We’re not really supposed to have favorites, but everyone does. Just ask your parents. So while I’m not supposed to have a favorite, I do, and its Rule #9.
Bad weather immediately separates the wheat from the chaff, and so the weekend warriors stay indoors and leave the roads to the devout. I talk most often about riding in the rain, with the drops of water dripping from my cap acting as my personal metronome as I carve a path through the chaos towards a happier self. But sunny days in the cold can provide their own glorious solitude.
On Keepers Tour 2013, we had unseasonably cold weather, and some of the best rides we had were early morning spins before heading off to the races. With the sun hanging low over the horizon, we rode through our frozen breath, together in close formation yet each of us retreating inward as we steeled ourselves against the cold. These were beautiful, peaceful rides.
This winter in Seattle has been relatively dry, but also cold. On the weekends, the country roads are nearly deserted and all that is left is the silent, still air and the burning of cold air as it enters my lungs. On a recent solo ride on Whidbey Island, I spun down the same roads which only a few months earlier I had ridden with friends on the annual Whidbey Island Cogal. The island seems a full place then, now it looked like an entirely different place – empty and beautiful.
There is something about the way the bike handles in the cold. The tires are firmer, the rubber less supple. The connection between bicycle and road seems simultaneously harsher and more fragile than in the warm. The muscles in my arms and hands are also more twitchy in the cold. Not twitchy like I can suddenly sprint; twitchy like I have difficulty controlling what they are doing – where normally I pride myself on holding a clean line, in the cold a small bump in the road might trigger a spasm that sends the bike into a wobble. Its an exciting way to ride.
Quiet roads, a still harbor, an early morning sunrise; these are the gifts reserved for those who ventured out when others stay in. These are the gifts of Rule #9.
Vive la Vie Velominatus.
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@Chris Good luck with that commute, Chris. "A bit of wind" is an understatement and it must absolutely howl across your flatter part of the country.
@brett That was a ride that I'll always look back on as being magical. I was beginning to feel quite good by the end of it and could have happily carried on. 20km in and I was still hurting.
Although, the farm fresh eggs in croissants when we got back to the gite were perhaps just as magical.
@Mike_P When I went to bed last night, it was a bit (lot) windy but it was also clear and starry. I was really looking forward to riding.
At ten to six this morning it was completely fucking torrential. I don't mind getting soaked on a ride but having to sit on the train for 45 minutes dripping before a hot shower takes Rule 9 beyond limits of my moral fibre. I reset the alarm and went back to sleep for an hour.
Downward Spiral on the rollers for me tonight.
@wiscot
Definitely agree re the mudguard being good manners in wet conditions. My number two and winter commute bike has full mudguards as much for my fellow commuters as for me.
@strathlubnaig
Lovely photo and good efforts continuing through the winter up there. I wonder if there are many cyclists in Sutherland and Caithness this time of year!
@PedallingTom
cheers for comments, I really did internally debate long and hard, many sleepless nights wrestling with the fender - no fender issue, and eventually bunged this one on the back to try and placate those behind me, which is not often. I really should HTFU and take ot off when out on my own.
@Chris
I like your style!
@frank
I realise my position on mudguards goes against your stance but I mostly overtake on my commute and so it is those I have just overtaken who would get a face-full of muddy grit to add to the humiliation of being passed by my heavy set commute bike. After all, they are badass for being out in those conditions and deserve some respect.
I'm not sure that mudguards do that much for those behind - I think the main benefit is just protecting your own bike and arse.
I was on a wet ride a couple of weeks back with two others - one with full guards and one without. The spray still comes up into your face even from the full guards, in fact if anything it seemed a little more concentrated than the wheel without any guards.
In any case this is partly why Rule #39 and Rule #36 exist.
Not saying I am riding in -5 degree F weather, but if I was, would there be a lexicon entry for that?
@frank
That's the key - don't think. Just fucking go. Everything else will sort itself out on the road.