Consecutive bicycle work commute number 1802:

Final day of commuting in 2023. I'm off work for the remainder of the year, taking my wife to see her family in Ohio. Assuming I ride my normal route home tonight, my total commuting miles logged this year will be 3,107.

This morning was about as easy as a "winter" commute in South Dakota can get. 28°F with a very light crosswind. No snow on the ground. Occasional patches of ice, but nothing that hindered me from taking the road bike. I made it the 8 miles to work in about 35 minutes. Usually by December I plan on at least an hour because I'm on a slower bike, bundled up and fighting the elements.

We're supposed to get about 2" of rain over Christmas. Rain in December. That's really weird for us. This has been the warmest December I can remember. Morning temps have been below freezing, but probably only a half dozen mornings have been below 20°. Usually by now we've logged a few sub-zero days. Highs most days have been above freezing in the 30s and 40s, which again is very unusual for us.

I have my winter bikes prepped and ready to go once real winter finally decides to hit, but so far they sit unridden. I'm not sure if this is going to be an extremely mild winter, or if mother nature is just saving it up to slam the crap out of us starting in January.

See you all in 2024!