Saturday, June 18, 2011

Polar Bear Ride (1/1/11) by Dave Elliott

(Excerpt from Feb. 2011 Spoke and Wheel newsletter...)


I decided to get a jump on 2011 weeks ago by signing up for the Polar Bear Ride in Kokomo. 

New Year's Day began with rain and dropping temperatures, but the weather was sunshine with windy, colder conditions at the start of the ride. I'm not sure how many were there, but my guesstimate would be about 50 riders. A quick scan of the crowd didn't turn up any other Spoke and Wheel members, but if I didn't see you, I apologize.

Since this is my first year riding the Polar Bear, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but the route was well marked and quite scenic. It's a good thing I was facing that very strong west wind at the beginning of the ride, because I would have been struggling otherwise. Considering northern Indiana is known for its flat farmland, I was surprised that this route had several rolling hills. However, I passed quite a few ponds, lakes, streams, and rivers which always make a ride more enjoyable.

Going on a new ride always brings some surprises. My most memorable moment was a male cyclist wearing jeans, work boots, and riding a girl's bike with cobwebs on it. Maybe a well-intentioned New Year's resolution?

The Polar Bear Ride was a great start to 2011 and I'm looking forward to an enjoyable ride year!

No comments:

Post a Comment