Winter, blah blah, snow, blah blah, ice, blah blah.

After three months of winter riding conditions, it feels like I'm repeating the same stuff - so I'm taking a little break from posting several times each week. I just had my bikes tuned up last Monday, which rejuvenated me a bit for my daily rides. I'm on my sixth work day in a row of riding, although I will probably have to catch a ride home tonight (big winter storm coming).

I'm going to try to post a quick note about some fun stuff... upcoming bike safety legislation and maybe a bike review.

BIKING THROUGH WET CONCRETE.

Brutal ride this morning. We got an inch or two of wet snow yesterday, which was plowed into the bike path and froze into chunks the size of billiard balls. I left home fifteen minutes early this morning... only to arrive right on time. I'm wiped.

It was, however, a beautiful morning. Bright sun, no wind, and about 15-20 degrees F. Perfect winter riding weather if the road/path conditions weren't so tough.

DON'T BLINK...

...or your eyelashes will freeze shut! Monday and Tuesday were very cold (single digits F). In this kind of weather, the moist air from my exhaled breath funnels up my face mask and freezes on my eyelashes. Since I bike in an easterly direction on my way to work, I'm looking right into the rising morning sun. So, I have to squint to cut the glare. If I squint long enough - my eyelashes actually freeze together!

I'm back in the saddle this week after biking only 1 and 1/2 days last week. My saddle broke off my seat post on the way to work on Tuesday (bolt snapped), and I never got the chance to get a replacement part. I am SO lucky to have so many carpool options with my co-workers, so it was not a problem to catch rides for the rest of last week.

This week, I needed to get back in the saddle for my own sanity. I'm fighting the winter blahs (aka winter blues, cabin fever, seasonal affective disorder), and my ride is my salvation. Although I had some chilly rides on Monday and Tuesday, and a messy ride today (an inch of new snow over icy roads), it felt good to be back on the program. I'm hoping to put in a full week of riding this week... it will really lift my spirits. I enjoy winter riding - but I'm ready for less clothing, less gear, and a faster ride!

LIGHTS OUT.

For me, the toughest thing about winter in Vermont isn't the cold or the snow... it is the darkness. Since late November, I've been biking home in the dark - and frankly - I'm sick of it. Yesterday, however, marked a turning point. I was able to make it home without needing my headlight. To be honest, I left it on for safety (it was dusk by the time I got to the house), but I didn't NEED it. It is reminding me of the 8+ months each year when I don't need lights to get home... when riding my bike feels more like fun and a little less like a chore. I needed that.

"DON'T FALL, DON'T FALL, DON'T FALL..."

This is what I say under my breath when I find myself out of control on ice. The bike path has been scary the past few days. We had freezing rain followed by a couple of freeze-thaw cycles - and it made some stretches of the path virtually unrideable. This was my view yesterday morning on a particularly slick stretch.

I have a really good pair of studded snow tires - which I thought would make me immune to icy conditions. Not true. This particular ice is virtually frictionless, and it is so hard that the studs don't seem to get a grip at all. Sharp turns are impossible... you literally have to come to a slow stop, dismount, physically aim your bike in the new direction, and start riding again. I've had a few close calls where I've been barely able to get a foot down before my bike slipped out from under me. The scariest episode was when I touched the rear brakes at the top of a steep hill, only to have the bike accelerate. I put my foot down to stop the bike, but my boot slid just as fast as the bike! I was lucky to be able to guide the bike off the path into some crunchier snow while still on my feet.

Riding while being constantly vigilant for an impending fall is exhausting. I'm looking forward to being off my bike for a couple of days... and hoping the ice clears by Monday.