icy, dicey ride

i wiped out on ice once. i don't want to do it again. that's why i've not been on my bike since monday's snowy ride. once the cars drove over the snow and the temperatures dropped into the single digits, the streets and roadways have been a glare of the slick stuff. so while the rocketship's (a.k.a. Roopak S.) bike carried him to a sub-1 hour 40K time trial, my precious cato has sat idle, longing to hit the road, and i've been running, according to Jeremy B., like a mad man. "i remember when you only logged cycling miles," he commented. "man, those were the days."

yesterday, i decided there was finally enough ice melted on highway 160 and pine street for me to venture out on two wheels again. there were still patches of snow and ice here and there, but there were ways around them. the mile of 160 closest to home was going to be the diciest. more on that in a bit.

i got up this morning a little after 5:00 and dressed to ride. do you hear me, jeremy? i dressed to ride! i was more than a little nervous. i knew there were still a few places where i'd have to ride out into the regular lane to avoid a spill, exposing myself to the cars and trucks that frequent "my" stretch of asphalt.

i walked my bike down the driveway instead of clipping in. there was still a strip of ice at the end of it and i thought a short walk was a small price to pay for staying upright. once i was on pine street, i swung my leg over the top tube, clipped my right foot in and took a pedal stroke, then two, then three. as much as it pained me to do so, i rode slowly up the street, making sure i could see far enough ahead to avoid black ice and crusty snow.

i made it up pine street and made a wide right turn on to a deserted highway 160. there wasn't a headlight in sight in either direction. i pushed on the cranks and brought my speed up a bit, but kept it a slow on purpose as i headed east. i knew that at 18 degrees, any moisture on the roadway was a potential hazard.

all the way out, the road was clear and the shoulder reasonably so. there was only one spot near the top of anitchrist hill that forced me to ride further away from the side than i would have liked.

since i'd been running the temp all week, i had decided early on that i needed to make today a ride the temp day. with that in mind, i rode to the top of nine mile hill and turned around.

the ride back was as uneventful as the ride out until i got to eden road. at this point, i got nervous again. it was in this last little stretch that i'd seen most of the icy encroachments onto the shoulder of the highway yesterday. i prayed and continued on. as i proceeded cautiously, riding out in the main traffic lane, i kept glancing over my shoulder. i wanted to know if a car was coming from behind. i knew i might have to stop if an approaching car and a slippery shoulder met me simultaneously. not one car passed me after i prayed at eden road. not one! God is good!

i turned onto pine and rode like a retired man out for a cruise on the beach. i crept cautiously along, turning this way and that to avoid anything that looked in the least bit icy. i pulled up short of my driveway, dismounted and once again walked my bike into the garage.

i know my speed isn't all that impressive today. i know the mileage isn't either. i got out and rode though and that counts for something...at least in my book. (18.12 miles @ 14.1mph)