Giro Alpinduros

It’s cool and often damp here in the Maritimes and it happens to be my favorite time of year to ride bikes. Not least of all because it means I get to wear my most-favorite cycling shoes evar, my Giro Alpinduros again.

These have proven to be my hands-down favorite shoulder-season/fall/early winter/early spring shoe. They’re comfy, solid, warm and best of all waterproof – remembering of course water will get in over the tops if you submerge ‘em that high – don’t ask how I know this. I did one day stumble upon the Alpinduro-specific gaiters/covers they make for these and snatched those up right away too – and they work a treat.

They’re low-key enough looking that they fit in at the store or the coffee shop, and the fact that they’re a mesh between a cycling shoe and hiking boot actually makes strolling (or hike-a-biking) a rather pleasant experience. The tread isn’t super aggro and there’s no toe spike holes, so they’re not an ideal ‘cross shoe, but I don’t want ‘em for that anyway. They are on the heavy side, but I’m willing to make that trade off for the warmth, waterproofness and walkability.

I’ve worn them on MTB rides, commutes and even on road rides on the go fast bike during cold weather without any issues. I don’t know exactly, but I’d hazard to say I’ve had no problems with cold feet down to 5 degrees below zero Celsius, especially when paired with a good cold weather sock and/or liner. This is actually my second pair – the first were warrantied by Giro after the sole delaminated – a known factory defect with some batches that they supported and have since remedied. I liked the fit of the footbed and Vibram soles on these so much that when I needed a summer/warm-weather shoe, I didn’t hesitate to pick up some of their Terraduros.

Giro didn’t pay me to wear these or write this, though with my mad 32 followers, surely it’s their marketing error. If you’re looking for some solid, warm, comfy on-and-off-the-bike cold weather shoes, you should be ‘influenced’ to check these out, says I. 

Different Rivers

When I moved here in 2006 I discovered there were two options for a commuting route from my house, both about 15km one-way. One was on the road, the other, almost entirely on converted rail-to-trail. My policy has always been and continues to be to avoid slicing and dicing with grumpy morning folks trapped in confined metal boxes, so whenever possible, the trail it is.

Up until 2010, my commute to work took me across two rivers, The Nashwaak and the St. John. After 2010, I changed jobs and now work on the north side of the St. John, so only cross the Nashwaak each trip. I used to keep track of my rides and mileage and all that but have stopped bothering. So, subtracting weekends, holidays, weather, sleep-in’s and other misses and adding back in various market trips, rides for coffee and group rides, I’d say conservatively on average I’ve commuted or ridden this route 150 times a year (each way, so 300 total) – at some point during every season and kind of weather you can conjure.*

Some dude, wiser than I, many seasons ago, once observed that “no man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.” Well then it must also apply that a man can’t CROSS the same river twice either.

Doing the fancy math that accounts for both jobs, that means approximately 5,100 different rivers crossed for this cat in 13 years. And I probably have at least half that many pictures clogging up the internet and cloud storage to prove it.

The thing is, they are truly different. Every. Time. Which is why I almost always stop. And while I didn’t always stop, make coffee, eat home made granola with chocolate milk and watch the sun come up on Fredericton across the St. John while tons of ducks do whatever it is ducks do in the morning – I have been quite a bit recently. If I had my druthers (and I don’t know what a ‘druther’ is – or why anyone would want one) I’d just ride my bike around rivers drinking coffee all day, but like so many of you, I have to go to work. I’m pretty sure though, that if one HAS to go to work, I may have stumbled onto the absolute best way to do it. Even without coffee and snacks.

*That’s also roughly 58,500km of commuting for those playing along at home. Also, there’s not enough space here to discuss how I have changed as a man, so don’t ask.

Nature is an Old Lady

Went out with @spoke_n_words this morning to get wet in the tropical rain that Hurricane Dorian has been nice enough to bring up north for us. One of my favorite quotes from Tim Krabbé’s ‘The Rider’ came to me:

“Instead of expressing their gratitude to the rain for getting wet, people walk around with umbrellas. Nature is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.”

Well, she rewarded us well today with one long conversation that rolled as easy as our fat wheels over rocks and roots. We mused on school systems, societal perceptions of mental health, the fruitlessness – yet imperative nature of environmental sustainability, trees as living poems, books to add to the ‘to read list and the importance of singing songs even if no one is listening.

It was so effortless that I forgot to even take a photo. Or perhaps I just didn’t want to interrupt the flow. Instead I took this one of my water bottle when I got home. Looks like I brought some of what was out there home with me. What you can’t see is the innumerable tiny microbes and molecules and mojo carried in the thick, pungent evergreen air that I drank gallons of. Microscopic nutrients that fueled my synapses, ignited nerve endings and are -as I type this – feeding my cells. Alright. You got me. I sheepishly confess. I went out this morning and got drunk on forest. And I don’t regret a thing. I made a Clubhouse Coffee when I got back to sober up – but I’m still buzzed. If I’m lucky, I’ll get to do it again tomorrow.