In Which Spring Rides Officially Arrive

The youngest of the three grandsons who went on a ride with me, coming out of the house to get on the Tag-A-Long seat on March 6 (above). Early in the ride (below) a pause to watch water in Dry Creek.

March—I was out on a ride this morning with a grandson, who observed that March is between winter and spring. Snow still littered the ground, hanging out in less sunny areas and where it was piled off of driveways and walkways. More ground is showing as more snow melts, and winter cold mornings are giving way to afternoons in the 40s.

In September, a day in the 40s feels like winter is coming. In March, a sunny day of the same temperature is a promise of future greenery, indeed, today, in one of my gardens snowdrops are in bloom, the first flowers of the new season even as the old season hasn’t quite given up.

And this week of biking was full of spring firsts. My first rides in “regular” shows as I don’t need the insulated winter boots.

March 4--Sunny morning--Fancy Beast in morning sunshine during the commute (above) and at the Mount Mercy University campus (below).

After riding the mountain bikes all week long to work, on Saturday there was another first—I got out the hybrid bike and Tag-A-Long seat, oiled their chains and aired their tyres. Late in the morning I took three grandsons on three short rides.

I wore regular shoes for those rides, which probably totaled 4 or 5 miles.

March 6--Lindale Trail on a sunny Saturday morning as I ride with a grandson suing Clarence, my hybrid bike.

Bike (above and below) in Lowe Park on afternoon ride, March 6.

After lunch, I again took the hybrid bike out for the first real spring ride wearing the bike shoes. My bike shoes aren’t at all insulated and I don’t wear them when it’s cold—today I rode on the faster bike with the fancy bike shoes wearing a bright sweatshirt rather than my winter jacket and a reflective vest.

It was, in a way, the first Saturday of spring. There may be some winter rides ahead, and the grass that has just escaped its winter snow cover is still winter brown. But snowdrops are in bloom, the hybrid bike is out and the next season of bicycle riding is beginning.

Hybrid bike with Tag-A-Long seat, how I rode with grandsons in the morning, rode the bike without the seat attached in the afternoon.