Winter Savior

We have a lot of great things in the Upper Peninsula.  We have 4 full seasons, an awesome wilderness, perfect summers, white winters, and many other things that make the UP one of a kind.  Although along with it's advantages it does have it's disadvantages, until this year that is.

With the sport of cycling growing so popular and the talent pool getting deeper their is no time to slack anymore.  You cannot get away with casual riding in our short summer months.  Putting on fun miles for 6 months a year will make anyone a good rider/racer and has made a lot of good riders from the UP but when your competing at the highest level 6 months does not cut it, you'll get eaten up.  Forget getting eaten up you won't make it.  You need a year round plan., not necessarily a year round cycling plan as it's always good to take time off the bike in between seasons, but a year round training plan.  This year round plan does include an early start to your cycling.  Problem!!!!  We live int the Upper Peninsula and riding during the winter months is not possible.  You cannot be on the roads, they are snow covered and with anything over 15 mph you will suffer with frostbite (Ask Danny Hill.  Not fun.) from the wind chill.  You cannot ride the trails, they are covered in 8 feet of snow.  You cannot ride the snowmobile trails, even when groomed the 2.5 inch tires will cut through like a knife in warm butter.  You cannot ride the trainer, while you can but its so unhealthy to ride a trainer for hours on end in January.  Its like taking drugs,  you burn out.  You ever see a brain on drugs, yeah it's bad, well hours on a trainer in January has the same effect.

SOLUTION......SAVIOR!!!!

Surly Pugsley

This bike has hands down giving me the best start to a season I can ask for.  What is it you may ask?  First, get your head out of the gutter as this is the hottest thing to hit Marquette County in over 100 years.  (Get yours at Quick Stop Bike)  Second, it's called the Surly Pugsley.  A winter bike built in our neighboring state of Minnesota.  It's built with a wider fork, wider rear triangle, and a wider bottom bracket all to support the massive 4 inch wide tires/wheels.  The aforementioned  mentioned problems are all solved by this bike.  Wind chill effect, you're on trails where wind is not as much of a factor and with 4 inch tires anything over 15 mph is flying.  Fresh snow, ride through it.  Groomed trails, ride on top of them.  This bike handles the UP like it was made to ride on snow.......wait it was.  Thats the beauty of it, its like Chevy Silverado, raw snow power.  What about when the winter is done?...........nope we don't put it away.  We take it out and ride the beach like a magic carpet rides the air.

In past years I have spent hours a week on ski trails.  Gaining valuable fitness that transferred very well to the bike.  A good change a pace but when you love to bike it doesn't cut it.  I have spent the same amount of hours biking this year in December, January, and February as I have skied in the past.  If skiing hours have been good for my bike fitness Pugsley hours is going to be awesome for it.  Now that block 1 of base is under way the Pugsley will continue to provide all I ask of it.  It will build my base and better yet keep it fun.