Winter Riding

I've read a number of great articles lately on the subject of winter riding. All have been helpful and inspiring. Here's a bit of what I've learned over the course of ten or so Wisconsin winters.

Grow some hair. A beard is nature's balaclava. Granted, most people are unable to grow one due to gender, age, or spousal disapproval. Let me tell you, though, a week or two of growth goes a long way towards keeping your cheeks and chin warm. Leg hair can be a big help, too, creating an insulating layer of warm air between your skin and your tights. Again, social mores and marital harmony may rule this out.

Get a hardshell jacket. For years, I piled on layers of undershirts and jerseys as the temperature dropped. I stayed reasonably warm, but felt a bit sausage-like under the compression of all those layers. This year, I bought a waterproof, windproof jacket (the Showers Pass Elite 2.0). Unlike a winter jersey, it has Velcro cuffs, pit zips, a vented back, and an elastic drawcord in the collar. As a result, I'm able to make mid-ride adjustments so that I'm never too cold or too hot. I can ride comfortably at temperatures between 20 to 40 degrees Farenheit with just my jacket, a short-sleeve jersey, and a long-sleeve base layer.

Don't sacrifice circulation for insulation. As I mentioned above, I used to over-swaddle myself for winter rides. I've since learned that looser is warmer. Loose clothes allow warm, dry air to circulate against your skin, keeping you from getting cold and clammy. This applies to upper-body and lower-body layers, and especially to hands and feet.

Get some good lights. Around here, what little daylight we get during the winter is often lessened by clouds. A good set of blinky lights will make you more visible during the day, and a good set of rechargable lights will enable you to ride all night long (if that's your kind of thing). I'm a big fan of DiNotte's LED light systems. I have a 600L on my handlebar, a 200L on my helmet, and a 140R taillight.

Build a great indoor setup. I bet you thought this was some tough-guy article about riding outdoors all year long. Well, riding outside is usually better than riding inside, but not when death by snowplow is a possibility. The secret to endurable indoor riding is a good setup. For that, I recommend a fan, a big TV, lots of race videos and action movies, and a power meter (to keep you honest). Company can also be a big help. My wife's treadmill is right next to my rollers. Instead of watching TV or a movie from the couch, we'll head down to the basement and spend our tube time working out. It's surprising how quickly a two-hour indoor ride can go by with the right distractions and a minimum of fuss.

Down with cyclists!

I serve on the Milwaukee Bicycle Steering Committee (love that name) as a representative of the bicycle industry. In our meeting last week, an interesting conversation broke out with regard to people's perceptions of cyclists. Initially, I proposed that we should regard anyone on a bike as a "cyclist" regardless of the clothing they wear or the type and value of their bike. However, after some discussion, I changed my position. In the interest of getting more people on bikes, I think it might be better to do away with the whole "cyclist" designation. To me, a "cyclist" is someone for whom riding a bike is a lifestyle - a part of their identity. Other people may occasionally ride, but under that definition, they're not "cyclists".

Here's the problem. This distinction creates an in-or-out situation. Those who are "in" look for ways to distinguish themselves from those who are "out", employing all the usual techniques we remember from high school - clothes, language, rules, etc. That creates barriers for those who are out. They'll feel like they have to have the right bike and the right clothes in order to gain acceptance. Becoming a cyclist will require effort and investment to do correctly. Consequently, they're likely not to bother.

Look at it this way. We don't consciously regard some people as "drivers" and other people as "non-drivers". Those of us who do drive don't make an effort to identify ourselves as drivers. We simply interact with each other knowing that most people drive cars. It's no big deal. It's just a part of life.

That's how it should be with bikes. Just about anyone can ride a bike, most people own a bike, and everyone who does ride could ride more. By removing barriers and distinctions, we would make it easier for people to just hop on and ride. Who knows where they'll go from there?

Night Rider

I went out tonight for my second ride on my new mountain bike, accompanied by Russell and his buddy, Bubba. Filled with new-bike exuberance, I committed the cardinal sin of night riding - embarking without fully-charged batteries. Consequently, both my handlebar light and my helmet light were running low by mid-ride. That I could have dealt with, but falling and tearing a 3" hole in my jacket was a downer. Durn trees. Fortunately, Russell and Bubba didn't seem to mind waiting for a spastic roadie. And riding the Tosa trails with someone who actually knows them was a blast.

UPDATE - I nearly forgot to mention the funniest part of the ride. At one point, while riding the new Harley trails north of Capitol Drive, we came upon a very startled beaver. Under the light of our three headlamps, he frantically scurried across a layer of ice that had formed on the near bank of the Menomonee river. Naturally, the river wasn't completely frozen over, so he inevitably broke through the ice, to our great amusement and his probable relief.

Random stuff

Man, I've really let this blog out to pasture. Blame Facebook and Twitter, both of which require less effort and creativity than blogging. That's both good and bad.

My last post was uncharacteristically negative, so today I'm going to give a roundup of some cool stuff that's going on.

• My sister got married last weekend. The wedding was beautiful, and the reception was a blast. She will stand up in her best friend's wedding this weekend, after which she'll head off for her honeymoon.
• Good things are happening at work. I can't be real specific, but I'm excited.
• Kelley and I are hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year. She's taking off all next week to prepare.
  
• I got a new mountain bike - a Giant Anthem X. Took it out for a brief shakedown ride last night, and man, is it fun.
• Tomorrow night, two of my best guy-friends are coming over for some long-overdue hanging out. One's going through a rough time, so I hope he'll be encouraged.
• In four days, I'll begin reading Watch for the Light, a daily Advent devotional I bought years ago. Each day's reading is an essay or poem by a different Christian author, including Martin Luther, T.S. Eliot, Thomas Merton, Henri Nouwen, Brennan Manning, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Soren Kierkegaard.
  

The lesser of two liars

I voted this morning, despite strong misgivings about both major-party presidential candidates. I voted because good people have given their lives to grant me this right.

Hard as it may be to believe, I still didn't know who I was going to vote for when I woke up this morning. As has been the case in all four presidential elections in which I've voted, I am once again fed up with the candidates' behavior - in particular, their dishonesty.

Throughout the campaign, both candidates have spoken in obvious half-truths. In some cases, "half" is being generous. Why? I can only think of three possible explanations:

1. They think we're too stupid to know we're not being told the truth.
2. They think we're too lazy to test the truthfulness of their statements.
3. They think we're too stupid to discern the truth if we were to test their statements.

Whatever the case, this behavior demonstrates a lack of respect for the people the candidates hope to lead. Respect begets respect. No wonder we find it so easy to criticize our leaders.

I really don't understand how so many people can tolerate being treated this way. Regardless of how enthusiastically a person may agree with a candidate's policies and beliefs, how can he or she get behind a person so willing to use dishonesty to achieve his goals?

The end does not justify the means. A president should understand that.