This afternoon was awfully pleasant for riding a bike, 52F (11C), sunny and very light winds. But the remnant snow limited my choices. The #RochMN city trails were mostly open but there were spots where I had to dismount and one where I had to climb over a huge snowbank. One other place had not been plowed so I had to detour. There was a lot of snowmelt on the trails, so a bicycle with fenders was the best option. I rode my Brompton for 15 miles.
#BikeTooter

We had a Clipper move through overnight which deposited another inch of snow on top of the foot that came on Sunday. So a fat bike ride was in order again. It was below freezing when I set off, but the March sun warmed things up and the melting has begun. It will take a while to dispatch the piles we have. I rode the #RochMN trails and around Soldiers Field Park for 11 miles.
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#BikeStreak Day 67:
With a church obligation in the morning and the #MNWild playing a matinee game on TV, I wasn't free to ride until late afternoon. But with the time change that still meant 3 hours of sunlight on an unseasonably warm March Sunday afternoon. I rode the #RochMN city trails and a couple county roads for 30 miles. The city trails were quite busy with folks walking and taking advantage of the spring like day. I may be able to ride the Douglas State Trail tomorrow.
#BikeTooter

#BikeStreak Day 65:
With rain in the morning and the HVAC tech here most of the afternoon, I could not get out to ride until late. I took my Brompton for a ride on the #RochMN city trails for 12 miles. It was 56F (13C) with light drizzle that got heavier, of course, when I was furthest from home. They are talking a little snow overnight, so I'm not sure what riding will be like tomorrow.
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#BikeStreak Day 59:
What a difference 24 hours makes. Yesterday 55F (13C) and sunny, today 20F (-7C) and snowing heavily. So I climbed back on my fatbike with studded tires and rode the #RochMN city trails for 11 miles. On the way back, I couldn't even see my tracks from an hour earlier as it was snowing so hard. It will be back above freezing starting Monday, so we'll see how long this snow lasts.
#BikeTooter

#BikeStreak Day 40:
It was almost 40F (4C) when I set out on my ride. I rode 31 miles on #RochMN city trails and county roads West of town. As I live in far Southeast Rochester, I have to ride through town whenever heading West or North, so my "road" ride today was more on city trails than roads. Fortunately the Mayowood Trail was *mostly* clear of snow and ice so I was able to head out that way today. I still need to work on my stamina for longer rides and for climbing hills.
#BikeTooter

#BikeStreak Day 35:
Today is the midpoint of astronomical winter or the beginning of Solar Spring (Northern Hemisphere), with the darkest quarter of the year now over. That it falls near Groundhog Day and Candlemas Day is not a coincidence.
Today I rode to a meeting with a local elected to discuss restoring bicycle access to downtown #RochMN after Mayo Clinic's Bold. Forward. Unbound. program will cause the existing bike lanes to get vacated with a new hospital construction.
#BikeTooter

#BikeStreak Day 32:
I had my first crash in awhile on my bike ride today. It had snowed almost 2 inches and I couldn't see the black ice under the snow on a turn and incline. But the good news was that I fell into 2" of new snow, so no harm, no foul. It was 22F (-6C) the warmest ride in over 10 days. But because of the new snow, I had to go back to my fat bike. I saw one other fat biker out on the #RochMN city trails. The falling snow got heavier near the end of the ride.
#BikeTooter