Snowbirdin It

Once upon a time, a few kittens caught wind of rumors of a magical land, with warm February temps and hills that would put the beloved Pungo Ferry Bridge to shame. However, when they heard of a hot tub, in the shape of Mickey Mouse, it was decided that action needed to be taken.

So after 788 miles, 12 hours on the road, countless cans of red bull, ¾ bag of ‘muy delicioso’ homemade granola, and plenty of pretzels & hummus, Capn Cook, Ali, and Brittany arrived in the Promise Land. It’s Florida, Baby!

There were roughly 25 other cyclists from around different areas of Hampton Roads, all renting homes in the same neighborhood. We did a little riding with the large group, but found it more conducive to our training to split off with a smaller number so that we could set a comfortable pace and get more pulling time in.

Though the temps weren’t quite as Florida-like as one might expect, they most definitely allowed for less layers of spandex and more enjoyable riding then what we’ve all experienced over the unusually cold winter months here at home. The particularly sunny days allowed more pedaling/tan line-establishing time than others, but we still managed to crank out a respectable 65 miles per day on average.

With the Florida days beginning to run together, a vacation routine quickly set in: ‘bucks run, breakfast, ride, quality-time with Mickey, dinner, games, beauty rest, repeat. We ate in every night, in an effort to keep costs down, with a menu consisting of things like homemade pizzas, chicken fajitas, curried chicken, grilled fish & chicken tacos. For our last night in town, we treated ourselves to sushi and the like. Ali seemed to be ready to break her shrimp eating record with specialty rolls, but thankfully it was too expensive of a proposition (special funds set aside for next year).

Looking toward the Snowball Crit #2 as our first race of the season. With any luck, the balmy temps we've enjoyed lately will stick around. Stay tuned…