I do not ride in winter for all the reasons Oakleaf noted, and I am also farther north. Our not snowy or icy road season ends in November, and with a little luck, I might get to ride outdoors by the end of March (short rides because it will still be less than 40 degrees). Over the winter I continue running, weight classes and yoga, and add spin classes, ride on the trainer, snowshoe, and xc ski. Just learning to xc ski and last season was my first season. I am not so sure I am actually skiing as walking on skis at this point. In fact I found that in general, my skiing is much slower than my running. This seems wrong; I am definitely not a fast runner. Since I have added the outdoor winter sports I like winter much more than I used to.