So last week I was struggling with anticipation as I waited to ride until the plows had made their journey through the countryside. But the moment did finally arrive.
By way of context, this was my driveway that morning:
I’d like to claim that I put those tractor tracks in the snow, but that was my cousin, who graciously comes up and plows us out when we are hemmed in. And prior to the plows going through, this is similar to what the roads in the area looked like. Now, I’m not afraid of riding in a little snow, but I don’t have a fat bike or trike, and more importantly, there was a lot of material on the road - I didn’t want a plow depositing a load of the white stuff on me as it passed me by.
The waiting worked out tho - this is what the roads looked like as I ventured forth:
And this is the thing about winter road riding. I am sometimes quite certain that people think you are (or more specifically, that I am) insane for going out. But what you see in that picture - which is a secondary, rural road - is what I encounter the majority of the time.
This is a point that Tom Babin touches on in Frostbike. People often think about winter as being 3-4 months of punishingly cold weather, but the reality is that, like the rest of the year, it’s usually mild temperatures punctuated by brief extremes. Most winters here in northern Illinois we do see temps in the negative double-digits (F), but that’s usually brief - maybe a few days. It’s possible to dress for the extremes, but even if you stayed in for the very cold days, the rest of the winter is quite manageable.
There are those who prefer to stay in and ride on trainers when it’s cold, and I intend no shade towards them - people should get to like what they like. But if you’ve ever wondered whether you just might be able to manage it out in the winter climate, I’d recommend going for it. It’s not an arctic expedition - you’ll find an abundance of days that are quite amenable.
Speaking of which: time to ride...