Fair Weather Cyclist?

[Voodoo Sally]

I used to balk at commuting in dark, rain, and cold. But this year I'm turning over a new leaf. I don't know why, but my "project" has become to ride through the winter. So, it's an ongoing learning process, with many "firsts" lately. First I started riding home in the dark this summer. That was fine. Then I tried riding in the rain. With the right clothes that was fine. And lately it's been cold, so I've been figuring that out, with good results.

Yesterday was a banner day, though. It snowed a little here yesterday morning, and I thought, here goes nothing. I put on some waterproof clothes and hit the road. The slush in the shoulders kind of sucked, but when I could I rode in the roadway. Then I hit the "mountain biking" part of my commute. I do use slick tires, and with some skills usually I'm fine on the dirt. But the inch of snow on top of the thick oak leaves proved too much for my front tire. I fought the slippage as best I could, but twice the front wheel got away from me and I went body surfing on the ground. Oops! Live and learn. I'm putting some semi-knobbies on ASAP.

My ride home (after dark) was very "adventurous", too. It had gotten hopelessly foggy. So there I was, in the fog, in the dark. At least the snow was gone. My bike and body were lit up very well, and I'm sure that's the ONLY way any motorists saw me.

As for cleaning my bike, that's the downside. I do like to keep my steed clean, and therefore I have been slaving over it lately, cleaning it more often as the weather deteriorates.