SNOW!!

Monday's riding plans put us on top of Monteagle Mountain in Sewanee, TN.  I met up Nathan Taylor and Chris Williams and we decided to head up the mountain in search of some snow covered trails.  Once we got on top of the mountain, all the roads were covered with snow and ice.  We had the car loaded down with bikes and everyone we passed seemed to look at our vehicle as though we were freaks of some sort!  Well, maybe we are. 

University of The South campus

 We drove through the University of the South campus and took in all the sites as we approached the trailhead.  We got to the trailhead around 10:30am and unloaded our bikes in the frigid temperatures.  I think we all wore every article of clothing that we could put on in anticipation that this would be one cold ride.  I did, however, figure out the secret to warm feet!  TOASTY TOES is the answer.  I will be wearing these in some of the upcoming races during the winter months.  Toasty Toes paired with two layers of socks and a grocery bag keeps your feet dry and warm for at least 8 hours. 

Chris and Nathan rolling up the fire road

After bundling up like Ralphie's kid brother Randy, we hit the trail for some fun riding in the snow.  The first mile or so was on what I think was a fire road but really it was just a wide path covered with about 4 or 5 inches of snow.  This little trip down the fire road helped us to get acclimated to riding in the snow without having to worry about hitting any trees or rocks.  We finally made it to the beginning of the Perimeter Trail and it was on!  The trail was actually pretty rideable.  The snow contoured nicely to the berms of each turn in the trail.  For the first 2 or 3 miles on the Perimeter Trail, we actually followed some animal tracks.  In some areas, we would come across snow drifts that piled over a foot of snow. 

Hanging out at the overlook

  With each miles came more and more confidence in our riding.  Finally we were to the point of just letting loose and riding our bikes like we would any other day.  It didn't really matter if we crashed because the snow would cushion our landing.  The only major problem that we encountered from the snow was the ice packing up in our pedals which would make it difficult to clip in.  As for my bike, it did great.  I was most impressed with my tires.  I'm running a WTB Weirwolf 2.55 front tire and a WTB Exiwolf 2.3 in the rear.  These tires did great staying on top of the snow and they tracked pretty well when things got slick.

Me

 Unfortunately, our ride ended a little short when Chris' chain broke.  We were able to shorten the chain a link but the chain wasn't to be trusted.  We pedaled out on one of the fire roads and made it back to the car.  Regardless of how long we got to ride, this was definitely one of the most fun rides I've been on!

Fixing a broken chain

 After getting back to the car, we headed into town to grab some food.  The first restaurant that we found to be open was "Mi Casa Mexican Restaurant".  Mexican food sounded great after a few hours on the bike.  Well, this place was horrible.  The only thing we managed to get was chips and salsa when we were seated.  We sat at our table for about 15 minutes and no one ever came back over to take our order.  Instead, our waiter sat at the front counter talking to his friends.  We up and walked out and headed a little further down the street to the "Smokehouse".  This place was pretty cool.  I really think Cracker Barrel must have copied this place.  This place appeared to have been in business for a long time and you walk through an old country store before making your way into the dining room.  We chose their country buffet and a Budweiser.  We felt the Budweiser was quite fitting considering where were chose to dine.  The highlight of our meal was one of the sauces we found on the table.  You know, everyone needs a little "Blazin Rectums" on their fried chicken!