27 and overcast this morning in Madison, with wind chills into the teens (read, while going downhill). Tonight I used my Xmas lights for the first time, prompting encouraging words from other commuters on the MUP and smiles from joggers. Apparently drivers had no trouble seeing me, either, as several cruised by slowly ten feet away, as if taking a closer look.

All in all, a perfectly lovely 7-mile ride home in the dark, despite the cold and a stiff headwind out of the north for the last mile. Why haven't I ridden into the winter before? I've commuted for too many years to count, but always gave up when winter set in. Not this year.