Category: Training

  • Skyball out and back epic

    This adventure started out on Christmas day when we began our annual trek north to Wisconsin to visit Kristine’s family and enjoy the winter wonderland of the northwoods of Wisconsin. For the past two years, I have left our house in the morning and biked north towards Wisconsin. About six hours later, Kristine has picked…

  • Rocky Ridge – Vestavia Dr KOM analysis

    Today was quite the adventure – two flats and a KOM! The last week of the Strava Shoot-out competition was the Rocky Ridge – Vestavia Dr climb. With over 700 vertical feet of elevation difference and nearly 800 feet total gain (three small downhills), this is one of the biggest climbs you can do in…

  • Frozen lake adventures and snow bike sledding

    Yesterday was our last day at the cabin, so Kristine, Papa Dale, and the kids went for one last ski/skate on the lake. They were following a huge eagle around the lake, and I got pictures of his footprints later when I went out to check out the ice fishing with Kristine. I was planning…

  • Markville via lots of snowy roads and snowmobile trails

    This was my longest and fastest ride so far this year up in Wisconsin. It needed to be fast because I got a late start after sleeping in a bit and then having fun out on the frozen lake with Josiah ice/snow astronaut skating and Analise snow skiing. After warming up a bit, I left…

  • Lake 26 road to Minnesota

    Today’s ride was really great … lots of fast snow and rolling hills. Frog Lake Road was perhaps the most rural road with some long stretches of untouched snow. But the highlight road was Lake 26 road which basically paralleled WI-77 for a good 15 miles heading west towards Minnesota. There was a good steady…

  • Quick ride report, pics, and videos – Heartwood

    Yesterday’s ride from Shell Lake to Heartwood was much colder than I anticipated mainly because of the constant light snowfall that combined with salted county roads meant wet, cold, cold, cold feet. Fortunately, I had a chemical warmer pack and was able to put that into my shoe about halfway through the ride. Unfortunately, I…

  • A very cold adventure

    Welcome to Wisconsin – when we made a gas / food stop at the Wisconsin dells at 5 in the morning, the temp had fallen to 12 degF. Eventually it would bottom out at -2 degF. We are in cold, snowy Wisconsin after twenty hours of driving. The temperature fell from 50s degF in Alabama…

  • Goodner Mountain – Trussville exploration

    Quick ride report … I was working from home this morning when I got a call from Rocky Ridge that Analise was sick with a fever. Kristine was down in Helena on a long run with Kim so I drove over and picked Analise up. We snuggled on the couch and watched Hugo while we…

  • Strava Shoot-out Belmont

    This week’s Strava shoot-out climb is Belmont Rd over in Irondale. I was working on the computer this morning when Kristine mentioned that the high was going to be close to 70 today. After having frost in our yard and on our neighbhor’s roofs this morning, I immediately thought “updraft!!!” So I finished what I…

  • Strava Shoot-out Week 9 plus Pine Mountain adventure

    View from near Pine Mountain high point (click to enlarge) So here is the backstory for this ride – I took Monday off, and on Tuesday my legs felt like a million bucks. So I decided during my ride on Tuesday that I would put in my Strava Shoot-out effort on my Wednesday ride. Tuesday…