It was nearly 45F in Calgary around 2:00PM. That in itself is nothing short of a miracle, in my very biased view. Perhaps as one gets closer to North Pole, miracles do happen. Anyway, to cut the short story shorter, it was a very Boulderesque weather today. So, I decided to ride.A few weeks ago I had bought a pair of studded tires and have been riding almost twice a week, mostly commute, despite the biting cold. I have also been riding up and down Edworthy park, a few miles from my office, during lunch hour with a friend. All in all, my temporary adaptation to C(old)anada seems to be pretty good.I went out today on the Randonee. The plan was to ride around Glenmore Lake and then probably ride around the block for a few bonus miles.Glenmore Lake The warm temperatures had melted snow/ice and it was slushy at many places on the trail. Also, where it wasn’t slushy, it was icy. I had to stop and let the air out from the tires for better grip.After about a mile and a half, there is a very steep, but short, climb. An interesting aspect about this hill is that it starts climbing at right angles to the trail, so there is no way one can accelerate to get some momentum! As I started climbing, sitting down, I felt my rear wheel spinning out a few times. But I kept the balance — for a while. About 100 feet or so through the climb, just before it turns left at a steeper grade, I lost complete traction! However, I didn’t fall down, because I could hold on to the railings on the right. I had to unclip and push through the rest of the climb. I was enjoying it.The trail was packed snow for the next one mile or so, but I was comfortable. The trouble, leading to the fall, began shortly after that where the trail forks: one fork goes around the lake and the other goes to Fish Creek Park, south of Calgary. Just before the intersection, the presence of chemicals made the surface slushy. I slowed down to navigate that section, I heard a noise behind me, which sounded like a bicycle. I wasn’t sure if he was trying to pass me. In any case, that slight loss of concentration made me jerk the handlebar a little and — ta da — there goes the mighty cyclist:)But nothing serious happened. I got up and made sure that no bones were broken, no heavy road(trail?) rashes and no sprained wrists. And I continued.What is most disappointing about the fall was that there was no snow for the rest of the ride. Just another 10 meters and it would have been uneventful…Glenmore lake is frozen. From the east side, as I rode along, it painted a very pretty picture: frozen lake with the back drop of the distant rockies. It was beautiful.I rode around the lake and went a little further along the Elbow River parkway. Not much distance. But it was definitely tiring — imagine doing 12 miles in 1:34 minutes!All in all, I am glad to be back on the saddle!