through the valley

This week I rode to work through McKinnon Ravine and the river valley. After my icy adventure a couple of weeks ago, I was hesitant; after all, there are still patches of snow here and there, so I thought maybe the trail was still thickly packed with ice. But on Tuesday morning, instead of riding across the bridge, as I have done all winter, I cautiously rode down the slope into the ravine. And to my delight, the trail was more or less clear. There were one or two large puddles and two or three icy patches (thin ice) but other than that, conditions were excellent. 

The Victoria Park hill was waiting for me, and I was ready. Now, it may be true that we never forget how to ride a bike, but we (or at least I) do forget when to gear down on the hills. I geared down too soon and ended up riding uphill like an old lady. Of course, some would say that I am an old lady, but I like to think that normally I ride like a young person. Not this time. I was glad there was no one around to see my agonizingly s-l-o-w progress up that endless-feeling slope.

I opted out of riding on Tuesday. There was a rainfall warning for my neck of the woods and a special weather advisory for the city of Edmonton, and I wasn't sure what to expect. I had a big stack of books that needed to go back to our school, so I loaded up my bags and drove all the way to work. Turns out the rain wasn't as bad as it sounded like it was going to be, but it was a mite cold and I was not altogether sorry I'd driven.

On Thursday it was back to riding, again through the valley. This time I was ready for the hill and pedaled fast and furious. It felt good to have a decent little climb as part of my commute again, after a few months of riding on the basically flat city streets. Next week I'll go the full monty and climb the Fortway and 107 Street hills.