Ferdinand NYC

On the way into work last Friday, I had finally had enough. I did not complete my ride; instead, I rode over to the subway and got on.

After seven winters of near-daily bike riding, I think that I might have almost run out of tolerance for the cold. The freezing riding is starting to get to me; so perhaps I won't ride so much this month. As a result, this year I probably won't hit ten thousand kilometres or six thousand miles; but, having achieved that distinction three times, maybe I have earned the right to ease up a bit.

When I started riding every day in 2011, I was determined not to skip days just on account of the cold. I'd skip days for rain, snow, or ice, but not for cold alone. So I rode consistently on 20-degree days; I rode in temperatures as low as 9 degrees.

To say that this was against my nature is an understatement. Not only had I not ridden in the cold before, I had in fact never before even been outside in the cold so much! Even when I was a kid, I never wanted to play in the snow or to go outside in the cold. My mother would bundle me up, and I'd go out, only to come back in ten minutes later.

But I put up with riding in the winter for seven years. I am proud of that; but my will to deal with it is, as we say in Esperanto, elĉerpita.

So I am taking it easy this February. I will miss the daily riding. But I will not miss the constant extra wind of 10 to 20 miles per hour that riding generates, a wind that makes every cold day that much more miserable. Nor will I miss the elaborate dressing ritual that is meant to protect me from the cold, but in the end can do nothing about my hands and my face.

If we get mild days of 40 degrees, then I will probably ride on those days. But, other than that, I will resume full-time in March, when we can expect better weather.

Papa Tom

You've definitely earned the time off, Ferdinand. I envy people who ride right through the New York winters, but I just can't do it myself.

On the bright side, rather than trudging through the cold all season and hating every minute of it, I spend all winter chomping at the bit to get back on the bike in the spring. It's sort of a cool break that helps ensure I never get tired of, bored of, or apathetic about biking. Maybe you will experience the same.

zacster

I've only been out when we had a couple of 50 degree days. I'd ride when it is 40, but it's been either 50 or 35, not in between much.

kaos joe

For me the dreaded in-between temp is right around freezing. A bit cold for the road, and ya gotta worry about ice in the shady spots. (Done that.) In the woods, even if it is at the freezing point or a little under, the sun starts to soften the ground up and things can get sloppy pretty fast. I don't like to make a mess out of the bike OR the trail.

I'll happily get out on the MTB at 10 or 15 degrees.

Steve B.

Judging by my heating bill, it’s been a cold winter. It started cold and got worse at the new year, with a few odd days of 50’s. Plus seemingly a bunch of cold days with a really biting wind, like today.

Maybe that’s what’s throwing you off.

Ferdinand NYC

I don't think that it has to do so much with this winter in particular. It's more of a cumulative thing.

Let's see how I feel after a month off. I plan to luxuriate this month. We have the two Monday holidays, Lincoln's Birthday (which happens to fall on a Monday this year) and Washington's Birthday; and I have supplemented these with vacation days on the other two Mondays, yesterday and the 26th. So for this month I will experience life how it should be: four-day work weeks and three-day weekends. And I won't be dealing with the elements.

I expect to return with renewed vigour after this little off-season.

leob1

Do what ever it takes to make yourself happy and healthy.
Anybody else don't like it? F'em.