I like to mix it up so come spring I'm not burnt out on cycling. In late fall and winter I run, show shoe, and cross country ski. I ride a bit road conditions permitting and while I don't mind the cold, I get tired of the constant maintenance the bike requires from salt and wet. As time goes on I like dealing with that less and less. I mix in some indoor riding starting in January and increasing it in February and March. By March 15 I'm more or less dying to get back outside on the bike and again, weather permitting that becomes my main focus once more. We also have a high end rowing machine (brand escapes me at the moment, the one made in Vermont) that I find oddly compelling to ride given that I despise tread mills, elipitical machines, and such like.

I salute people who can ride day in and day out for recreation and not get tired or bored with it. I keep it going in the fall until my mental attitude tells me to stop or Thanksgiving, which ever comes first. This year I wrapped it up last week. We're already having snow and salted roads this year which is unusual. Two years ago I was banging out half centuries up to Thanksgiving in fifty degree weather.

For me as much as I love the bike and I eat, sleep, and dream bikes, I need a mental break. If I lived in a city or town I'd ride more for utility as a way of staying connected to cycling year round. For sport I need to mix it up and the seasons are a blessing.