We got up early. A quick breakfast of oatmeal and no time for coffee. I had to meet Chris at her house at around ten. Coffee would come later.
It was a little bit cooler than I had originally thought it would be. I wasn't good at predicting the temperature that winter, it varied from 8 degrees celsius to -20 celsius within a week. But being a bit colder at the start wasn't the worst thing in the world. I'd just have to ride harder.
We met at a coffee shop next to Chris' building. It was small, but they made a kickass cup of espresso. Fueled, we started to ride. At first, our destination was Rundle Park, a 12 km ride one way, but after realizing it was colder than we expected we decided to go as far as we could. It wasn't about the destination, but about the ride itself.
There is no such thing as bad weather. Nature knows what it needs and provides for itself. Who are we to be upset about it? I've always preferred riding in slightly colder weather. There is something about being the only one on the trail that makes me feel invincible. Seeing my breath fogging up in front of my face, being comfortable in adverse conditions and doing something that many people can't bring themselves to do draws me outside during less-than-favourable weather. When it snows, I get more stoked on the fact that there is a foot of snow on the ground and that I get to go play in it than the fact that I can stay inside. I want to be outside. I want to experience the full brunt of mother nature. Though this was a rather mild winter day with sun, a bit of wind and a refreshing nip to the air, there was still a sense that we were doing something out of the ordinary and that we were doing it well.
Edmonton's trail system is often filled with fair-weather cyclists who love getting outside in the warmer months, but hunker down inside throughout our long winter. Getting out on these trails during the colder months lends a sense of exclusivity to the trail. The chances of running into someone else on a ride is slim, and it seems like it is just you and your bike.
We dropped into the river valley, taking the multi-use trail past the legislature, the baseball field, into the trail system and along the river. The air was cold, but we pedalled harder to combat it. Stopping for water, I noticed my bottle was beginning to freeze over. We turned off the trail and into a tunnel leading to a golf course. Through the summer, this was off limits for anyone who hadn't paid the green fee, but in the winter the fresh powder beckoned us to throw our bikes into a low gear and glide through the powder. We might have whipped a few skids too.
On the way back, we followed a different trail along the bank of the river, riding through the barren snow-less paths til we returned to familiar ground. Winter puts a hold on activities in this city, but for those of us still willing to get out, there are treasures all over.
We pulled into Chris' driveway and checked our distance. 25.3km and it wasn't even noon yet. That wasn't bad for a morning ride in below-freezing weather.
https://www.strava.com/activities/445612761