Climate Change? Who knows. Warm Weather? Nope.

Climate change and weather are different as can be to climatologists, geographers, and people in the know... but to the general population it's often just dismissed as a semantic difference. What I can confirm is that Calgary sure isn't seeing any cycling friendly warm spring weather yet this year. Let's warm up the region a bit by leaving our collective doors open, I've had enough of the snow/sleet/ice! Maybe when I'm bustling with energy I can handle that stuff, but when I'm tired from work... I'm a little less prepared to do battle with the elements for weeks on end.

The gang tried to make another good riding weekend, but it was a bit tough after a beautiful Friday evening ride with clear roads and warm temperatures. Saturday was a bit of a personal battle for me, I was rundown from last week, and although I'm sure I could have pushed up the pain threshold a bit to stick with the group as everyone jockeyed for position along the rollers on lower Springbank, it just wasn't the pace of riding my internal guages were suggesting I should be up to. People are fast at this time of year. I'm hoping I'm fast later. I know I'll be fit both now and later, but fast is different. Only time will tell.

For the second time in as many weeks, turning north was the "right" choice by weather. We caffeinated with a bunch of the crew from our ride and from another ride in Cochrane, then reorganized ourselves and headed out for more. Unfortunately, the "more" I had in me was less than the "more" the other 5 riders I was with had. I turned back at what I felt was a sensible spot, and unfortunately got my first flat of the year within a few kilometers. Better then than with a group.

Made it home ok, unwound a bit, then got the cell phone flurry for setting up a sushi dinner. Dallas, Tori, Jon, Craig and I indulged (this is after I ate a box of Maccaroni for carbo-loading) and told tall tales about cycling. Good time had by all... then off for the obligatory DQ stop to top up Dallas' caloric reserves.

For me, the funny part of the evening was chatting after in my "over furnitured" living room, and despite seating for 9, seeing Dallas, Jon and Craig all line up on one couch. Good times.

Rode Sunday out to Cochrane in the crappy sleet with Craig Stappler. Good ride, we rode hard enough to stay warm, without riding really that hard. Bike froze up again, but at least the roads didn't. It was actually a pretty refreshing ride, but seriously, I've had enough of this stuff.

Well, there's my ramble. A weekend of riding, a weekend of sub-par weather if you measure it in terms of bicycle riding.