The winter that never was and maybe never will be

Nope, the Motor Club does not have a Spring Training facility in Florida like the Detroit Tigers...man would that take a lot more sponsorship dollars.  That my friends is the 7 day outlook for Metro Detroit....in March, before the first day of Spring.  What's funnier is this doesn't show the last 4 days we've had that were in the upper 60's and low 70's.  

Given the good temps the A-Train got a text from Diesel on Tuesday evening stating that they were going to be riding outside on Wednesday.  Normally in Michigan in March if you are outside you are on the road bike or doing dirt roads on your CX bike because the trails are thawing and are a mess.  But not this winter.  More than half the trails in Southeast Michigan are dry and rideable.  So after a few thumb wars it was decided that they would go to Island Lake to start the season and stretch our indoor trainer legs.  Not the most technically demanding place to ride but it can still be loads of fun.

Gearing up in the middle of March with just shorts and short sleeve jerseys seemed odd to them but no one in the parking lot was complaining.  Bikes were continuously coming off the trail without a spec of mud on them.  It was a sight to be seen.  But so were they....well not really.  It was just the Diesel and A-Train donning the Motor gear and getting ready to ride.  So after a 2 delay start time (due to A-Train having to swing by the Diesel's house after work to pick up his shoes because he forgot them and a case of A's magically disappearing keys going missing...happens at least once a year) they were ready to ride.

The plan was to do 30 miles at an average clip to learn how to pace themselves for the upcoming 12 solos they'd be doing.  The 30 miles would pose no problem.  The issue was trying to keep the restrictor plates on themselves.  The whole idea of pacing lasted all but 2 miles it seemed.  After that every 3 to 4 miles they'd switch up the lead out man and just kept tearing along down the trails.  It was hard not to after so many months in the basement on the trainers.  It was like a flashback in time, back to 2007 when the Diesel and A-Train were equal in speed and made for perfect training partners.

If this amazing ride in March, in Michigan, outside, on the trails taught these two anything....it was that it is going to be a fun year.  Not only will the races be fun but all the training rides will be a blast.  It will be interesting to see if the weather ever goes back to normal but even if it does this ride was a good indication of what is to come for 2012.  And that's riding trails and having fun.