The Adventure Cycling Association created Golden Gravel Trail as part of the 50th anniversary of the organization. This trail is beyond my abilities for a bike tour/ bikepacking. A few weeks ago the presented the trail and if you are interested they are offering the RideGPS files free.  Help yourself at https://www.adventurecycling.org

Adventure Cycling will provide you with great information to get ready for your excursion.  From the pictures you can see the remote areas and you will want to be prepared. This trail was routed with a gravel bike in mind. Best to have wider tires (2.2-2.4"). A tubeless set up is recommended also. There is no single track. There are options for you to do a drop-in ride to just do segments.  They estimated 72 ride days for the whole trail and doing a rest day per week.

Every ride can be an adventure and an opportunity to learn something.  My ride this last Sunday was just that experience.  I hope that sharing my tale can be a lesson for you.

I decided that a Sunday Ride in an industrial park would be quiet. I did not see a single car. I did see many Canadian geese. Do you see them ready to cross the road.  There are many ponds throughout the park.  Several young goslings were evident.  I tried to give them plenty of room as I went by, but one came charging at me! I never had that happen.

I was startled and fighting for balance. I hopped on my right leg, but I could not keep the bike standing upright and I fell to the ground. I got up and I was ok.  The goose had rejoined the family.  My bike was okay. I really did not imagine that the goose would fly  into me.  My past experience always had them walking and especially when crossing the road, very slowly.  The next day I looked up the computer about my experience and below is what I learned.

Even though my distance was what past experience told me was safe, it was obvious by the reaction I was violating their territory. I learned that when a goose is running toward me, they mean business. They usually will try to avoid you and keep a safe distance. 

I should have stopped when the charging began.  Face the goose and slowly back away.  I will be more cautious in the future. What I experienced was a classic case of violating their territory when the little ones are around.

I did end up straining a leg muscle in my right thigh from hopping and  I will have to allow that muscle strain to recover.

The Border to Border (B2B) is a multi-use trail which will eventually  go across Washtenaw County. Last November  they officially  opened the extension going out of Bandemer Park and goes into the Barton Nature Preserve. 

I have ridden on so many trails with black top surfaces. The improvement of trail creation has improved so much over the last 50 years.  These routes are used by walkers, joggers, skaters and many other modes of exercise. When the blacktop falls apart or is elevated by roots that ruins the experience.

What a beautiful spot to ride today.  The river was a great companion.

I was lucky this January, I had one day to ride outside! On January 8th, we had a 50 degree day and I rode outside for an hour and a quarter.  The rest of the month has been snowy and for the nine days it is 15 degrees during the day and near 0 at night.  At times it has been extremely  dangerous to be out and the ski areas closed for a bit.  I am happy to be able to do inside training.

On this last day of January I say, "I am glad to be done with you."  I may sound frustrated, but I was pleased with using the trainer to cover over 500 miles this month.  I finally felt comfortable going longer than 30 minutes in the saddle.  The cold and snow had curtailed my going out of the house, so I had plenty of time to sit on the trainer.

I can always find interesting YouTube videos of people riding to interesting places that I will never ride. This group traveled through forest service roads to stay at a decommissioned fire tower.  The crows nest was set to accept overnight visitors. What an exciting adventure and I did not need to climb all those steps to enjoy the view.

The scene above is from a tour in the country of Equador. A friend was visiting this country and I could ride the countryside and get a sense of the experience.  This tour had four installments. All these rides did not require me to bundle up and watch out for slippery surfaces.  Right now our roads continue to be very slushy along the side of the road.

I regularly do a chair exercise group  that does stretching, uses stretch bands, tests our balance, and gets our heart rate elevated. I chose to stay home and again use the computer to guide me with a video.

As a senior, I am able to take advantage of the Silver Sneaker exercise program and I signed up for sessions. These sessions are on zoom.         silversneakers.com

Walking the mall three times a week was great.  I used the walking exercise from Silver Sneakers too.

I remembered this DVD that I had used several years ago and the separate segments work on the arms, abs, legs, butt and stretching.

I look forward to our predicted temperature of  20s in a few days, but I know the snow will be around for weeks. During the month, I spent 69 hours in exercise and the variety  was a joy. I look forward to hearing any comments or suggestions. Take care.

I am very consistent at getting on the trainer during the winter.  I will ride for an hour or two.  Usually I will be on my tour bike on the stand which holds the rear wheel. 

The unit does have a lever that will add greater resistance.  This is a feature that I do not adjust.  This tour bike has a 10 speed cog and 3 chain drives.  My strategy is to work on a steady cadence that ranges 70-90 rpm. My heart rate usually ranges from 70-100 BPM.  This level of effort is less than when I bike outside.  

During the fall I started walking in the mall three times in a week.  I started out at one mile and now I am up to three miles per session.  Yesterday my average heart rate for the hour of walking was 132, which is in zone 4 (67% of the time) for me. That level of exertion is a good workout.  I think that both the cycle trainer and the walking help keep me ready to bike outside.

It has been a month since I rode outside. We had snow that covered the roads, and the thawing left slippery spots. Plus temperatures were well below my 50 degree cut off.  Today was sunny and 50!  Out I went for a two hour ride and I felt great.

Every time I return from the ride outside after weeks of indoor training I say, "I had a great ride and that indoor work is helping me to start sharp."

Do what works for you.  If you are just starting: set a schedule, make a plan, be consistent and test it out to see if it is enough.  You may need to make adjustments.

What would be the first piece of advice?  Don't sweat.  Sweating cannot be avoided because you are exercising and you want a workout.  If you do not sweat you do not hope for improvement.  In the colder temperatures the sweating needs to be managed better than when it is hot.  Let's consider some aspects of sweating.

Why do you sweat? It is your way your body cools itself down when it gets too hot.  Your body will get too hot based on the clothing you are wearing.  You know that your body will heat up with exercise.  There are rules of thumb that may guide you: dress like it is 15 degrees warmer than the outside temperature, when you start riding you should feel cold.

Learn what helps you feel comfortable.  The extremities need your attention.  Hat for your head. Gloves for your hands and socks plus shoes.  Each body reacts differently.

The wicking capability of the material on your head cover is so important.  I tried a stocking cap first and it was too hot. I picked up a cycling specific cap that also covers my ears and that  worked much better. This item also noted that it was wind resistant.  I do not like the feel of wind penetrating my layers and reaching my skin.  There are a variety of winter cycling items to consider and it is good to read the reviews.  

How long will you be out on the ride?  When I was riding in temperatures of 20 and 30s my feet and hands would start to get cold after about an hour when using my standard shoes and  gloves. Another thing to consider is whether there is snow or rain. I will sometimes pack an extra pair of gloves and hat. 

This was on one of my first cold weather rides and the rain shell was plastic.  As you might imagine, this jacket did not let out my perspiration and the layers got soaked.  You learn by trial and error.   I decided to get a rain jacket that had a breathable air transfer. This new jacket was wind resistant to 60 mph and waterproof for the rain.  The pit zippers help to regulate the inside  temperature. I very much appreciate the wind resistance. 

I found that the jacket worked well with temperatures from 60 down to single digits. The membrane is water repellent and windproof. The jacket has a two-way zipper that works to open the front and there are armpit zips.  I keep the armpit zips open all the time.  The only time I close them is on terribly cold and windy days.  These zippers allow the free flow of air to maintain a dry environment.

The fleece buff is something that I really find comforting.  I find that an exposed neck in the cold really adds to my discomfort.  This model easily covers my ears.  I need the neck gaiter to cover my mouth and warm the air that I breathe. I can easily pull it up to also cover the nose.

I am usually comfortable with just basic full fingered gloves.  I will also bring a pair of heavier gloves to warm my cold hands. I also found a pair of hunting gloves that worked great and they are orange for visibility.

What suggestions do you have? Enjoy your winter rides.