Riding in January?

That's a kooky proposition: riding in January. Usually it's in the teens, with a snowpack of about a foot. But not so this January, where it has been mild and "balmy."

I have had three nice rides during the first seven days of the new year, totaling 82 miles with 8,700 feet of climbing.

Here is today's ride, with the climb up Moffett's Run Road as the main event--a true test in June, let alone in January.


Some picture postcards from a picture perfect day.

From the deck of the Ambridge-Aliquippa bridge.This bridge opened on December 28, 1926, which is 85 years and about a week from today. The bridge felt every bit of 85 years as it swayed nervously in the wind and from the weight of cars zipping across its span. The structures on the far bank of the Ohio River occupy the spot of the former J&L Steel Corporation, where the steel for this bridge was fabricated. The bridge is set to close in early spring until the fall for renovation--so this may be the final ride across it for a year. 

In contrast to the Ambridge-Aliquippa bridge, a picture from a newly built bridge crossing the Raccoon Creek. This bridge went up in 2011, opening about a month earlier. The guardrail visible near the top of the photo marks the start of the long climb up Moffett's Run Road.

A look up the formidable Moffett's Run Road. I have done this climb since the 1980s, and it usually came at the end of my rides. During the rides back then I would dread the thought of getting to Moffett's because it was so hard. But now, I relish the thought of getting to Moffett's. It's one of those signature climbs that you come to love after doing it so many times.