Conditions were less than perfect.

The weatherman was a bit off today for the Albuquerque forecast.  They were saying that there was a 30% chance of rain and snow starting at 1 PM, so I thought I would miss most of the storm if I was out the door by 10 AM for my 3.5 hour ride.

There was a large cloud sitting at the peak (10,500 ft) of the Sandia Mountains and the wind was howling and blowing at 30-40 mph.  As soon as I got up to the trail, the big cloud swooped down over the top of the mountain and I knew the chances of staying dry were slim.  It was about 40F out, so I wasn’t too concerned about a little rain.  However, I thought it’d be smart to head to the South Foothills trails since it had started to rain and things looked clearer in that direction.

Suddenly, the rain turned into ice pellets that were pegging me at 30 mph in the face.  It hurt and I was holding one hand on my cheek to stop the stinging.  I figured, “Hey!  It’s Albuquerque… this storm will be out of here in no time and the sun will be shining”  so I kept going.

The start of the weather moving in.

Eventually I couldn’t see in front of me from the snow and frozen rain, so I decided to head back.  By the time I got to the road, I was totally soaked.  My core was still warm, but my legs and butt were FREEZING.  I was only wearing leg warmers and booties and the wind wasn’t helping.  All I could do was try to stay warm and ride home, but I didn’t do such a good job.

The bike path was a river in town and I couldn’t feel my hands anymore.  I didn’t want to stop and go someplace warm because it’d be even harder to get back on the bike and go home.  Temperatures had dropped significantly.

That is not a bad case of dandruff, that’s ice and snow frozen all over my jacket. My Endura Stealth jacket is definitely waterproof and warm. Now that I have worn this jacket through a multitude of weather conditions, I am comfortable writing a review about it! Stay tuned for that.

That would be ice in my hair. My helmet was frozen and the vents were full of ice as well.  My dad had to help me get my jacket and helmet off because I had lost all dexterity in my hands.  It was a fun adventure.  Fun meaning sick, twisted, and painful, but it is actually a good thing.  They don’t stop races when bad weather moves in, and by training in these conditions, it makes it mentally easier to endure in a race.  I had to take a cold shower for awhile because warm water was too painful.  It felt like all my fingers had been slammed in a door.

Tomorrow is a new day and it’s supposed to be pretty cold, but also dry.  Yipee!!