sweat and tyres singing a requiem to winter
Friday night’s sprinkling of snow on our deck, and glints of ice the next morning, scuppered my plan to cycle to the coast along a quiet, forested (and likely very icy) road: I didn’t want a wipeout to put an end to my 2022 Aids/LifeCycle dreams forever.
Despite the cold snap, though, winter is truly on the retreat. As I cycled today in dazzling sunshine, I noticed that previously bare oak trees were now costumed in bright green — like debutantes attending the first ball of spring. Gazing out at rippling ridgelines, I could see that the merest dusting of snow remained on the furthest and highest summits. A California blue jay shot past, an iridescent flash against beige, chortling joyously.
I like longer, light-filled days and warmer weather but, nevertheless, a pang of melancholy interrupted my fretting about misted sunglasses, groaning gears and lung-busting inclines. The end of rain and snow means dryness, and thus flammability. I know that fire season — which begins earlier and earlier — is just part of what you sign up to if you live in California. Even so: Winter, did you have to go just yet?
THIS WEEK’S FACTS AND FIGURES
Total distance: 75.55 mi | ~121.58km
Number of rides: 4
Time left till AIDS/Lifecycle: 13 weeks