2012 Icicle Metric (or close to it)

Melissa and I headed out early Saturday morning for Newark, DE.  That is the home of the University of Delaware's Fightin' Blue Hens and the Icicle Metric bike event hosted by the White Clay Bicycle Club.  The morning started out on the milder side and dry.  In years past, the event has always lived up to its name with very chilly temps, but this year found us leaving off our booties and winter cycling jackets.   We had checked out the weather forecast which called for rain or showers for part of the morning, but didn't sound like a wash.  The staging area is a U of D parking lot and we were greeted there by volunteers at the registration tables.  You were given the choice of one of the clubs water bottles or a nifty cue sheet holder.  We both opted for the holder which worked wonderfully.  You can check them out at www.cueclip.com  By now it had become overcast and we went through a few minutes of indecision on what to wear.  We started out together heading out of town on some great back roads.  At around mile 4 Melissa announced the first few rain drops of the day-I was hoping it was just from a few foggy areas nearby.  But.....she was right and the rain followed us out of town.  I headed out on the 100k route and spent quite a bit of time riding through puddles and water sitting on the road.  Melissa followed the 50k route and we planned to meet up at the rest stop which was at mile 35 for me.  The rain would ease up at times but just wouldn't stop.  The wet conditions made it difficult to take advantage of some great downhills and was especially annoying when I started feel water in my shoes.  For a brief moment earlier in the van I thought of my cycling rain jacket, but for some unknown reason I never tucked it in my back pocket.  Luckily I had a few layers on including knee warmers and arm warmers and the temperature stayed on the milder side.  Still, it was wet and showed no sign of clearing up.  I made a deal with myself that if it stopped raining and looked brighter by the time I got to the rest stop that I would continue on the 100k route-if not I would head in on the 50k route.  My fuel for the day was PowerBar IronMan Perform lemon lime drink, water and a PowerBar Double Latte Gel.

I pulled into the school for the rest stop and easily found Melissa.  Normally this spot is jammed with riders, but you could see the effects of the weather with just a handful of riders there.  I grabbed a PB&J sandwich, filled a water bottle and headed out with Melissa.  The weather was still crummy and I was going to finish on the 50k route.  There is a pretty good downhill a few miles out from the school. This was when I knew I made the right decision....The rain hitting my face at this point felt more like sleet!!!  I kept saying ouch the whole way down!!!!

Melissa ended up with a 36 mile ride and I finished with 44 miles.  We each changed in the van and the dry, warm clothes were very welcome.  Lunch was next on the agenda and we headed straight to Iron Hill Brewery.  Hot soup and a great homemade black bean burger with a side of fries made the day complete.  We also got to watch some of the NCAA Women's b-ball games while there!!

Happy and dry at the start!

We both really like this ride which meanders through DE, PA and MD and offers some great scenery and challenging routes.  We will be back again next year and I think I will hope for cooler temps and no rain!!!