Even after all this time using a HRM I find I am fooled fairly often thinking I'm working reasonably hard when I'm not and visa versa. Most importantly it helps alert me when my mind wanders and my cadence drops along with my effort. On a long 130mi ride last summer it was invaluable in helping me keep my effort level low enough to be able to go the distance. Had I just ridden what I felt like doing I think I would have been drained when I hit some hills at 65miles.
Yeah...no tar on the road...either black ice or white snow. There were probably a few spots where the road was scraped clean to the pavement but for the most part there's a glaze of ice nearly everywhere on the two lane back roads. The highways get enough traffic (as do busy streets) to dry them entirely unless we get a serious problem. Two years ago it rained then froze and stayed frozen. We had a half inch of ice on the highway that took months to dry/evaporate. Really bad. Nokia 294 tires ftw. No polar bears this far inland but I did have a scare the other day when I stepped outside with my bike and was confronted by a moose not more than 15feet from me. They can be quite dangerous. Both of us got a bit scared....