Short video to go with the above pics.
The story if you GAF -
I've learned that when Denver is forecast to be 60*, it'll be about 15* cooler at the trailhead which is warm enough once cabin fever starts to set in - Wednesday was such a day.
I have a loop that I like to ride, I feel like I've gone somewhere when I can make a full lap as opposed to an out-n-back. But it takes me into the back country which is a bit intimidating when it's snow packed and icy so I've been sneaking up on it, going a little further each time. Wednesday I was reaching my comfort level so I looked at the GPS track log, it showed once I hung the right up ahead that it was 'only' 4 miles to easier trails (all of them are easy forest roads anyway as long as I'm not making fresh tracks. If it's traveled, I 'should' be OK, which it was). All of the more challenging (fun) spurs are snowed in for the season.
The only unknown remaining was the ice chute. If I couldn't make it up that, it was an extra 15 miles back, not a big deal as I was 'daylight safe', my wintertime
deadline, so to speak.
You can hear the tires start to hop as I lose traction toward the bottom.
This is almost the end of the day, the earlier 80% was much more conservative since I was so far from the trailer. PUUSSSSHHH was the only time in the 45 mile loop that I lost the front end, deceleration braking was all it needed to recover.
For the video guys -
The ice chute and shortcut back (from the top on another day) -