Long Birthday Ride!

Ten days ago (a Wednesday), we got 6-8 inches of heavy snow. I spent 2.5 hours that morning snowblowing the neighborhood and shoveling us out. The next few days were warm/sunny enough that I could run 2x2 mile intervals along the river a few days later without any slippage issues.

I went on a little ride on my mountain bike on Monday to check on the conditions of the trails and roads for biking, as it was supposed to be 60 degrees on my upcoming birthday, and I wanted to see if I could ride 44 miles outside to celebrate my 44th birthday!

I had 3 main concerns for a long late-winter ride: temperature, road grit, and moisture:

- I had HOPED to ride early on my birthday, but the day started in the 30s. By 9:30 a.m. (the latest I hoped to get going), it was still 39. So I shifted plans, ate an early lunch an hour later, and then took off at 11:30 a.m. once it had hit 51 degrees. (The 30s is a no-go for biking on my tri-bike, the 40s are questionable, and the 50s are great!).

- Regarding "road grit," some street sweepers had been out the 2 days before my birthday, and the gutters were MUCH better (we still need a good hard rain). And the trails were fine.

- And finally, all the melting snow that was still around on my "reconnaissance" ride on Monday that made me throw a LOT of muck on my face and back had pretty much all disappeared! So temps were fine, road grit was improved, and I wasn't going to get soaked. Sweet!

So I headed west down the Greenway for a bit. Where the trail turned to gravel last year had now been paved, so I made it out 11.5 miles or so before turning around. I snapped a photo at the rail bridge near Hwy 169 to "prove" I made it out that far:

Then I headed back to the river, and then turned south INTO A NOT FUN BREEZE AT MILE 21. I was in that for about the next 12 miles or so. D'oh. I crossed the river at the Ford Bridge, then I crossed it back along I-35E. I hit Big Rivers Trail until the lookout near I-494:

Another picture to prove I made it this far.
(A hanger from MSP Airport is just behind my strap.)

From there, I turned back with the wind (THANK GOD) and headed straight home for the final 11 miles. I was pretty hashed at that point, but worked to keep my average up. It wasn't a "tempo" ride or anything, but it wasn't just a casual ride either. I realized I would be a bit over 44 miles, so I tried to end at 44.44 miles, but failed:

13 mph wind from the SSE. Yep. That was noticeable!


Map with 5 miles splits.

I was over 20 mph until mile 25 (that was with 4 miles into the wind as my average dropped) - I hit mile 20 at 59:01, and just dropped below 20 mph at mile 25 by 4 seconds at 1:15:04. The average speed of my 5 mile splits nearly perfectly dropped throughout the entire ride: 20.4, 20.9, 20.6, 19.5, 18.7, 18.9, 18.6, and 18.7 mph. I wasn't totally bonking, but I was "done" by about mile 30.

Still, I'll say that's not horrible for my FIRST OUTDOOR RIDE ON MY TRI BIKE OF THE YEAR, and a LONG ride to boot! 19.5 mph for a long ride in mid-March is OK!

RELATED: I did long trainer rides for my birthday in 2024, 2023, and 2022. And I celebrated my 40th in 2021 with a long outdoor ride (with a follow-up birthday post here).