For the fourth year, we hosted the #rscfirstsnow ride which is the ride we host that always happens during the first “real” snow of each season.

This year, we were fortunate that the forecast stayed consistent from 5 days before the snow right up until the first snowflake floated to town Thursday evening.

We rolled out moments after “GO” time of 9:30pm with 26 riders - not all are in this photo as there were many just arriving as we were rolling out.

The first snow was very early this year, arriving before Thanksgiving. And it didn’t last long with three hours of snow then it quickly turned to sleet. Where riding in the snow is magical, riding in sleet is not something many people enjoy. By the end of the ride, 7” of snow had fallen which created the softest surface for floating on and through for riders. The occasional slip-out left people laughing and jumping right back on their bikes.

Here is a video compilation by Henry V who recorded much of the ride on video. This is a peak into the wonderful riding world of the first snow.

The next morning, the roads were wet and commutes to work were challenging, much of the beauty of the night and the snow had vanished. Riders got to relish memories of the first snow and are looking forward to many more rides outside in white this season.

In this spirit, we will be running our Sunday Mixed Terrain ride all winter and will start requiring studded tires since the roads and trails will be icy. The Thursday night Mixed Terrain ride will continue to run throughout the winter, as well. Again, studded tires are important for staying safe and upright this winter!