Springtime in January?

Except for some 'still-haven't-gotten-around-to-taking-down-the-Christmas decorations' scenery, last weekend felt an awful lot like what springtime in Northeast Ohio is supposed to: kinda damp, kinda 50+ degrees, breaks of sun. Except, of course, springtime is still a couple of months away. You gotta pay attention around here, because when days like this are handed to you, you shouldn't refuse them.

I rode out from home to meet the Summit Freewheelers on their Saturday off-season group ride. It was great to see so many of the new gals, but our regular ride into Kent/Brady Lake was modified due to George having to ditch us early. No problem, we still got a great ride in, working on the rotating paceline thing (take a SHORT pull, then get to the back of the line. No lingering!), turning the ride into more of a social event. Sunshine will do that to you. Got about 2 hours of riding with the club, and another hour more getting to and from the Barlow Rd start. (Thanks, Julie, for keeping me company on my return trip).

I thought I'd be stuck on the trainer on Sunday, but the predicted 100% rain and falling temps didn't really pan out. Another gift from the Universe! I wasn't sure if the morning drizzle would turn into anything more interesting, so I opted to take my 'cross bike on a solo ride into the Valley. Nothing like revisiting my favorite hills in January, and the increased rolling resistance of my 'cross tires proved to be a good workout (and a chance to test-drive the Jamis over longer distances, pre-Barry Roubaix).

All told, I was able to do all my planned training hours outside, and logged about 100 miles over the weekend. And both Neil and Jamis got out for a while,  and then they both got baths, so they're pretty happy about all of this, too.