We rode through the Fall with record rain falls in multiple months. The toughest mountain bikers I know were complaining every ride. The mud was horrible, it was cold and did I mention it rained a lot. It seemed to never stop!
We were taking a beating and I even contemplated dusting off my wind trainer because I was sick of scraping mud out of my washing machine every couple of days. My bike was getting trashed, my riding clothes were getting ruined and my motivation to ride was dying a slow painfull death.
Then the weather got a bit colder and it started snowing. At that point we were wishing for the rain again. At least we could ride in the mud, but this snow was killing any chance to ride in the trails.
Just a few weeks ago the trails were still buried in snow and not nice snow either. There were a couple of days where the riding was OK, but for the most part it was icy, or slushy, or both. The bikes were parked in the garage far too often. I was trying other sports to fill my time and it was looking like riding my bike might take place again in March. Sad times!
I was about to write this season off as the worst ever when the temps jumped up a bit and it rained hard for a couple of days straight. In the blink of an eye, the snow was gone. When we got back in the trails expecting mud on top of mud and the brutal conditions we experienced in the fall, we found hard packed trails instead. The traction was awesome, the trails were rolling fast and we had some of the best January conditions I have ever seen.
None of us knows how long this will last, but maybe we’re getting rewarded for suffering through the tragic 2016 with a very early 2017 Spring, and a bunch of hero dirt.
I’m crossing my fingers that it stays this way through Summer, but just in case it turns ugly again, I’m riding as much as I can right now on all my favourite trails.
I’m James Durand and I’m Goin’ Ridin’...