You know it's been cold when 0° feels warm but I enjoyed my commute anyway. I left my big ice fishing mitts at home and will also be able to do without the goggles for the ride back. Still, it's not like summer when I can throw on a shirt and shorts and be ready but all in good time.

Only problem now is what was firm hardpack has been softened by salt and it's harder to ride through.

0F seems cold until you go to -20F. Then 0F seems warm. It's all relative at some level.

J.

Hi tjspiel,

I enjoy reading your winter exploits in Minneapolis. Zero degrees is about the lowest I have encountered here in Boston on my 14 mile one-way commute (Commuter Rail home). How long is your commute?

I agree, each autumn when it drops below freezing point for the first time I always feel like I'll freeze on the bike . This morning I came to work with a mild -19°celcius and felt great.

I've been wondering who's still riding.

In Summer and Fall I add miles to my commute but in winter I keep it to 6 miles. It goes from 20/25 minutes during the Summer to 45 minutes or longer on snowy winter days and I just can't justify more time. That and my toes tend to get colder during my winter commute as opposed to the rest of my body which warms up.

Well, -5 this morning didn't feel warm, but it was nice not having every bit of exposed skin actually hurt.

The ride home tonight was 10 degrees, that felt actually balmy.

Thanks for the reply. My experience is similar. In the winter I do only my 14 mile one-way commute and cold toes is a limiting factor. Starting in April I begin a training schedule for Centuries and increase my daily mileage over 10 weeks up to about 30 miles occasionally, with long rides on Saturdays.

Time though is always the over-arching limitation. I'm fortunate to be able to cycle commute on pleasant routes in the reverse of the usual commuting direction as an expeditious way to get the miles in.

Here in Chicago, we got all the snow on Saturday and Sunday, when it was just below freezing. Then it got cold sunday night. Riding on Sunday was a pain, with all the snow, but it was at least soft. Monday and Tuesday, all that churned snow was rock hard. It was rough riding where there wasn't enough auto traffic to break it down. Today, it's back to being soft enough to ride through. I don't miss the cold, at all.