Consecutive bicycle work commute number 2248:

We had our first big winter storm this weekend, which dropped about 6+ inches of snow on the city. Areas outside of town got a lot more. This caused usual "early-season big snow freak out" among people which I think is mostly driven by the media. By February people around here will hardly blink when a big snow is predicted. We received nearly 11 inches of snow throughout November, which is a fair amount for us this early in the season. Eastern South Dakota generally gets more moderate snow amounts but extreme low temperatures and wind.

On Friday before the snow hit, I knew I would likely need the winter bikes this week. I got the fat bike ready to go by topping off the tubeless tire sealant and lubing the drivetrain. Last winter I rode this bike less than 40 miles total, but I was still amazed how rusted up the chain was. I had to break a lot of links free that had fused together. I didn't have time to pull my other winter bike down from storage and prep it, so the fat bike will have to suffice for now.

The theatre production I'm involved in had its opening weekend in the midst of the storm. Despite the inclement weather, the theater was at least 2/3rds full (684 seat capacity) for every show and the crowds were very energetic. It was a great opening weekend and I left the venue each night all pumped up with adrenaline. However this morning after I had come down from the weekend high I found myself bone-weary tired. I have four days to let my body and voice recover before we're back at the theater for eight more performances.

I got up this morning at my normal time and discovered the plows had run during the night, burying the end of my driveway. Normally when the plows go by it will wake me up, but I suppose I was so exhausted that I slept right through it. In any event, that was a surprise. I easily could have carried my bicycle over the drift, but then my wife's car would have been trapped. So I decided to be a nice guy and went out and cleared the driveway. Plus, the longer that you wait after the plows run, the more the drift turns into solid ice and the tougher it is to move. It was already starting to ice over, which makes me think the plows came by earlier in the night.

After moving the snow I was now running 1/2 hour behind. The temp was a balmy 12°F with a 10 mph wind. I loaded up the fat bike and headed out. I was only about a 100 yards from the house when I notice the cold air had already deflated my rear tire too much. I had set my front tire to 4 PSI and the rear tire to 5 PSI, but that wasn't enough for the rear. I turned around and went back into my garage and pumped the rear tire up to 7 PSI. That was better and gave me about the same amount of flex on the front and back.

Within the first 1/4 mile I was reminded how much I dislike riding the fat bike. It is painfully slow and very tiring to pedal. The fit on it isn't ideal and makes my butt and wrists hurt. Nevertheless, it handled the packed mashed-potato snow with aplomb, which is the reason I own and ride it. It doesn't blink at the snow that even my studded-tire mountain bike struggles in.

My old ski goggles had served me well for about 15 years, and during the off-season I bought a new pair. This was the first ride with the new goggles. The difference in clarity of vision was startling. My old pair had gotten very scratched up over the years and I hadn't realized how bad they were until I put on the new pair.

Because I was running 1/2 hour late, traffic had gotten very thick. There is one very busy and fast moving street where I join it at a "T" intersection. I have to right turn to merge into traffic for about 200 yards, then move into the left turning lane and make a left turn into a park entrance where I can then hop on the MUP. When I wear goggles I don't have my take-a-look mirror. Between the lack of mirror and the heavy traffic I decided to just cross the street and get on the opposite sidewalk for the span I would normally ride in traffic. Things were gridlocked and moving slow, so drivers were willing to stop and let me cross. I gave them a wave of thanks and raced across the street.

When I got to the other side, there was a wall of snow formed by the plows. I bunny-hopped over the wall the best I could so that I was no longer blocking traffic. When I landed the snow brought me to an abrupt stop and I flew forward. Thankfully I was expecting this to happen and stayed on my feet. I pulled the bike out of the drift and remounted on the sidewalk. Then I noticed that my headlight was missing. I looked back and saw it laying in the snow drift where I had come to a sudden stop. I'm glad I noticed before I got too far away!

The remainder of the ride was mostly MUP, which thankfully had been plowed. There were still some drifts caused by the wind that had formed after the plow had run, so the fat bike continued to earn its keep. I pedaled hard and was able to average about 6 mph. I didn't even notice the low temperature as I was sweating hard from the effort of pedaling this bike.

We're supposed to get more snow over the next couple days, then during the second half of the week the temps are predicted to drop into the double-digits below zero. I think winter has arrived.