After over a week of stupidly cold days during Schneemageddon the big melt is on and with it the whitewashed landscape is replaced by mud and flowing water caused by thawing snow.

I prefer mud to snow and dry trails above all else. As I have previously remarked, I find little texture in a Robert Rauschenberg or a Li Yuan-Chia white on white painting. In fact, minimalism in general is not my cup of tea. Rather, I prefer Jackson Pollock’s explosions of colour or Wassily Kandinsky´s relatively subdued approach. I would also mention William Turner´s amazing twist on the use of light. For some Pollock, Kandinsky, Turner, and other art works can be a wee bit overwhelming or mad like, and a good trail can also be like that, especially when muddy. I find riding on snow difficult simply because its hard to make out features ahead in an all-white disorienting landscape, a snow filled rut is a crash waiting to happen. Come to think about it, it is akin to the Autumn when the trails are thickly carpeted by fallen leaves.

The Winter Wonderland was amazing, and I will never forget it, but now the world is coming back to life seeing the end of the frozen sterility.

I of course got muddy and wet on this ride in the Leine Valley, with some sections unrideable because of deep slushy snow. Thankfully, there was no black ice because temperatures are in the positive at last. At times it was like threading a needle between the unrideable slush and rideable. It was also a balancing act to keep upon the crown of muddy sections of trails. At one point on a downward section of gravel covered in thick slush I had to bail out cyclo cross style off my bike remaining on my feet as my front wheel lost traction. A few gravel sectors were dry.

This was a Jackson Pollack like ride with an explosion of mud, slush and thawing snow thrown at me.

Link: Iceberg! In Gö – February 15 2021 Snow/Road Ride (Schneemageddon Tag 9)

The Ride – 42km with 15 gravel sectors
Garmin Connect: https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/6292330930
Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/4807674768