Grin and Bear it

One thing about Minnesota weather is sure - it's always changing! Yesterday morning, Thanksgiving Day, it was 65 degrees and sunny. By evening the winds were gusting to 30 knots (about 40 mph) and it started to snow. This morning dawned somewhat overcast with snow flurries but by afternoon it was sunny and 25 degrees Fahrenheit with not enough snow on the ground to count.
Biking in shorts and a light jacket on Thanksgiving Day morning in Minnesota
You can't get bored with the weather around here, that's for sure. Warm and sunny one day and cold and snowy the next. One of the main reasons Owen and I bought our Salsa fatbikes (Owen has a Mukluk 2, I have a Beargrease that I call "Bear") is so we could bike all year 'round, even in the cold and snow, and stay healthy. We feel much better when we're biking - healthier and happier overall. So yesterday when it was nice and sunny and warm we biked. And today when it was cold and blustery we got out and biked, too.

I will say I do prefer biking in shorts like I did yesterday - Owen and I had a great gravel road ride with some off road trails thrown in - but riding in cold weather like we did today is, well, let's just call it invigorating.
Yesterday - 65 degrees F
Today - 25 degrees F. We're smiling despite the cold :)
Today's ride was on gravel but with some hills. Hard hills. And winds whipping at us from the west. Cold winds. And, even with layers and warmish clothes (long sleeved layer, jersey, jacket, balaclava, shorts, long socks, lined tights, winter gloves) I was kinda cold. I started to feel kind of sorry for myself out there, even with Owen to keep me company and pedal alongside me. But there I was out a ways from home and my only choice was to keep pedaling - so I did.

You know, I think I have a mantra for bicycling now - Grin and Bear it" as in, I might as well smile (or grimace?) and just keep pedaling my fatbike, Bear.

Because even though my ride today was a bit chilly and I had some frustration dealing with the hills, I'm still glad I got out and rode my fatbike  - I now have that nice feeling you get after having a good workout along with that "I'm from Minnesota and cold weather isn't going to stop me" sense of pride. On top of that  I feel rather fit right now sitting her in my office in my spandex bike shorts that were too small for me a few months ago and knee high bike socks. And a little stiff - but I'm going to focus on the fit feeling instead of the stiff feeling right now. Because I'm from Minnesota and pretty hardy and all that. Yep. And I rode my bike in 25 degree temps today. Yep. And I'll probably do it tomorrow, too. Because as long as I smile and keep pedaling I'll do just fine.
Lots of gravel and hills that don't look very hilly in pictures but sure look big when you're on a bike

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