Winter Cycling - Stopping in the Woods on a Snowy Evening, or Robert Frost eat your pencil

I've been waiting for this all year long. I can not tell you how much of a blast it was to commute to work in 4 inches of snow, and to ride home in this stuff, after it's been falling all night, is going to be just friggin' awesome. It has been 6 months since I've ridden in the snow, and longer in fresh snow, and longer in a snow fall. It is so cool to be out there in the hush and the quiet, like a Robert Frost poem, only I don't have a horse, and there aren't any barns, and this ain't New England (thank god, I don't know what I'd do trying to commute in 47 inches of white stuff).

The snow had drifted in several places, where it was deep enough for my pedals to dip into the snow. It was so cool to ride today, and I'm sooo stoked to head home. It's the best part of the day. I'll have a report either in the AM or in 4 hours. My bet is it'll be a 3 hour ride home. (check my post in commuting too).

Had a great ride home at midnight, after a day of studying for finals.

My commute takes me about 6 miles each way to and from the bus stop. Biking in the morning was pure pleasure, as the snow was fluffy and hadn't been compacted yet by the cars. It allowed me to go as I would in the rain and enjoy the speed. On the way back, I went quite a bit slower, as there was quite a bit more snow on the ground and the cars had compacted it quite a bit.

All this and I'm riding a road bike with 25c tires through this great weather...and I wouldn't have it any other way!

K6 I work in Plymouth and commute all the way to Saint Paul, it was great going this afternoon, but when I got off at midnigh and one of my co-workers offered to haul me and the bike to Minneapolis, cutting 13 miles off the commute I took him up on it. I had 10 of the most gruesome miles home, with an average of 8.3 mph, took me over an hour in some just nasty roads, that I don't think I would have driven on. Man, I don't think I would have gotten out of Plymouth tonight had I toughed it out on the bike. I just wonder what morning will bring.

I rode to work fairly easily, staying on the plowed major streets. It only took me 15 minutes more than usual, and thats probably because I used the mountain bike, with trailor attached, so that I could take along our new sled, for a little R&R on the way home.

The return ride was a bit different. I left work at 12:15 am, and slowly skidded, rolled, and wobbled down poorly plowed streets. It turned out to be quite a workout, to keep up enough speed to get through rutts, haystacks, and other frozen white water. I finally found a street that had been cleared fairly recently, that would take me close to the hill at Bryant and 41st, that I planned to slide down. I breezed west behind slow moving aotomobile traffic, until I got to Bryant, which was thick with mashed snow, like most of the other streets. At the hill, I was surprised to see a few people sledding there so late. I went down a dozen times, then headed back on my way towards home. I set a record for my self of getting home from work in an hour and a half.

Its not the goal, thats important, its the getting there! Still its nice to be home with a cup of hot cocoa.

Ah the joys of winter cycling!

12 miles done, and 11 to go.