It snot cold out

Last night we had a post meeting MTB ride at Bakers. That was a lot of fun, sliding all around on the very cold snow. It was 18 degrees, but I was far warmer last night on the MTB than I was last week when it was in 20s on the road bike. Riding in snow definitely tests your handling skills.
I told Liew I was retiring the road bike while it was cold out, and he said today it wouldn't be cold. A balmy 39 degrees. Maybe it was at noon, but didn't seem it at 4:30 when we started our adventure. Rail-trails with half melted snow and ice on road bikes is a bad idea.
I noticed my chain was making noise each rotation while climbing Dug Hill, so we stopped and checked, and sure enough, I had broken another chain, this time a Wipperman. I'm getting a SRAM and never going back. I had my trusty multi-tool with me and fixed that chain nearly like new and we ventured on. Jake decided kayak rolling in the pool would be more fun, and turned around.
Liew and I decided to go up to the new UHS and check out the course. We did a few laps in the dark, and found that its pretty well lit except for the back stretch. It was also very well paved, and almost totally dry. The stadium course was in just about as good of shape. I feel really confident in these courses, unless it snows the day before the race.