I was hoping I might be able to bike today. I got my biking gear out, packed my panniers, and laid out my biking clothes last night before bed in preparation. I knew it was still supposed to be cold, though, so when I woke up this morning the first thing I did was turn the computer on to check the weather as I sleepily brushed my teeth.
At that time, it was clear and -26C with wind of 15km/hr from the south, which means it would be hitting me from the side. Factoring in the wind chill, it was -36C. Hmm . . . I was planning to bike, but then again, the wind chill pushed the temperature beyond my cut-off point of -30C. Tomorrow is supposed to be outright mild, even reaching a high of +2C on Thursday! Can't I just wait one more day, and bike the rest of the week? Wouldn't that be more comfortable?
I feel somehow like I'm disappointing myself, letting myself down, but I've decided I'm going to drive again. I've actually had dreams of the spokes on my wheels collapsing in the cold, throwing me from the bike and leaving me stranded in the middle of a frigid ride. I don't believe this bike was built for the kind of riding I've been doing with it. Sure, the whole reason I bought a less expensive bike was so that if I ended up killing it over the winter, I wouldn't be out so much money. Still, the colder it gets, the more brittle the thin, metal spokes get, and I worry about breaking the bike.
So, driving today, biking tomorrow. And it'll remain mild all next week, too, so I can bike right up until my last day of work on the 24th. Three days of bike commuting this week ain't so bad, right? Right??
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