Did you see any mullet police?

Hauser said...

Hey Tristian,

SHawn Hauser from Stadium Bike team in Green Bay, what is the surface of the beach like this time of the year? I am guessing the sand is frozen and packed pretty solid, and are you on MT. bike or cross bike. Just wondering and thinking about getting Cole on the bike and driving down for a beach ride. Any info would be fantastic!

Shawn Hauser
Stadium Bike Cycling Team

Tristan Schouten said...

Right now it is great, but if the temps are above 32 it can be bad, it's kind of hard to predict. It also can be bad if the sun is really warm and there is no moisture in the sand, then it's just soft.
I ride clunker, fully rigid mnt. bike that is dedicated to winter and beach rides only cause the drivetrain can get pretty messed up. Some guys do ride their nice bikes and cross bikes work fine too, as long as the sand is good.
Currently, you could ride from Sheboygan to Port Washington if you wanted to, that would take about 3 hours one way, but it can be risky business keeping your feet dry crossing over some of the little rivers that run down to the water.
It is truly a unique training ride, I'd say if the temps are below freezing this year that you have a really good chance of finding frozen sand.

Melis said...

Give me a shout when you get out to boulder. The riding has been crazy good here. The trails are totally void of snow. I rode up to 9000+ ft on single track this week & saw no snow. Fantastic.
Chad

Dano said...

It seems you are skilled in self portrait photography. Just keep it pertaining to bike stuff.......

Anonymous said...

Is that a yellow "No Trespassing" sign in the background? Hmmm...

Martini said...

doesnt matter how much you ride T..... we are still going to tear your legs off!

Anonymous said...

For my ride yesterday I wore a short sleeve jersey, shorts, arm warmers, and a pair of short fingered gloves. The arm warmers lasted only 10 minutes before they reached their new home into my back pocket. The weather's been crazy warm, 74 degrees in January! If you don't mind flat land, come on down. The 20mph winds make up for not having hills. Stay warm. PEace.

Josh and Lauren said...

Sorry to hear about your typical Wisco winter, today I thoroughly enjoyed an unseasonably warm Philadelphia day of 60+ degrees! Shorts, a base layer and a short sleeve jersey, perfect riding weather! Enjoy the mountains!