Wednesday night, I went to a monthly sight-singing party some friends have. It was in the middle of a horrific ice storm coming down. We had just had about two inches of snow. On the snow was an inch layer of slush, and the ice was forming on top of that. I hadn't ridden enough lately, and I decided it was time for an adventure. I bundled up and took a risk that I would be overdressed. I wore my ski helmet which is extra warm and my extra warm lobster claw gloves. I grabbed a Citi Bike bike. These bikes weigh 50 pounds and put the rider in an upright position, which improves traction. The tires are wide. The bikes have drum brakes, impervious to weather.
The river path was pretty empty because the conditions were so awful. My glasses were covered in rain, though my rear view mirror on my glasses was somehow unaffected. The texture of the surface covering changed often, so it required frequent adjustment to my pedaling technique. The bike slid and fishtailed quite a bit. Anticipating a fall, I imagined myself wiping out and landing on my hip and shoulder, just in case it started to happen. As luck had it, I never did fall. Rain kept falling and forming ice on everything, including the bike, my gloves, my jacket, and my glasses. But since I was overdressed, I was quite warm, and the ice didn't bother me. My average speed for the 6 mile ride was only 7 mph, but I was working pretty hard.
There were a couple of steep climbs, and the rear wheel spun out, so as the bike started to fall to the side, I jumped off and pushed it up the hill.
I got to the party, and the folks who had made it there said that even just walking on the street was treacherous. They had to walk very slowly. The folks who normally come to the party from New Jersey wisely decided not to make the trip.
That was enough adventure for the night for me, and I walked with a couple of the folks from the party to the subway. The surface was so slippery that at some points, we didn't pick our feet up while walking; instead we slid our feet along the ground.
