O.K. it can quit raining now....

So of course after taking the month of January off, my training for the AZTR started off with rain, and it seems to just keep coming.
 I'm not going to complain, we really need the water for a healthy forest, but 3 and 4 hour rain rides rank pretty low on the list of my favorite things to do, in fact they're so low they don't even make the list.

Saturday I needed to be out for 4 hours. The ride started off under cloudy but warm skies. I got about an hour in and it started to rain a bit, nothing major but enough to put the rain gear on and start worrying about my Power Meter that I don't usually use in the rain for fear of f-ing it up. Suffice to say it didn't stop and only got worse, much worse the farther I got from home of course. I had the wrong gloves and no shoe covers so it made for a fairly cold extremity ride, numb toes and fingers by the time I got home for sure.

The only two pictures I took all day, Finning Mill Rd.

 Sunday I needed to go up to Lake Tahoe to look at a couple of jobs so I brought the cross bike and snowshoes to take Sasha out for a hike and then a drive over to Reno where it was supposed to be rain free. The drive up and over the pass was pretty rough, rainy and very windy but no snow. Truckee was dry and warm, as was Tahoe, but as I headed over Mount Rose the snow began to fall and the wind really picked up. We stopped at Mount rose and took off for the Meadows. Sasha just loves the snow and even though the conditions were crap, we had a good time.

Dog Angels

I made my way over to Reno and got on the bike at about 2 pm. I figured I would head up to Virginia City via the Old Toll Rd. and then make mt way to Carson City and back around to Reno. Man was it windy, I mean like 30-40 mph. I had originally thought I would head to Carson City first, but the stiff headwind made me reconsider that plan and I headed off for the dirt climb up to Virginia City.

A little sticky and way steeper than it looks had me wishing for a lower gear.

The view looking back towards Reno.

The road was a bit sticky from yesterdays rain and the wind was howling, but overall it was a nice climb up to Virginia City. It would rain for a bit and then quit which was actually nice as it cooled me down a bit.

Not far below the snow line.

The steed

Virginia City looking down 6 mile Canyon

Virginia City

I couldn't do my usual dirt route up and over Geiger Mountain due to snow and had to do road around to Carson City. It had started to rain in Virginia City but I figured that once I descended down to the valley floor it would go away.  I'd never done this route but knew that it was a regular road ride so it must be possible.
 After a few attempts at finding a dirt route over to Washoe Lake I made my way down to Hwy. 50 and knew it was going to be a rough go getting to Carson City with a 35 mph headwind. I kinda of just figured I would have to get on HY 395 for the ride over to Lake Washoe, but having never done it before it was a bit of a challenge. Luckily I had maps in the GPS for this area and I was able to find my way over to 395 and into Washoe Lake.
The rain that had started in Virginia City was following me as I rode. The wind at the lake was extreme, sometimes a 40 mph tailwind and sometimes a crosswind that had me leaning the bike over at a huge angle just to keep it on the shoulder, really nerve racking, and always with a stinging driving rain.
I finally made my way back to the car, man I was wasted and just wanted to get dry and warm and not fight a stupid howling wind storm. All in all a pretty adventurous day and one I look forward to doing when it's not so shitty.