So I rode outside. Twice in the same week and this one involved beer! Well, a single bottle of Guniness if that’s an appropriate measure of beer. Some may disagree.

We had planned a bit of a larger ride. 5-6 riders had suggested they were interested but it ended up being only Cam and I. Were they intimidated by the weather (felt like -5 at the start), or by Cam’s fierce tree-tapping, deep woodsman, product enhanced beard? As much as Cam would like the later, it was probably the former. Regardless, we headed out.

Layers are so important when riding in Canadian “spring” or the brief interlude in this area between snow and unbearable humidity. I had a solid base layer, jersey and heavy jacket up top and even doubled up on the thermals on the bottom - thermal bib tights covered by another set of thermal tights. Aside from a little bit of extra sliding on the saddle it worked pretty well. Toasty even when paired with all the other accessories - shoe covers, good gloves, cap, headband and GCN neck scarf. Cam thought ahead past the stop at our lakeside bar, bringing an extra hat and socks to swap out for the inevitably sweaty ones.

We cruised North in what would become a bit of a recon ride for later rides in the spring. On some robust tires, we were well prepared for just about any road condition. Last year, overpass construction over Highway 401 toyed with our routes, so I had suggested a route to check those bridges out. Thankfully, the mostly North/South route avoided a lot of the cold wind from the West.

During a good winter inside, I forgot how much I missed drafting. Sitting on at 35kph, pushing 130-140w was brilliant. Probably not as fun for Cam. Maybe made worse for him when I pulled at the same pace while providing a minimal aerodynamic advantage. Minimal is better than none, but after about 45k we were happy to pull into the pub.

We actually arrived a bit ahead of schedule, and we had about 15 minutes before the pub opened. Lots of time to pose for pictures. The one above took two or three takes, but the always professional Cam made sure it was good enough for public consumption.

When the doors opened, we crushed a beer, a bowl of hearty beef stew and a cup of coffee in about 20 minutes. Then, after Cam received a call from the boss, we hopped back on the road. With favourable tailwinds we cruised back home. 70k outside to match the 70k inside earlier in the day. A great way to finish the week and to kick off some weekend riding.