Ballston Lake Loop before the snow

Battenkill in 10 days . . . snow tomorrow. 2" to 4" snow for the Albany area, although 12" predicted in the mountains near Cambridge, NY, where it all starts. 

Gower into the raking wind . . . and cold, too, did I mention cold?

Text on my phone at 10 am "Thinking of going out at 3:30" Later, after confirming I would go, "Starbucks 330". . . and that sealed it; I was doomed for more cycling into the wind and cold. 38 F or less, with even more wind than yesterday, if that would be possible. This route takes us up and over Hillside,, and I swear on that route, at that spot (top of the rise near the Army Reserve station) the wind is ALWAYS in your face. 

Hair-raising. 

or at least hair blowing. . . . 'course with winter riding gear, stocking cap, helmet, ear warming band, three layers of jerseys, wind block fluorescent lime green jacket, bib shorts, long pants, toe covers, criminey, socks even. 

It doesn't help. It's cold nonetheless. Blows you backward, it seems. So tearing up in one eye, feeling it in the finger tips, we press on. Down the hill, swerve left, onto Maxon Extension (nearly stopped by the Schenectady police for running the red light, that takes forever) to cross the bridge into the face of some wind down the Mohawk that surprised even me. 

Sunnyside was the 'into the wind' part that was heart-stopping in its length and flat . . . into the wind. Washington, around by the apartments. Lou is not far from where we pass. Cuthbert, on the other side of the lighted intersection, thence right onto Vly. Into the wind. 

Route  5 is no better, into the wind, and we dither about which hill to cllimb. Ti man doesn't want to commit to any climb, but  figures if we just do Rte 5 into Amsterdam, we'll die of boredom. Gower it is. 

Gower is one of the climbs up this escarpment that really has a mind of its own. We pass my entrances to 'palatial homes or some sort of installation' says Ti man, thinking back to a Google Globe search he did one day to figure out what is back behind the long driveways. Thence on to Sanders Preserve. There are even some trail  heads!! Charming. We'll come for a walk when there's less WIND. 

There is no real wind in the trees, but you can feel the cold. 

We wind up on the road we will take across Ridge to take Bolt all the way to Swaggertown. By then we've had enough. We didn't want to take on another thirty minutes of riding, so we turn right. For a change we take Van Buren so we end up on the Rexford Bridge on the way home. It's down Bolt and sections of Swagger town we find the moments to go 45 mph (72 kph) with a little help from the nasty wind. 

On into town and the familiar route up the hill through the Niskayuna Community Center, our favorite until the Rail Trail unencumbers itself of the snow and ice that's been there since the serious snow and ice began in January. We haven't seen it since then. 

Ti man peels off a Barcelona and Regent, to ride another day.

Cold Ride up Crawford . . . first hill climb of the season, worthy of the name

Cold Ride up Crawford . . . first hill climb of the season, worthy of the name 'climb' after all, 1,100 ft in 2.2 miles is on the edge of worthy. . . in most books.

 Cold weather ascent of Crawford

Starting at 4 pm and hoping for warming trends--and sadly deceived. Facing the wind the entire 'entry' ride over the flat and slightly down hill to get through Schenectady to the Stockade, through the ancient streets, barely in condition better than the cobbles they certainly were in the 1600s, I turned right onto Rte 5 toward the bridge. Ducked into the entrance ramp recently improved, past the fishing dock, onto the trail proper. 

Sign '5 miles to Kiwanis Park' which is the jumping off point for Crawford. Ride is uneventful to the connection from across the river . . .  the only place with any real snow and ice. But it was thick and stopped traffic and I walked to the other side to pick it up again and forge on into the wind. It took me 50% more time to make it compared to usual summer days. 

We start counting time at the underpass. To the top: 21 minutes, a minute longer than my usual time. 6 minutes longer than the titanium man and his gang. Not for me at 183 lbs at the end of the winter. The naked trees allow everyone to see through to the buildings on the 'other side' e.g. the hillside to the west, toward Ennis Rd. . . . all that area. Ennis is a climb, too. That is next. 

OK. 

So once up on top, I admire the antennae some ham has perched up there, and prepare my spirit for the windy ride to the bottom. Even thought I have toe cap bootie things on my shoes, it is C O L D. It must be 36 F down below and who knows up where I am + 25 mph wind, with bike shoes carefully engineered for cool summer riding. Maximum ventilation!! 

Once down the hill, across the RR tracks, and after the right turn onto 5S, I take a couple of spins and I'm sailing along. With the wind. I warm my fingers at my neck. Painful return of feeling and put 'em out there in front in big chain ring front side, tiny one in back, 45 kph.

This . . . I enjoy. 

I'm home after a half  hour. Drenched, as you might imagine, thighs aching a bit. Nothing serious. More climbing ahead. 

Shaker Bay in the cold spring air 42 F

Shaker Bay in the cold spring air 42 F with Ti man. Soon to be partly at U Va in Charlottesville, VA.

It was chilly. I waited for join-up by cycling around the Circle, Research Circle. So soon he showed up and off we drove east along the river, on the road, River Rd.

Once out at Shaker Bay, we toured he expensive homes. one is worth $1M for sale. Disliked by prospective buyer's wife.

Tough sales environment.

Jonesville in the cold by way of Hillside to Rexford and return

Snippet of a Spring Classic: Cool ride in the afternoon to the lake and back

We were going to go earlier, but when we both woke up and looked at the temperature, it was 22F! No way am I going for a ride at that temperature!!

I get a call after sending a text message "Too cold to go at 9; call me if you want to go later." 

So we decide on 1:30 pm. After lunch, I dig around and find my pump, spare tire, and bottles. I drive up to Nottingham Woods, avoid the men in tights, and we are off. 

The first few steps are exactly the same as a Classic, so I nearly veer off to the left at first opportunity but am reminded by Bianchi who whizzes past. We're off! The day is lovely, sunny, but still a little cool at 40F even. 

On to the end of Kinns to the crossover to Farm-to-Market thence left onto Anthony by way of a little cut-off I can only vaguely remember from routes that I used to take from the river west to civilization by Farm-to-Market Rd. I can only dimly recall the lay of the land; not to worry, it is flat or nearly featureless, but farmland it is. I forget just rural the place really is. There can be suburban developments on one side of a road and farm lands on the other.

Cary Rd runs all the way to cross over the outlet from Round Lake which is to our left or west. It is running high with all the rain and melt from the snow pack which litters and covers all the fields and roadsides. We cross a level RR crossing, hear the train pass behind us, and dip down to the stream, cross the level crossing, then up to Rte 67. Left into spare traffic, then right off 67 onto Farley straight up UP the road to the plateau -- a feature in the area. 

There is a jog left at Fitch, then onto Cold Spring. There is a quarter mile stretch of unpaved road, unpave (an accent should  appear as if to say in French, un pah vay, a Battenkill conceit. Look into their charming literature. TODAY is by the way the 'Introduction to the New Route of the Battenkill' ride. . . $35 full support all you can eat and drink, party afterwards or similar. This year it's changed; not so many amateur riders (cats 4 and 5, wienies like me, I think) to make way for more cat 1, 2 and pro. Although they are not on the UCI calendar, they remain Queen of the Spring Classics . . . or something. 

Turns out that the new date corresponds with the Paris Roubaix after which the Battenkill was named, for some time. With its unpave it resembles the Roubaix. . .  a little. There are no cobbles. In fact, even the unpaved sections, 15 miles total, are pretty smooth. They enjoy publishing picutres from the messier days, but so far I've been lucky. Very little in the way of rain or mud! 

As we approach the southern end of the lake, the road improves notably. Bianchi man tells me all about the coming fab plant. AMD, now Global Foundries, is putting in a 12" chip plant. Each one takes on average 1,000 gal of DI water! It's been the talk of the region for years now; it will be here before too much longer and with it all sorts of business, employment, real estate sales, and everything else good that comes with such enterprise. 

We'll see. 

We come to the Stewart's Shops at the southern end of the lake and stop for a little break. I go in to get rid of some extra coffee. We are off following the last 12 miles of a Classic. Around the lake contour to take the road out of the depression to the straight bit of 9P that takes us up to Rte. 9. 

Crossing 9, we were onto Main Street on the other side of the trailer park and Travers Landing development, as well as the interstate. Up the hill to the intersection with the return route Brownell and East Line Rd. south into town. This includes the semi-infinite uphill past faux plats and horizons that don't tell you when the ride uphill is really over . . . 

We ride past the park and cemetery into Jonesville. Hang a left onto Main Street -- photographed many times -- with its Greek Revival homes and Academy. We tool on into safe harbor. 

40 km, almost exactly 25 miles as advertised. 

Washout, uphill, in the cold and wind

Washout, uphill, in the cold and wind . . . it was epic!

42 F and windy. Let's hope for some better weather, even at 11:30 am! Normally it's so much nicer than this!!