Right outside your door

I have to be honest. I started the last year 2021 with a lot of ideas about traveling, bike, and writing. It didn’t turn out that hot.

Spring saw the cancelation of one bike event after the next. But we had hope. Vaccines worked, and all we had to do was get them into people’s arms. I’m not going to go into the debate about science, or freedom. It’s just best to avoid the rabbit hole.

Not that the virus was done yet. Another variant and another wave crushed the hopes for a lot of us to be traveling again by the Fall of 2021. Even if you could, it felt like a lot was still closed. Either because of restrictions or lack of workers.

And then the cold darkness of winter crept in. Maybe a few too many episodes of Dateline, or crime stories put me in the winter humbugs, or it was just the winter. Being a mountain biker in this part of Colorado means at least three months out of the year the trails are off limits.

Winter riding is great, if you live in a place where the weather supports it. I grew up in the midwest. Winter riding is perfect there. Snow falls, it stays cold. Here? Dumps even more snow, melts, freezes in unridable ice, melts again and turns everything to clay muck. Muck that if you have ever ridden into might as well be quicksand. With a layer of ice under it so you can’t even try to make a graceful walk-off. Within 10 feet of barrelling into a patch (and you don’t know until you hit it), you’ve added 30 pounds of mud to your bike. Good luck getting it out.

Spring riding here sucks. I’ve been used to other parts of the country. Mud is mud there. Messy, yes. But not the type that ruins the rest of your day and results in being hosed off like Rambo in First Blood.

It’s February and not even close to full mud season yet.

So we hope the ground stays frozen in winter here. In the morning, it is still hard enough. But go after 9:30-10 am and, well you asked for it. Go before then and freeze your ass off.

This has turned into a rant. I blame the last two years, and people who are just refusniks.

Here is the point. The adventure right outside your door is the first one that you should be having.

It’s no wonder that so many more people are interested in riding on gravel roads. At least those melt out first. To be honest, I’ll be joining that group soon. But I don’t intend on getting a gravel bike. I have one. It’s whatever bike I’m riding on the gravel.

I’m still lucky to live in a place that has a lot of outdoor space, and is close. I moved here because of it. And while there might be a few folks ready that don’t have that access, most of you that are probably already figured out you wanted something with more access and moved there.

Because of the weather in spring, just about everywhere has a few wet cold months, local becomes the go-to. Even if it’s the path along the river or through town.

Just find that local trail and adventure now. Better to be in shape for the warmer seasons.