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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sowtondevil says:

Mar 13 2015 at 12:38 am

I had a friend called Billy who worked in one of those specialty labs that processed photo film back in the days before it all went digital. For five months each year Billy cycled to work in the dark; worked all day in a dark room; and went back home in the dark on his bike. At weekends, sunlight was shunned because of the shock and the blinds at Billy's apartment remained firmly closed - like his mind. Last I heard, Billy had moved from London to settle in East St Louis and has his own blues show on a local radio station. I understand it's all dark in there too. Ain't never bin so I can't confirm.
therealpeel says:

Mar 20 2015 at 10:45 am

@wiscot

Thank Merckx DST is here! In WI it marvelously coincided with a noticable rise in temps to solid 40s and 50s. Amazing how in the fall these temps feel chilly, but in March they feel amazing.

I too think the loss of 1 hour of sleep is awesome and glorious if it means more sunshine. Whatever it takes to maximize that is what counts. The day we moved clicks forward seemed to break the lock of cold weather here... Until it started snowing today.