Spring - when do you get back outside?

[velo]

I know we are all over the world, but in the Midwest of America, I'm looking forward to March, although it does look like it will be coming "in like a lion". Still, March is when I feel like I can begin to consistently be outside riding, and do so less bundled up. What is the beginning of your riding season, usually, and do have anything particularly exciting to look forward to (new bike, training for a charity ride, century, something else)? This time of year always improves my mood. Yeah, those of you in Florida and Texas.... don't rub it in too much that you've been riding all winter.

[roadie gal]

I get back on the road when the snow is gone and they've swept away the gravel that they put down for the ice. This could be anywhere from April to early July (2 years ago).

[Crankin]

Last year, I rode through the winter, a few times each month. Generally, though, I do my first real "ride" of the year between March 5 and March 15. Sometimes, there's still some melting snow on the side of the road. I am very leery of this, since I no longer have a hybrid or mountain bike to deal with water, sand, etc. It really does depend on the conditions of the roads. I also am lazy about cleaning my bike, so I don't want to put myself in a situation that will need a major cleaning.
Since my good friend broke his hip on black ice on a morning in March when the temperature was going up to 60 for the commute home, I tend to pay more attention to these things.

[Artista]

I am primarily a mountain biker and have been able to ride every weekend this winter. I'm looking forward to warmer temps in March so that I can wear fewer clothes, but March and April are our snowiest months in Colorado. Depending on the timing of the snow storms, I may not be able to ride as often during the next couple of months as I did from Dec - Feb.

[shootingstar]

I've been cycling several times per wk. this winter --when one averages it all out. Which means some weeks I cycled daily and other weeks, nothing.

We go through cycles of very cold, snowy/icy winter weeks to melting and dry pavement. The winters are different here than Ontario or B.C. There would be a chunk of time in Mar. - Apr. where I can't cycle (when I don't have studded tires).

I'm only cycling around 10 km. or so each day. And most of it is functional cycling --work, grocery store, meeting, etc. Not lots but believe me at temp. of -15 to -25 degrees C, that's cold enough for me and to do it when it's still night half of the time, I consider it toughing it. I was surprised from last winter, how helpful these dinky little bike rides were helpful to my overall fitness.

Some pics of my area in winter that my partner took when he was cycling around: http://velourbanismblog.wordpress.co...inter-cycling/ Our municipality does have a program where they do try to keep the major bike-ped park paths, clear of a lot of snow and some ice. It's actually pretty good given the reality of our winters.

[Artista]

Yeah, those of you in Florida and Texas.... don't rub it in too much that you've been riding all winter.

I don't envy the people in southern states riding all winter. I think that it's as difficult for them to ride in the extreme summer heat as it is for northerners to ride in the cold of winter.

[malkin]

I don't envy the people in southern states riding all winter. I think that it's as difficult for them to ride in the extreme summer heat as it is for northerners to ride in the cold of winter.

And here it is the worst of both worlds, too much of a mess in winter and too hot in summer.
The cyclist and pedestrian deaths have really gotten to me this year.

[velo]

I don't envy the people in southern states riding all winter. I think that it's as difficult for them to ride in the extreme summer heat as it is for northerners to ride in the cold of winter.

Um... OK... Sorry. I was just excited about spring and thought others would be, as well. I'll keep my enthusiasm to myself, then.

[Artista]

Um... OK... Sorry. I was just excited about spring and thought others would be, as well. I'll keep my enthusiasm to myself, then.

I didn't mean this as a slam at all. I simply meant to point out that southerners' riding season IS winter. They'll be envious of us northerners riding all through the summer.

[indysteel]

I sure wish some of your enthusiasm would rub off on me, Velo. I'm feeling really blah about biking right now. I've really enjoyed my winter routine of running, yoga and resistance work and am not sure I'm ready for it to end/change. I'm looking forward to mountain biking, but road biking not as much. We'll see if it kicks on the first truly nice day of spring.

[goldfinch]

I ride in the winter in the south. I have had my two biggest mileage months ever this January and February. Most of March I am birding with my sister, who rides very little, then I am headed up north. I think March and April will be my down time. I backed off last October and November, when Minnesota stinks for riding. I cranked it up again with new excitement in Dec, Jan and Feb, and then plan to dial it back again for a couple of months. It helps keep me excited about riding to have the off time. I do have to ride enough this spring to be ready for a Metric Century in Minnesota on June 1. I did it last year and man it was cold. But it is a beautiful ride and I don't want to miss it.

[Melalvai]

I commute in all weather and in Missouri we get ALL weather. So I ride my bike every day, but I don't ride for fun unless it's nice. The main difference between "commute" and "fun" is distance--my commute is a couple miles, even with errands I don't ride more than 10-12 miles in a day and without errands it might be 3 or less. A fun ride could be anywhere from 10 - 100 miles. (More likely 40 or 50 at the top end, though.) I plan to change out my snow tires this weekend, and maybe go for a recreational ride-- a shorter one than longer!

[Jiffer]

I'm not in Florida or Texas, so does the fact that I'm in Southern California make it okay to rub it in? I ride year round and can't imagine having to ride in the conditions many in the world do during the winter. It actually got unusually cold here this year, even snowed at my house once, so I've experienced some cold weather riding, but probably nothing like you. My husband dreams of moving to Colorado, but I can't imagine riding in the winter there! I love my California weather.

As for goals . . . I've been accomplishing mini milestones in my journey back to former fitness. After an extended time off the bike due to health, I've been enjoying getting in longer rides, with different routes I used to do, checking each one off my "bucket list". I've been loving Strava and I use that as another motivator to go out and do a segment or more faster than I did before. My biggest accomplishment of late is a big climbing ride I hadn't done for two years, and I got my second fastest time ever, which was a thrill. I wish I had some big organized event to plan for. A century, but we're kind of broke, so unless I "pirate" a ride like I did the Palm Springs metric recently, I won't be doing any of those soon. However, my husband is all pumped to pull me on my first come back century, just him and me, and anyone who wants to come with us. And he has it in his mind to help me get a sub 5 hour century. It's doable if it's flat, and I train enough beforehand, but I'm having a hard time really motivating myself cause . . . well, it's gonna hurt!!! And I don't have a specific date set, cause it's not like an organized event or race. I guess I just need to set a date and do it.

[maillotpois]

SheFly - I'm cold just looking at your pictures!!!

[Biciclista]

my husband rode his bike everyday for more than 3 years. He took a couple days off when he got sick. Where I live (Seattle) you really can ride every day if you don't mind being cold and/or wet. He thrived in the worst of weather. He'd call me on the way home from work to see if i needed something from the store, and he'd be happily describing the puddles, the wind, or the snow. He really scared me one year so we decided he needed a snow bike. Then he really could ride in any weather.
Me, on the other hand; I have discovered that I can usually manage to find 1 day per week with weather suitable for MY riding preferences all year round. It really pays to keep riding all winter because getting back to it is so painful.