Stir Crazy!

[superslomo]

I'm getting a LITTLE bit sick of the ice right now. Less than 20 degrees when I walked out my door this morning, crustyness all over the place... I want this to melt!

I can't remember the last time I felt so frustrated with winter; it's not the cold, it's just the conditions that are keeping me clamped into the trainer. And I hate the damn trainer.

[joejack951]

Studded knobby tires and wind proof clothing are your answers. Haven't had any winter weather yet that's kept me from riding to work.

[Hambone]

Studded knobby tires and wind proof clothing are your answers. Haven't had any winter weather yet that's kept me from riding to work.I dont' know what the roads in Deleware have been like this week but NYC roads were horrible. A lot of stuff is melting right now but today is the first day. The roads have been icy and dangerous.

The big problem is the intersections and... well, the cars. Especially the yelow ones...

[Hambone]

I'm getting a LITTLE bit sick of the ice right now. Less than 20 degrees when I walked out my door this morning, crustyness all over the place... I want this to melt!

I can't remember the last time I felt so frustrated with winter; it's not the cold, it's just the conditions that are keeping me clamped into the trainer. And I hate the damn trainer.I Tivo'ed stages 16 and 17 last year of the TdF for these kinds of days. I put the rollers in front of the tv and ride the mountains with flandis.

[superslomo]

It's not worth throwing studded tires on the road bike, since I don't want to have them on a week from now when the roads are clear again.

If I had space (apartment dweller) I might think about having a MTB with studs during the winter, but as it is I take the subway to work, and I've been riding in the cold but not when the roads are skating rinks... it's too easy for drivers to lose control and hit you, or for me to lose control and take a faceplant.

I don't want to mortgage my summer riding to get some miserable miles in in the wintertime... cold is fine, rain is fine, but ice has me busting out the fluid trainer.

[jyossarian]

Uhhh...I've been riding my fixie all over the place. Some roads suck so I just take the lane. :)

[dendawg]

I put the bike on the trainer, throw a movie in the dvd, and just pedal for 1-2 hours. Not real training, but its a workout. And if I'm real energetic afterwards I'll go the the gym for a swim and a sauna. Ever think of taking up skiing? Its fun too, and if you don't feel like springing for a lift ticket theres always XC when there's snow on the ground.

[GuitarWizard]

I put the bike on the trainer, throw a movie in the dvd, and just pedal for 1-2 hours. Not real training, but its a workout.

What is "real" training then? A trainer is a very useful training tool if you use it properly.

About the only thing that is very hard to duplicate on a trainer is training to climb.....even with "muscle tension" intervals, you still don't get exactly the same workout as you would outside. However, everything else you can pretty much duplicate on a good fluid trainer.

[joejack951]

I dont' know what the roads in Deleware have been like this week but NYC roads were horrible. A lot of stuff is melting right now but today is the first day. The roads have been icy and dangerous.

The big problem is the intersections and... well, the cars. Especially the yelow ones...

Neighborhood and side streets took a while to clear up but the main roads were snow/ice free by Thursday morning. I ran my studded tires through Thursday though. Friday, I walked the bike out of my neighborhood then hopped on after the ice ended.

[Stacy]

I ventured out onto the west Side Bike Path today with the mistaken impression that the temperature was above freezing. So much for that idea. While the streets still have plenty of frozen snow, in varying shades of grey and black, the bike path was 99.9% clear from Christopher street through 83rd Street in Riverside Park.

I only managed to get in about 11 miles total, but at least I'm feel a little less like a couch potato.

Temperature is supposed to be in the 40s on Tuesday. Maybe that'll melt some of this ice.

[RoadToNowhere]

Here in PA riding has not been even close to being an option - heck, we had 3 major interstates closed for 4 days - with all the ice we had, something like 6" of a concrete-like substance that has left the roads as rough as washboards, staying in on the trainer or in a Spinning class is the only reasonable option.

So today I led a group of roadies who ride in the Spinning room every Sunday afternoon for 2 hours - and then came home and watched the coverage of the Tour of California. Watching Davie Z, Levi, and George all riding in the sunshine in shorts and short-sleeved jerseys gives me hope. Listening to Phil, Paul and Bobke once again made me believe that Spring is coming.

19 degrees and gusty winds drifting the snow is temporary. Really.

Beth