TOTAL MILEAGE FOR 2016 - 3518.5
THANKS BE TO GOD that I was able to resume riding today, after having last ridden on November 30! At first, I waited out a two-week doctor ordered rest as I recovered from the removal of two small skin cancers on December 1, so that the elevated heart rate and blood pressure wouldn't cause swelling around the stitches. And then, more recently, I have been stymied by conditions—though the township promptly cleared the trail on which I ride after our first big snowstorm (Dec. 11), I could not get to it because an overzealous snowplow driver had pushed up a berm of snow that froze brick-hard at the end of the sidewalk where I need to cross Ellsworth Rd. to get to the start of the trail. I went down last week with a sturdy steel shovel, but could not really budge it after 10 minutes of effort.
This morning I (finally!) heard back from the Pittsfield Township office I had emailed about this last week. They replied that it is not their responsibility to clear the area I indicated, but speculated perhaps this was up to the townhouses on that corner. But when I went back down there late morning just to look, someone had cleared it!
I rode today in bright cold (15°) sunshine, setting a new personal best for the lowest temperature on a ride. Last year I only got down to 18°. I hope, conditions permitting, to do still better this year ... it seems to me as if I should be able to ride in single-digit temperatures. But still, I am grateful just to have been able to get out there again.
Today's ride was not without its challenges, however. The sidewalk I ride down to Ellsworth (where the trail begins) had been only incompletely cleared, making for a rough ride. And on one of the hills between Oak Valley and Ellsworth, my rear (center) wheel spun uselessly, so that I had to get off and walk it up 50 yards or so. A bit further, the cutouts at Rodeo Dr. were completely blocked, so that I once again had to get up, and this time carry the trike across the hindrance.
In light of the weather and the long layoff, I felt justified in settling for a single round trip to Marsh Park today, completing the 10 miles in a poky 1:20. And on the way home, I rode on Lohr Rd. from Ellsworth onward to our complex. I hated to do this, and felt guilty about breaking my commitment to Michelle to avoid riding on the road. But, given everything, I felt this was the best option, and the risk was lowered because of my enhanced visibility due to the strong clear sunshine, the spinners (or "tornadoes") on the back of my trike, and my bright yellow (or, as I tell Michelle, "maize") winter coat.
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