From Superbowl to Mardi Gras

It's been a tough week for riding. I skipped riding on Monday for reasons I don't even remember, compensating somewhat by going to a Spin class that evening. I was determined to ride Tuesday morning, however. It had rained much of the night, but by 6:00 is had stopped and the temperature had already started dropping. I got dressed for temperatures in the low 40s and went downstairs with plans to ride the old full-fender Pennine. I took it off the hook where it hangs in the basement, but when I plopped it down on the basement floor it didn't bounce like it should have. Flat tire! Well, I figured nobody else would be riding anyway, so since it wouldn't really matter if I made it out there for the usual 6:15 time, I went ahead and fixed the flat. Ten minutes later I was all suited up and aired up. When I finally got out the door I had a little surprise. In addition to the cold and the 25 mph north wind, and the darkness, there was a misty rain still falling. I went about five blocks and by then I knew I'd be soaking wet within fifteen minutes. So once again I bailed out and ultimately retreated to the warmth of the local Starbucks.

That night we went over to The Wife's office on Canal Street where we could park and party in comfort until the Saints parade started. It was cold and windy when we walked the five or six blocks over to Loyola and Poydras to see the parade, and by the time we got there the crowd was about ten deep on both sides of the road. We really weren't able to see very much. I snaked my way into the crowd and found a spot where I could see something of the parade, still about five rows from the front. There were some great photo opportunities, but only for someone with a really serious camera. My trusty handheld was no match for the combination of distance, darkness and movement. The Saints players looked like they were having a really great time, though. I include here for posterity some motion-blurred photos of Drew and Krewe. I didn't get a decent picture of Hartley (the Saints kicker) who, appropriately enough, was riding in a big high-heeled shoe float from the Muses parade. (For this ad-hoc parade, most of the regular Mardi Gras parade krewes donated one float. Muses was supposed to roll tonight, but they just postponed until tomorrow because of the weather.) I think, though, that the highlight of the parade was Saints coach Sean Peyton waving around the Vince Lombardi trophy for the crowd.

Wednesday morning wasn't a whole lot better. It was colder, in the mid-30s, and really windy, but at least it wasn't raining. I got to the usual meeting spot on the levee and it was just Erich and me, and later Taylor. We battled the wind and cold out to Williams Blvd., turning around early because Erich needed to get back and I needed to NOT be riding the twelve miles back home alone!

So this morning was, once again, cold and windy. I piled on the clothes and headed out despite the fact that half of the weather radar image was green. Up on the levee I found Mignon, Erich, Tim, Woody, Chip and Richard. We started out with a nice little paceline, but as the pace started to creep up toward the 28 mph mark riders started dropping back one by one. Eventually just Tim, Woody and Erich were pulling and the rest of us were sitting on. Tim and Woody would be turning around at The Dip, so I figured it would be wise for me to save a little for the ride back into the wind. Up until then I was occasionally feeling a little raindrop or two, but once we got past the dip they became more and more frequent. By the time we turned around at the grain elevator we were getting a light mix of sleet and drizzle. Luckily it was moving slowly and after riding back downriver a few miles we outran it. Unfortunately we couldn't outrun the wind that was holding our speed down in the 17-20 mph range. I'm hoping that the weather will finally improve a bit for the weekend. Riding will be complicated by Mardi Gras guests and parades, so I may have to play it by ear. I'd really like to do a long ride on the northshore on Sunday, but that may not be feasible. Anyway, it's looking like it will be kind of a cold Mardi Gras this weekend, and after the Superbowl and Mardi Gras, I think that even the most stalwart of locals will be ready for Lenten Season this year! Well, at least for a week or so . . . . .