When I saw this in my Twitter feed, I smiled: “Anyone else interested in the #31daysofwinterbiking challenge, starting 1/1/2020? It’s a judgment-free, no-shame way to be active in January, inside or out.”
When I first started riding a bike as an adult, I commuted in the winter but recreational riding came to an end with the snow and the cold. Fun riding was summer riding on my road bike with skinny tires in the sunshine. I trained indoors all winter but I did it for the sake of summer riding.
Over the years I’ve changed, as a cyclist, and I’ve come to appreciate the change of seasons for the different kinds of riding it brings.
For me fall means the return of my adventure road bike and fun riding on gravel. It’s my go-to commuting bike but it’s also good for weekend country rides. We dial back the distance and go out for an hour or two on bike trails. It’s relaxing to ride with no cars in sight. This past weekend Sarah and I did some riding in Turkey Point. See the gallery below.
But it’s not just the fall and cyclocross/gravel riding. I’m also looking forward now to the winter and to riding in the snow on my fat bike. It’s a fun and joyful way to play in the snow on bikes. Check out my smile!
I think I’ve honestly come to love all the seasons of cycling. They’re different things, each with their own kind of pleasure.
Some road riding friends don’t get it. They question the fitness benefits of fat bike riding. They ask about my heart rate and training zones. I say that’s not the point. I don’t fess up that I am not even wearing a heart rate monitor. I’m doing it for fun and for mental health benefits. I need to be outside in the winter. I love riding through the woods. Fat bike riding makes me feel like a kid again as I ride over all sorts of obstacles in my path.
I still ride inside all winter. I put a road bike on a trainer and ride virtually in Zwift. That’s fun too and that I do do for fitness reasons.
Fat biking? That’s for fun and the love of riding a bike.
I’m now the kind of cyclist who loves all the seasons of cycling. See you out there in autumn, winter, spring, and summer!
How about you? Do you ride year round? How many seasons of cycling do you like?
So Saturday of our winter weekend getaway I thought I’d try a beginner’s ski lesson. But that wasn’t to be. It was cold, really cold, -25 and windy cold. It was also icy. Instead of light puffy snow there was hard, cold ice.
See this sign? Marginal conditions, skiing not recommended. Great. Even the ski instructors weren’t that enthusiastic. Try another time, they suggested.
Image description: A red sign on a white ski hill. In both languages it says marginal conditions, skiing not recommended.
Instead, I went for a long walk up the hill and wandered around the shops at the base of the mountain. I stopped for lunch solo while braver, much more experienced, souls were off skiing. I’m better about eating alone at restaurants these days. I positively enjoyed it. And don’t panic. There was rice underneath. I haven’t abandoned carbs.
When I got back to the hotel I changed and wandered down to the fitness centre. It was small but with a lovely view. They had treadmills and nice spin bikes (guess which I chose?) a bench and dumbbells. That’s enough to keep me busy. So I watched an episode of Sex Education and pedaled away. It wasn’t my first choice of activities but it felt good. Sunday we all abandoned skiing and went to the spa.
I’m just joking (sort of). In my mind spas aren’t meant for me. Like pedicures, I think of spas as a THING RICH PEOPLE DO.
It’s not that I don’t spend money on luxurious things, like expensive bicycles, I do. And it’s not like I don’t spend $60 (the price of spa admission) on meals or concerts pretty regularly. I do.
But for reasons of family background in the first part of my life and resisting normative feminity, in the second, spas have never been on my radar. I’m the kind of person who didn’t have nail polish or make up for my own wedding. I did my own hair and it was touch and go whether I’d shave my legs.
I resisted getting a hot tub at our old house for years but then loved it and used it lots. I love sitting outside, in the heat, surrounded by snow and ice. I loved soaking after long rides and tough Aikido classes. My highlight of my holiday in Iceland a few years ago was soaking in a hot river after a long hike.
We went to the Scandinavian Spa on the Sunday of our weekend at Mount Tremblant when it was too cold and icy to ski or fat bike. I loved how much of it was outdoors. I really liked the steam rooms and the sauna and the hot tub but probably my favorite thing was relaxing in front of a fire outside wearing a bathrobe while covered in a giant warm fuzzy blanket. I loved basking in the sun, surrounded by trees and snow.
Some quick observations:
I loved wandering around outside in a bathrobe and bathing suit in the middle of winter. I love the outdoors and I’m almost always happier in the sun.
I’m so glad it was a silent place. I realize that I’m quiet anyway but I was so glad I didn’t have to listen to other people’s conversations. I found that really relaxing. I didn’t mind the other people there with everything quiet.
There are a lot of beautiful bodies out there. But it’s mostly the women who are on display. That’s no surprise but I forget that sometimes. I saw a lot of women in thong bathing suits with men in baggy board shorts. What’s with that?
I loved the idea of swimming in the river in the freezing cold water between hot things but I couldn’t make myself do it. Instead I settled for the cold bucket of water over the head a couple of times. That actually felt pretty refreshing.
Friday was Winter Bike to Work Day but I missed it. I was in Toronto for a concert Thursday night and took the Greyhound back to Guelph Friday morning. No bike for me!
I said on Friday, I’d ride today. And then the forecast. More “special weather.” Snow, blowing snow, winds. All this on top of ice from last week’s “special weather.” On the upside, only -7. Whee!
I was still on the fence when the Finnish embassy shared this photo.
“1000 out of 1200 kids in this school in Oulu, Finland, arrive by bicycle, even in winter. 100-150 walk, rest by ski, kicksleds and car. This day it was -17°C. “
My Finnish friends all shared it approvingly in light of Ontario school and university closures last week.
So in the end, I rode my bike to work. I figured the worse that would happen is that I’d walk my bike and walking was my back up choice anyway. The side streets were too slippy, snow over ice. The bike path on the main road hadn’t been plowed. So I took the lane and rose with traffic. It was fine. No one was going anywhere fast anyway.
But it also can feel absolutely magical when there are very few cars out and everyone is driving slowly and I feel super visible. I love to watch snow fall. I love crunching through the snowy back streets. Partly, I think, it’s because I love winter but I have to be moving fast to stay warm. Sometimes walking just doesn’t cut it, but biking? Biking in the snow can feel great.
But I get asked a lot, how do you do it? Don’t you get cold?
It’s partly a matter of having the gear but it’s also a matter of moving. I complained once to a year round commuting colleague about getting cold and he said I wasn’t riding fast enough/working hard enough. There’s truth in that.
I’m not a fan of the cold but up to -10 I’m very happy winter riding. I actually get colder walking. And when I drive? I never park nearby and so I have to walk in quite a ways. On driving days I tend to skimp on the outer wear (my fault, I know) and I do get cold. I get more cold sitting in the cold car waiting it for it to warm up and de-ice than I do just hopping on my bike and riding to work.
I often arrive at work warm and sweaty, not cold and shivery.
What do I wear?
First, there’s my high visibility jacket. It’s red, see above, but looks pink because it’s got loads of white reflective dots. See the video below. It’s windproof and I wear a warm sweater underneath when it’s cold.
I don’t wear fancy shoe covers but I do own them. My commute is too short. Instead, I go for thick smart wool socks in my cycling shoes.
Third, I wear a merino wool buff under my helmet that can either go under my helmet like a hat or around my neck as a scarf.
Fourth, I wear winter cycling tights.
But what about work clothes? Underneath the cycling tights I wear either tights or leggings and often a black t-shirt of some kind and throw a dress or jacket on top when I get there. I tend to keep all my work jackets in my office. That’s my go-to work uniform. It means I don’t have to run off to change to get back on my bike and I can ready for meetings fast if I need to.
Here’s an example of long jacket over cycling friendly clothes.
But what about the snow and slipping?
This year for Christmas I got snow tires for my commuting bike. (Thanks Jeff!) The winter bike tires aren’t studded. They’re Continental top contact and they’re more like car tires. Here’s the Mountain Equipment Co-op description: “Studless tires for northern winter, these ones grip when other cyclists are left spinning their wheels. Hundreds of lamellae (tiny biting edges, like those found on gecko’s feet) interlock with slick road surfaces.” So far: they work.
So, I know it’s not for everyone. And I get that. I really do. But I also love riding to work. I’m happy when I get here and I’m happy when I get home. A few minutes on my bike will do that. And the people who ask me how to do it and what gear you need seem serious. I don’t think they’re all humoring me. So here’s my ‘how-to commute in the snow and the cold.’
Oh, also, I have good lights!
UPDATE: Please come ride with me. International Winter Bike to Work Day is February 8, 2019. Commit to ride at: WinterBikeToWorkDay.org
