It may be the middle of winter for most folks but here in sunny Missoula it is time for a bike ride. I think today I will open up the season with a ride I like to call Pattee - Deer Creek - East Missoula.
Dont fool yourself, it is not cycling season yet .. heck, as I write this the football playoffs have begun. How about those New England Patriots?
The ride today started out with a power bike tune-up. I had to replace the front brakes and clean up the rear brakes and drivetrain. It was this extra time spent indoors that can be attributed to making toay's ride brutal. This became apparent as I rolled out at around high noon. It was sprinkling and looked like snow up in Pattee Canyon.
It was sheer ice on the top of Pattee Canyon Road and I had apparently rode right into a wonderful snow storm. I didnt want to stop so I rode in and on the edge of the ditch (where there is crusty snow instead). It was slow going as I headed down the Deer Creek road ... and into the freezing rain.
The freezing rain is bad enough
but getting a flat tire would really make things bad. As I approached the outskirts of East Missoula I did indeed get a flat tire.
I am now at home watching football, warm, and just fresh from a nap. I am now thinking ice cream, and that moment when the CO2 cartrige froze to my already frozen fingers is just a memory.