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December 05, 2005
Riding a bike in the cold and snow
I must write about this again. With temperatures down in the single digits (Farenheit), people are beginning to ask me a lot of questions about riding my bike in this kind of weather. They either look at me like I'm crazy or like I came from another planet altogether. Then almost without fail, I hear something like, "I could never do that." and sometimes I hear, "You are very brave to bike in these conditions." I don't think it's bravery or any special power that I have that allows me to do things that other people cannot do. Do you think I do? I don't. I am really enjoying riding my bike in the winter. It is a different experience for sure. Meditative is a good word.
But, my views are a little more practical than some lofty ideal I'm trying to uphold. I'm also not trying to 'prove' anything. I'm just transporting myself from one location to another. Just like today I walked four blocks in this same cold to get to a destination. Did I ever once consider that extraordinary? No. And if I rode my bike that same distance would it be any different than walking outside? Technically I still have to bundle up even if I'm walking. Nobody wants frostbite so preparation is a good thing no matter what form of transportation we use.
Yes, I'm still biking in the winter. Today I switched to my large leather choppers to keep my hands warm and used my ski mask. It was a great day to ride my bike!
Posted by carl1236 at December 5, 2005 11:37 PM | Winter-Biking