Tell her, "Oh, Mom's sitting back down by now -- she insists on closing the garage door behind me as I roll out."

haha! I know exactly what you mean. Someone needs to tell the heart to send a little blood over to the toes and a little less to my overheated sweaty parts.

I usually get, "You didn't ride today did you?" ... to which I always reply, "I ride my bike every day". I guess they don't listen, or don't believe me, because I know I've repeated that to the same people at times. In fact, I feel almost as if I've told everyone in the company by now. But they keep asking. Oh well.

You should have taken him outside and pushed his face in the snow.

"You're crazy", is a common response but I've never felt it has been intended in a negative way. It usually comes off as "wow" or a round-about compliment implying it is something the person doesn't feel they'd be able to do themselves.

I'm always much colder on days where I take the bus, than days where I ride the bike. For most people that seems counter intuitive, and they wouldn't believe it until they experienced it first hand. There is a leap of faith you need to take in beginning cold weather commuting.

It wasn't that cold this morning (27F), but it had snowed a little overnight. I got to work before the boss, so I had to wait outside until he opened the building. He says, "you rode in this crap?!" I say yeah, and he says okay and shakes his head.

Show them this: http://landing.newsinc.com/shared/video.html?freewheel=69016&sitesection=ndnsubss&VID=23317757 It's 135 mile race (3 day limit) in Northern Minnesota. Temps as low as -30 F. They have to haul survival gear, sleeping bags, etc with them. You have to register to read the article but it's not required to watch the video.

My 6 mile commute is like a garden stroll by comparison.

Of course there's no cars to deal with, - just wolves. ;)

There are 2 checkpoints. Not sure how far apart they are but there's nothing much in between except a few shelters. Just making sure you have enough water would require some planning. You either have to bring it with you (and keep it thawed) or be able to start a fire and melt snow.

One day last winter I rode my bike to a parking lot along the Mississippi River. It was about 20 degrees F and a fairly strong wind was coming out of the north. I got to the parking area just as a boat full of duck hunters was coming off the river. They had been driving their boat upstream, directly into the wind. The boat was having to bash into the waves. Spray was getting all over the hunters. They had their hoods pulled over their faces to keep the freezing spray off. When they landed, one of them got out of the boat and recognized me. He saw that I was on my bike and he said "you got to be crazy to be out riding on a day like this." I just shook my head and left.

I agree it happens all the time the most asked question is "are you crazy?" to witch I say yes and just drop it.

My response is usually "Cheaper than a second car." At least most motorists can relate to that. Some have expressed genuine concern, especially regarding my visibility, to which I reply, "Don't worry... I'm lit up like a freakin' Christmas Tree."

Its not like we have Yeti DNA, we have to deal with cold just like you.

Nonetheless, I took the Russian lady's comment as the compliment she meant, as from one who knows winter (but still doesn't like it).

I get this comment all the time. They just don't see to realize that you are exerting yourself when you ride and that keeps you warm. It surprises most people that even when it's below freezing outside I wear a thin merino wool shirt and a very lightweight jacket over the top. Anything more and I get too hot.

The other comment around here is when I ride on a rainy day (rainy days are a common winter occurance around here). "You rode in this rain?". I usually answer with a smile "yup, we are not made of sugar, you know", or "yes, humans are waterproof after all". That usually shuts them up...

A friend of mine had the perfect response to that one when a co-worker told him that he was out of his mind. Paraphrasing "People are in their cars are nose to tail in heavy traffic and burning gas while getting all crabby because they aren't getting anywhere at 'rush hour' and you're saying I'm crazy for being on the bike getting exercise and actually getting somewhere???"

I get that at work all the time. Co-workers complain to me about cyclists running around in dark clothes with little to no lighting at night. I had to bite my tongue this AM when I was told about a cyclist with only a tiny rear blinky. "Well, you saw him didn't yer? So why are you complaining?"

I spent close to four years in Russia and Ukraine combined, including a few winters. I dressed more lightly than anyone I knew there, and they all thought I was crazy for not wearing more -- mostly out of an irrational fear that cold air alone causes sickness, in my experience anyway. It may be cold in Russia, but they dress correspondingly and then some - to the point of overdressing all the time by my standards.

Long story short, Russians (or Ukrainians) are not likely to be walking around in a tee shirt if it's 0C outside, just because they're Russian or Ukrainian. More likely than not, they'd wear twice as many layers and clothes as you would and think you crazy for not wearing more -- as your experience showed you.

Yeah, I had the same experience when I lived in Kazakhstan. Once the temperature got below 15C, you'd see the Russian moms swaddling their kids in snow suits. And my landlady advised me to warm up my orange juice in a pan on the stove because if you drink it from the fridge you'll get a sore throat.

I would've come back with "no, no I didn't." then proceed to get ready for work. ;)

Yep, you nailed it. Those poor, poor kids.

I used to horrify my Ukrainian friends; my favorite thing to do when I have a sore throat is drink ice, ice, ice cold OJ or grapefruit juice. They probably thought I was going to die! :)

"No, crazy is taking an overloaded, hydrodynamically unsound, manifestly unsafe-for-conditions vessel out on the river in this weather. What I'm doing is practiced and planned-for. What you're doing is some extra-redneck kind of dumb."

By now everyone I work with has stated their opinion and got a response. It's not an issue anymore, though I still get it from strangers.

lol, I get the "Wow, you look like an old man" thing often as well.

Stealing this one.

A guy I work with was in that race. He had a stomach bug though that made him drop out. Apparently the people that work the aid stations dont want you riding when you are vomiting often and without notice...

But as to the "You rode in this?!?!?" question I usually just say something like "yeah, I love this weather. and riding in it makes it even more f***ing awesome than it would have been otherwise".

A coworker saw me walking in the other morning and said "I can't believe you rode in this morning! You must be in top physical condition!"

Uh, yeah. I guess.

The equivalent: "You didn't ride in this rain did you!?"
egads.

The rain and cold are not such a big deal but the wind can be a real downer.
Supposed to blow 65-70 MPH here this afternoon and the shift as the storm blows through means it will be a headwind on both ends of my commute.
Today I drive. :o

:lol: We lived in Russia for two years and I was surprised at how wimpy Russians are about cold. It would be a nice cool fall day and we would have the windows open and our Russian friends would think we were crazy and going to die from "grip". Still, when its -30, people are still out walking to work and taking the subway like any other day.