Originally Posted by
NOS88
Riding in heat, rain, wind, cold, or snow are ALL more fun that not riding. When I come in from an especially challenging ride made so by the weather, I tend to feel that it's a victory of sorts when I don't let the weather conquer me. My wife thinks it's being stubborn; I think it's being tenacious.
One day when I was preparing for a snowy ride, my wife chided me,
"You just want to ride today so you can write about on Bike Forums."
IMO the above higlighted quote sums it up. I posted to this thread last year:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
Why would you bike commute in the winter?
I only have the time and inclination to obtain my excercise on my daily bike commute since it fits so well into my day, and I enjoy cycling. More specifically for winter commuting:
- Maintain a base level of fitness over the winter
- Meet the challenges of winter cycling, in particular acquiring and/or innovating my winter equipment, and seeing how well it prepares me to take on further challenges
- Increase my tolerance for the cold weather
- Answer that perennial question, “You didn’t ride your bike today, did you?.”
An enjoyable experience of winter riding that I find peculiar to the winter, especially in the dark, is what I call “cocooning,” where I hunker down on my bike, aware but oblivious to the external environment. I focus on my experience of visualizing the road ahead and in my immediate vicinity, listening to my ambient sounds, and contemplating my thoughts. The difference with summer riding is that then I am more in the tune to the wider external environment.