Reverence: Daylight Saving Time

Daylight savings means less time riding in this

Not too many people espouse the virtues of Daylight Saving Time, much less chose to write about it every bloody year. But Daylight Saving Time is my favorite day of the year, no question. Better than Christmas, Sinterklaas, or my birthday. Combined. The reason is simple: Daylight Saving is the day of the year when it becomes feasible to once again ride after work without headlights.

To be a Cyclist is to be a student of sacrifice; everything is given for the sake of becoming better at our chosen craft. We risk life and limb when we set ourselves upon the streets to take flight amongst the motor traffic like a gazelle amongst the lions. In winter, we often do this with the further risk of darkness, limiting our range of vision and our visibility to drivers who are much more likely to be texting than I care to imagine.

While there are some liberating aspects to riding and training at night, Daylight Saving Time frees us from the grip of darkness and affords us the opportunity train once again in afternoon daylight without requiring excessive amounts of Calendar Tetris in order to sneak out of the office while the sun still hangs above the horizon. From Sunday onward, it is Open Season on training and the path towards summertime fitness opens up before us.

Most crucially, Daylight Saving Time means the days lengthen enough to once again allow the afternoon training rides to become the karmic neutralizer of the daily grind. Vive la Vie Velominatus.

frank

The founder of Velominati and curator of The Rules, Frank was born in the Dutch colonies of Minnesota. His boundless physical talents are carefully canceled out by his equally boundless enthusiasm for drinking. Coffee, beer, wine, if it’s in a container, he will enjoy it, a lot of it. He currently lives in Seattle. He loves riding in the rain and scheduling visits with the Man with the Hammer just to be reminded of the privilege it is to feel completely depleted. He holds down a technology job the description of which no-one really understands and his interests outside of Cycling and drinking are Cycling and drinking. As devoted aesthete, the only thing more important to him than riding a bike well is looking good doing it. Frank is co-author along with the other Keepers of the Cog of the popular book, The Rules, The Way of the Cycling Disciple and also writes a monthly column for the magazine, Cyclist. He is also currently working on the first follow-up to The Rules, tentatively entitled The Hardmen. Email him directly at rouleur@velominati.com.

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View Comments

rfreese888 says:

Mar 10 2015 at 5:47 am

No need for lights in the morning in Dublin now. Close to dropping them in the PM.

Now we see who trained through the VVinter and who will suck wheels in the early season!
Rom says:

Mar 10 2015 at 6:37 am

Daylight savings is rubbish. It finally starts to get light in the mornings, then they wind the clocks forward and you're in the dark again. Plus it's hotter for longer in the evening.

luckily we've (the sane people) have voted it out several times.

stuffs up the cows too.
Rom says:

Mar 10 2015 at 6:38 am

@Puffy

Bollocks that! I ride in the morning and the last thing I need is more darkness when I am riding and more sun when I am trying to get to sleep.

Yes
Teocalli says:

Mar 10 2015 at 7:11 am

@Rom

Daylight savings is rubbish. It finally starts to get light in the mornings, then they wind the clocks forward and you’re in the dark again. Plus it’s hotter for longer in the evening.

luckily we’ve (the sane people) have voted it out several times.

stuffs up the cows too.

I've never quite understood how the clock change upsets the cows. They spend to much time looking at the village clock or something?
VeloSix says:

Mar 10 2015 at 7:26 am

Tuesday Night Worlds.....
unversio says:

Mar 10 2015 at 8:08 am

@VeloSix

Our annual Wednesday Night Worlds is coming -- a local qualifying series.
Ron says:

Mar 10 2015 at 9:03 am

Holy fack, I need a karmic equalizer this week!

While the light for training rides is awesome, I have to say that I'm even more pumped to avoid having to cyclocommute home in the dark. Not very fun. Even when I can't leave on time, plenty of light. It's awesome! Started my new job in October, so things seem a lot better with DST.

Yeehaw!!
DeKerr says:

Mar 10 2015 at 9:11 am

DST - originally postulated by Ben Franklin (an otherwise intelligent chap) to save candles. This makes it more archaic than wood hoops and less practical. Recent studies demonstrate that it doesn't save energy and just generally fucks with people's live. Good summary on the general fuckery here:

http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2015/03/time-to-kill-daylight-saving/387175/

Fuck changing the clocks twice a year - fuck it into a dark place where it shall never see the light of day again.

I have an opinion on this.
Floridian says:

Mar 10 2015 at 9:24 am

Yes, the Tuesday Night World Championships commence tonight! As a friend observed, "today is like the first day of school". And there will be some schooling tonight...
KW says:

Mar 10 2015 at 9:29 am

Here's what I don't get about the whole bit:

Daylight savings runs from March-November, approximately 8 months. "Standard" time from November-March, approximately 4 months.

How the fuck can the "standard" last for half as long?

There's your thought to ponder for the day.

My commute has far less traffic in morning than the afternoon, so I'm ok with the dark in the morning.