It has been a hard year for me on the cycling front, so it has been exciting to rediscover the joys of winter cycling.
Diane in her blue and white helmet and black ski jacket, with her red bicycle and another winter bike in the background. It’s a sunny day and the bikes are parked in the snow at a bike rack outside a school.
Pros:
It’s often faster than driving or transit, especially for shorter distances.
It doesn’t require a lot of special gear (though I do not regret investing in studded tires).
Even on a grey day, that little bit of fresh air and sunlight will boost my mood.
My neighbours think I’m a bit of a badass, which is hilarious. I’m easing back into riding, so most trips are under 2 km each way.
It’s an excuse to indulge my inner child and buy all the bike lights.
No bugs.
I don’t overheat.
Cons: none that don’t also apply to summer cycling.
Photos from previous winters, showing off the bike lights and beautiful winter weather.
One of my favourite fit feminist humans recently suggested I try the two-week trial membership for Lost Cycle, a Toronto-based woman-owned fitness company that expanded to my city in 2019. She thought I would like it because, as she said, it was “cycling in the dark to really loud rap music.”
I am already a fan of doing stuff to music in the dark, as I did with (Remote) Dark Dancing during the COVID pandemic. Also, the timing seemed good to counter any winter break inactivity. So, in spite of reduced holiday hours and some poor weather outside, I made it to four classes, two at each location.
My black car parked in the empty Lost Cycle lot on a cold, wet, sleet-filled winter break morning.
The Lost Cycle studio ambiance is what might be described as “boutique warehouse,” with minimal windows and the company logo spraypainted on walls but also gratis cold towels and individual shower rooms with complimentary products. The fitness areas have quality equipment: ON the bike classes include clip-in shoes and earplugs, while OFF the bike rooms have infrared heat panels and Lululemon yoga mats. The class leaders were all chatty and friendly on their mics, many showing plenty of body tattoos.
The spin class leader‘s station on an elevated platform, close to a podium to adjust sound and light during class.
And, as mentioned, the classes are held in the dark, with just enough artificial and real candle light to see the mirrors and other people.
Dark spin class, with bikes lined up and towels on them. The photo doesn’t capture the ambiance created by the range of electronic dance music and occasional throwbacks.
In class I tried my best to keep up, but made modifications when my knees ached a little. The low lighting and loud music worked to lessen my self-consciousness (being new and only an occasional group fitnesser), though I needed to place myself close to the front to be able to follow instructions. On the mic, leaders were genuinely supportive, reflecting the vibe of the post-it notes on the studio walls: you are enough, you showed up today, you can do this. Other people I have discussed spin with describe being called out during classes. Here, there was none of that.
Dark group fitness with mats, towels, bands, and handweights placed closely together in a heated room. OFF the bike was a blend of HIIT calisthenics, strength training, and yoga stretches.
Near the end of both ON and OFF the bike classes, there is time to really get “lost”: the lights go off and the music goes up and you just have about 3 to 4 minutes to yourself.
And, during the “lost” times while cycling away or lying on my mat, I found myself in tears or near tears. Now, I am in a particularly vulnerable place right now, due to my recent job loss. While I didn’t check if other participants had felt the same thing, in every class I experienced in the dark a kind of emotional release I didn’t know I needed.
Lost Cycle has tapped into different elements of cycle studio / gym ambiance that makes it feel like fun, luxury, and intensity, all the ingredients for something slightly cultish. Though I was on my way to becoming an initiate, I’m not in a $$ position to keep the membership. At least I am taking the lesson home from Lost Cycle: turn off the lights, pump my mid-life music, and make time for both strength and vulnerability.
I was excited to make it to Week 7 of a Zwift streak. It hasn’t been the best fall for me in terms of fitness. I am committed to making Zone 2 rides a regular thing, but it’s hard to stay motivated in Zwift without the tough workouts, which I enjoy, or the team racing. I miss them both.
My fitness week starts with the Herd’s Monday Morning Coffee Crew ride. It’s an early start, 5:55 am, but it’s a short ride, just 45 minutes. I also try to ride Wednesday and Friday mornings with the Herd at 7 am, if my schedule allows. On the weekends, there’s the Thundering Turtles, my favourite group ride on Zwift, also put on by the Herd. The Herd is fast becoming my Zwift community of choice.
I’ve been happy to make it to a 7 week streak. But now it’s the holidays, and I’m away the week between Christmas and New Years. I’m going to lose my streak. BAH!
“Zwift knows that riders may be unable to ride for a week or more, though, due to vacation, injury, or other factors. So in April 2025 they introduced Streak Savers to the game. These are automatically used to extend your streak if you have a week with no qualifying activities.”
Woohoo!
So maybe my streak is safe after all?
Sadly no. You only get the streak extender after your streak is 12 weeks long. No streak extenders for a mere 7 week streak.
Fine, I’ll start again in the new year. A new year, a new Zwift streak!
Oh and the article helped solve a mystery for me. I’ve been wondering why some riders in Zwift have squirrels in their back jersey pockets. I want a squirrel in my back pocket too. I mean, I’ve got the flame socks now. Why can’t I get a squirrel?
Turns out I can. I just need to have a 24 week streak.
The squirrels are streak flair.
So now I have another goal. First, I want a 12 week streak so I can get a streak extender. Second, I want a 24 week streak so I can have my own Pocket Scotty. Wish me luck!
Here’s Pocket Scotty. Good news–he’s weightless. Pocket Scotty won’t slow you down going up hill.
In January I had planned on averaging 30 km a week on the bike. That quickly fell apart but I wasn’t worried. The real goal was consistency and I cycled more frequently than ever thanks to my tiny commute.
My recorded distance in 2024 was just over 700 km. I wanted to double that and hit 1,500.
As the year winds to a close I may hit 1,100 or not? I don’t care. I’m pleased at getting over 1,000 cycling kilometers in. It’s 45% more than last year. It felt easy and that was the goal. Yay!
A Strava screenshot showing my typical pattern of a spike of cycling in July. It also shows a year of cycling every month which is very new to me!
I do want to get more base training in before July. I want the MS Bike Tour to be easier and I think more time in the saddle will do that.
I’m tinkering with my commuter. There’s something amiss with my shifting.
I will continue to bike in winter when it makes sense. I’ve been humbled by the volume of snow and embracing kindness to myself.
I don’t need to prove anything and my commute needs to feel boring. I have quite a bit of anxiety in general on in office days so after one particularly rough ride in I realized it’s ok to walk in or get a lift.
This advice on using judgement was shared with my most experienced cycling friends. They applauded extra efforts but also shared they too are less ardent on cycling “no matter what” and more cycling when it makes sense.
So here’s to more bike rides and more distance in 2026!
You read the story in Canadian Cycling here. Here’s the short version, “Cyclists in Guelph, Ont. are bracing for a slippery winter after the city council approved a budget that removes winter maintenance from on-street, raised and protected bike lanes. Multi-use paths will still be plowed, but only to sidewalk standards. The decision, passed 7-6 at a special council meeting on Nov. 26, means all painted bike lanes, curb-protected lanes and boulevard cycle tracks will be closed each winter via bylaw, with no snow or ice clearing until spring. Signs will be posted to alert the public.”
Tonight I’ll be joining some other winter cyclists in the city on a protest ride. I don’t like winter riding in the dark so much, but don’t worry I’ll have all my lights on.
Here’s my happy winter bike commuting face, and my bike!
If you’re in Ontario, and a cyclist, you’re aware of our provincial government’s war on bike lanes.
First, the Ford government passed a bill that gave the province sweeping control over municipal bike lanes. It was called Bill 212, Reducing Gridlock, Saving You Time Act, 2024.
An Ontario court ruled the government’s plan to remove protected bike lanes on Bloor Street, University Avenue, and Yonge Street in Toronto was unconstitutional. The court found the province’s plan to remove bike lanes would “put people at increased risk of harm and death, which engages the right to life and security of the person.” The province is appealing this ruling.
To top it off, the City of Guelph is now considering a 2026 budget that proposes cuts to active transportation, cycling, and trail projects, including the elimination of winter bike lane snow removal. See the Guelph Coalition for Active Transportation Call to Action here.
Many people normally commute by bike to school or work. However, they stop riding in November when snow and ice threaten. These days though, e-bike purchases are on the rise and winter is getting warmer. I think many people would keep riding if the conditions were right.
Some conditions are within our control. Nat and I have both bought winter bike tires. But other conditions–like safe bike lanes clear of snow– are a collective matter.
I was going to title this post “You’ll never know when you’ll lift your last sailboat” when I realized that it’s the functional impact of my recent health news that will hit much harder.
What’s the health news? I’ve been diagnosed with a hiatus hernia–see here for what that means. It’s also called hiatal hernia. They’re the same condition.
I’m trying not to be dramatic about this, given that in the scheme of things the health news could have been much worse. I’m aware of that since some of the diagnosis involved ruling out the much worse things that could have been causing my symptoms.
What the diagnosis means for me, among other things, most immediately, is no more heavy lifting or intense efforts on my bike.
I think of myself–and this matters to me, perhaps more than it should–as a strong person. I know that’s connected to feeling good about my size. I’m large but I’m large and very strong.
I am all about lifting heavy things and intense efforts on the bike. Power and speed are my go-to fitness places. Rawr!
But no more. No more heavy lifting and no more racing. I feel like my entire fitness personality will need a rethink!
The pamphlets on living with a hiatus hernia all talk about the importance of exercise for weight loss and emphasize that low-intensity activities are just fine. You can still do lots of gentle movement, they say reassuringly.
Gentle movement!?
That is not at all reassuring.
Readers may know how much low-intensity exercise bores me. And you know for sure what I think about exercising for weight loss.
I’m giving myself some time to pout and mourn, but it’s very clear my life will need to change.
I won’t miss planks and crunches. They’re on the no-go list along with heavy weights and intense efforts. There’s also to be no more pull-ups, and lots of yoga poses aren’t recommended either. No cobra or camel but chair pose is okay. Fine then.
I don’t know yet how bad it is and if surgery is called for (most likely not), but I’m not really writing today to talk about the medical issues. I have an excellent family doctor. I feel very well cared for by the Canadian health care system. I’m lucky. And to be clear, I’m not looking for medical advice. I’m writing mostly to share the fitness impacts and the way I’ll need to adapt my fitness story.
Tracy has blogged about entering her 60s and changing her thinking about fitness. For Tracy, it’s now more about walking and yoga, less about racing, and more about sustainable fitness that will see her through the decades ahead. I confess that hasn’t been my plan. With my big knee surgeries behind me, I wanted to get back to fast cycling, heavy lifting, and intense efforts. Now that won’t be happening, and I am trying to come to terms with it.
Swimming seems to be fine according to most things I read. All my swimming is slow swimming. Maybe this is the thing that finally gets me into the pool. I have a month free membership at the Y that starts today.
There’s always aquafit. I did aqua yoga Saturday morning. And there’s seated bicep curls. (Yawn. ) Long slow bike rides are still good. We’ll know more as I track what does and doesn’t aggravate my condition. There’s also physio to help with a hiatus hernia. I might try that too. See the video below.
In addition to all the movement advice, there are some serious food impacts. I have already given up afternoon coffee (all coffee in fact except for one in the morning), carbonated beverages, and chocolate for dessert. I’m moving on to eating smaller meals and not eating late in the evening. The medication I’m taking requires 3-4 hours between meals. It’s also recommended I eat a few hours before exercising. (And I know the fussy eating regimens are familiar to many of you. Not me. I’ve always been able to eat a normal sized meal and hop on my bike. But no longer.)
Anything else to worry about? There’s also some worry about tightly fitting sports bras and any clothing that fits snugly around the waist. I guess I’ll be switching to bib shorts for the bike.
Sorry if this sounds a bit dramatic. I know slowing down with age is normal. I’ve been siding with team “it’s normal but not necessary, you don’t have to slow down” and yet here I am, now deliberating slowing down.
It feels like a lot right now.
I’m giving myself time to get used to this news.
By the way, my family doctor was surprised I even went to the website the specialist recommended and read the exercise section. Most people, he said, just ignore that and keep doing what they’re doing. Just take it easy, he did, but keep moving.
He makes it sound so simple. But he also seems like not an over-thinker.
I have written About this before. So has Sam, multiple times, all the way back to 2018. Our focus was on bikes more generally and how they can help with disabilities, but three years ago I predicted an e-bike would be in my future. It was and I love it.
However, it was out of service for nearly a year with some sort of electrical issue. I hadn’t worried about it over the winter. But then I had to take it to Toronto for repair, only getting it back when my son brought it with him for Thanksgiving,
Meanwhile, my knees have been sufficiently sore that I didn’t feel like biking much this year. Plus I’m still nervous about biking too hard or too long with my heart murmur. And I have needed my car much more because I combine work with errands involving hauling stuff, or visiting my mom who lives almost 30 km away.
Getting the e-bike back felt like a gift, especially when two swimming friends invited me for a little ride. One cycles everywhere and the other does triathlons. Did I mention I have barely ridden in a year?
I didn’t have to worry about keeping up or overdoing it; the little boost from my battery was just enough.
Me with my e-bike, along with Florence and Sumiko, enjoying a glorious late afternoon near the Ottawa River.
We rode for a little over 20 kilometres, with frequent stops to admire the views on both sides of the Ottawa and Gatineau rivers. And of course there was ice cream.
Me in a bright blue shirt, enjoying an ice cream cone It was a locally-made green apple flavour.
Friends who live north of me are posting pictures of snow to their social media accounts.
It’s not quite snow season yet in my part of the world. However, it is the start of the dark, cold, and damp season.
The overnight lows are approaching freezing. There is a week of single-digit highs and rain in the forecast.
This morning I was sleepy, not my usual perky Monday morning self. I’d been at a conference all weekend. If I were a regular faculty member, I would have felt okay sleeping in on a day like this. But I’m not. Many meetings await, and so I needed to get to campus.
The real question is whether or not to ride my bike or get a drive.
I have learned from past experience that I must keep riding. If I don’t get used to riding in the sort-of-cold, it will be impossible when it gets to the really-cold. Start as you mean continue! If I want ride my bike through most of the winter, I can’t skip the first wet, cold mornings.
