What the hell is there to say? The rain delay & reschedule from the previous weekend played out perfectly, as riders were greeted by an inch of fresh snow on the ground and temps right around the freezing mark. The Foghorn Clan rolled out early and cut fresh tracks all over the river city. Invisible ice patches and frozen bridges claimed their fair share of the group, but everybody kept on riding. A few brief flurries added to the wintery effect. Rising temps turned the trails to slop, and a frozen, wet chamois appeared to be the norm. A group of about 25 hung together pretty well all morning, and by lunch time the 50/50 had seen it's first 3 female participants complete the stage.
The road stage saw the mercury peak and begin to fall rapidly as the skies clouded up, and the wind begin to howl. The wind split the group early, and any hope of regaining contact was shattered by a funeral crossing the course. Light flurries turned to white out conditions about 10 miles in. Six riders made the selection and were delivered through the storm to the bottom of Old Gun, but by the time they reached the top, the true selection of Travis, Tom, and Jamie had been made. THe FLP trio of Foghorn, Scottie and Metro gave weak pursuit but never got a glimpse.
Huge props to everyone who made the ride, put in the full day, and brought home the coveted bottle opener. Travis got the Chokin' the Chickin' socks award, for marking the wheel of the leader all day, and pouring on a huge helping of Rule #5 all day. Tom Haines and his wife Tracy deserve the most applause for hosting, and providing an avalanche of treats all day.
