Dump all the snow

Today was my first day riding on snow.  And it certainly started out great, with just about no cars on the road.  The only issue I had through the first half hour or so was that it was tough to look straight ahead; too much snow was getting in my eyes.

But the carbide-studded tires gave no traction issues; they worked great.  In fact, later in the ride, it was interesting to feel them working.  The middle of the tire was sometimes sliding, but then the bike would lean a little, the spikes would grip, and it would feel like normal traction again.  And though that might sound like it, the experience wasn't scary at all.  The slickness was enough to notice, but not enough to worry.

The peacefulness didn't last through the whole ride; maybe half of it.  After that, too many cars were out and about to call it really peaceful.  But it still didn't get nearly bad enough to be bothersome.  And joggers?  Only saw half a dozen or so, I think.  Other bikers?  Two (both at the same time, oddly.  And going opposite directions, so not together), with the tracks of a third seen.

I was wishing the bike was a CX one, rather than a hybrid, however.  The road configuration with wide tires would've been perfect.  As it was, I raised the seat, which helped a bit, but the handlebars were still quite a bit closer than I'd've preferred.  And I would've liked to've had my power meter, but that wouldn't've worked, given the crank.

I was glad it was not a recovery day; it was pretty tough going all the way.  I don't think I could've kept my heart rate down.  As it was, it was pretty elevated, throughout, staying mostly in the 160s and 170s, with occasional forays both above and below that range.

I should also note that I wore the FuguJack jacket again, and was pleased with it.  I'd suggested that it would work, on a hard-riding day, down below the 21F for which it was billed.  That seems accurate.  It was 19F this morning, and I tended more towards too hot than too cold, but I wasn't bathed in sweat either.  In fact, I felt dry a minute or two after taking off the jacket at home, so that's just about perfect.  And that's with only a Pearl Izumi thermal base layer underneath.  And the Pearl Izumi Elite AmFib tights did a great job in their first test of "very cold with snow".

My ski gloves did a great job for most of the ride, although my fingers did get (pretty suddenly) chilly over the last 5-10 minutes.  It was enough to make a little trouble getting my helmet off, but didn't get to the point of being painful.  I need to try them with my base-layer gloves underneath.

Still, a very nice ride, and one I'd recommend to anyone.