cold weather and its obstacles...

cold weather and its obstacles...

last week I wrote an article for SPOKES magazine on the topic of
"what does a mountain biker do in the winter?"

the article ended up focusing on the notion that a mountain biker continues to mountain bike


RiderX aka
The Single Speed Outlaw made it clear that winter is not the off season, but just another season
MikeK aka BigDaddyMike said that there is not bad weather just bad clothes
and RickyD (of
Bikecentric also in the Outlaw Crew) spoke about he always gets anxious about the notion of going SNOW BIKING!

this morning as I got dressed for my morning commute I looked at my mental stop watch considering if it takes longer for me to get dressed in my commuter kit than to complete my morning ride into work
the data has yet to be processed...

I know it is close
if I wore my business casual on my ride into work aside from a torn and frayed grease covered pant leg I would also be in moist sweat scented clothing for the rest of the day
then for my post work ride... I would then need to bring clothing more rational for exercise


so in the morning I scramble...
I scramble looking for that second arm warmer or that missing matching glove
the temperature is usually no mystery because I dress for my ride after hiking my dog in the woods
layers are usually my objective... lots of layers... sometimes covering the base layers with gortex pants and gortex jacket

much of my gear has yet to surface
last night I pulled my LAKE winter mountain bike shoes out of storage
winter gear is still tucked away

it is still so early in the year that my assorted thickness balaclavas are yet to surface

commuting is one of the key ways for me to keep riding through the winter
then in addition to commuting I try to run some errands or visits to friend's houses on the bike of course this is less easy with the family
in my life before the kids Lisa and I would often travel separately she would drive and I would ride my bike to the party/social gathering
this would not only allow me to get some exercise, but also allowed me to stay later
somehow this has slipped from our routine

as far as errands go...
too many of these errands involve bringing the boys... which then removes those rides
so I need to get more conventional

night rides and the trainer may be my best options
but those need to be scheduled
was supposed to go night riding on Wednesday... but I flaked

as it turns out Wakefield is not legal on Wednesdays

anyhow... need to get the schedule of legal spots and schedule a weekly event

gotta make it happen

these things will not plan themselves!
nothing gets me out on the bike in the cold with greater ambition than the realization that the trainer is a real drag

from the looks of the temperatures outside winter has arrived
snow has already started to stack up in the mountains of West Virginia
it would be a white winter!