Week Thirteen - Day One

BIKE: Mike
TIME THERE: 30 min.
TIME BACK: 31 min.
WEATHER: overcast, -5C, 7km/hr wind there; partly cloudy, -1C, 6km/hr wind back.
NOTES:
On Saturday morning I woke up and looked out my bedroom window to discover a world engulfed in white. A thick, fluffy layer of snow had fallen over everything overnight. I began hearing sleigh bells ringing in my head, I could almost smell the roasting turkey and the wafting smell of fresh gingerbread in the oven. My eyes lit up as I took in the wintry wonderland that had suddenly impressed itself upon my front yard. It was beautiful.

Today, as I biked through the snow and ice - mostly ice - it seemed a whole lot less beautiful. My initial thought of, "YAY! I finally get to try out Mike's studded tires!!" very quickly turned into, "Oh Jesus, is this what the next six months are going to be like??" Sadly, the response to that was: "Nope, today's a good day. No wind, no frigid temperatures, and no black ice. For winter, this ain't bad at all, lightweight!"

I was amazed how much heavier everything felt today. The tires are significantly heavier than the summer slicks, which makes the bike overall heavier, and I also had to contend with the strange traction of heavy treads and metal studs, all while plowing through snow. I had heard once that biking through snow is like perpetually going uphill, that's how much harder you have to work. I didn't quite understand that until today. I dropped down to 13th gear on the flat ground and had to get down to 12th gear for the hills. The trip was slower, harder, and felt more dangerous the whole time. Maybe it's just the memory of my previous falls haunting me, but I felt perpetually ready to fall over. There was more lateral movement than I expected with the studded tires, which made me feel pretty insecure. Basically, there was a lot of white-knuckle gripping of the handlebars.

The good news is that I never did go down, and every time I slammed on the brakes to try to test the traction of the tires I always came to a good, controlled stop. Perhaps I just need to relax, not fear the lateral motion so much, and trust the studs - which are concentrated more on the outer edge of the treads than they are in the middle - to carry me through the icy turns. I also need to take comfort in knowing that I was definitely not the only cyclist out today - I saw several, in fact, both on the way to work and on the way home. If they can do it, why couldn't I?

One thing I'm considering, though, is switching from my current route - mostly through residential streets - to one that utilizes more major roads. The problem is that residential roads aren't plowed in this city, so the snow just gets compacted into rutty, icy cesspools of danger. On major roads, the plows and the heavy traffic clear the roads of most of the snow and ice, making for relatively clear pavement. On the way home I took major routes, and I found that in going that way I traded in the danger of poorer road conditions for the danger of close proximity to speeding cars, breathing in exhaust the whole way, and having a much less scenic ride. Perhaps falling on the icy side streets would be less dangerous than the risk of getting hit by a car on a major road. I really can't tell which is the better option. I think my appreciation for the scenery will keep me sticking with the side roads for now, especially now that Christmas lights are going up on the beautiful old homes in the expensive neighbourhoods I bike through. However, as time goes on and the snow piles up - mush upon fluff upon ice - I might revisit that decision.

In the meantime, I'll stick with my usual route and try to work up my stamina, leg strength, and courage while riding studded Mike to work. Maybe all this will get easier, and I'll be able to bike on the snow with the same confidence I was starting to earn on the dry pavement. Here's hoping . . . until then, I'm just hoping for a mild winter!