It’s ok to unclench your hands and jaw now, but don’t get too
comfortable, close to home is where most people get into accidents.
Every year, when the snow hits, I’m a little surprised at how
un-slippery it is. It feels a bit out of control while your tires are
finding the pavement, but people expect it to feel like riding on a
skating rink – years ago I did – but it compares much better to riding
on a beach.
Every year I remember that I meant to buy goggles. When I rode to
work yesterday I didn’t realize I had the wind in my back. I also didn’t
realize it would keep snowing all day long. I might have left my bike
at home, but I hate to be stuck walking after a storm when the sun has
come out, and everything has been cleared.
I worked hard coming home! I had to hop off and push through a few
stretches of soft ‘n’ fluffy. Intersections are difficult because the
criss-cross of tire tracks turns into sort of a maze of snowbanks. But
the biggest hurdle last night was the wind. It’s hard to hop back on the
bike, when both the ground and the air are keeping you from gaining
momentum. There was lots of traffic, presumably Christmas shoppers. They
didn’t seem as frantic and desperate (and dangerous) as last year, or
maybe it’s still early. I didn’t enjoy the masses of cars, but without
their ruts I woudn’t have ridden at all!
I keep forgetting, the city waits a certain amount of time before
they plough/ re-plough the streets. Surprisingly, a lot of the sidewalks
were clear! A matter of timing, I suppose.
My usual 15 minute trip home took me 45 minutes. After about 10 I
was just a big wet sponge of sweat, my eyes were watering because snow
flakes feel like needles in that wind – a visor can’t keep out
horizontal precipitation – and my eyebrows were riddled with icicles
because condensation was coming up from my covered mouth and nose. But
when I got home and upstairs into the warmth, I felt calm.
I never ride fast or far, so cardio is not part of my daily riding experience, but it was last night!
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