The First Ride of 07

With winter refusing to make a serious attempt at showing up, I decided that it was about time to get the first ride of the year in the bag.
To say that the weather has been weird would be an understatement. 1 week ago today, we were sliding down the hill in my back yard on snowdecks and sleds in 6" of freshly fallen snow. A week of weather in the 40s and lots of rain has effectively plunged us into mid April riding conditions. Perpetual mud season if you will.
It was nice to get out though. Most of our local roads are unpaved, which meant for some serious resistance on flat ground. And up here, not much is flat. The climbs were grueling, and would leave you feeling drained. The downhills were tricky, because you could find yourself with the front wheel in one rut, the rear in another.
It all adds up to big fun.