Yesterday it rained. And by the time I left for work the temp had dropped to 33F. I debated about what bike I'd ride. Could play safe and take the studded tire winter bike or ride fast and take chance by choosing the a road bike with 700x25 Connies. The latter won because the projected high was to be near 50F.
Now the frost on the deck as I stepped out was a bit disheartening. And the frost on the street did worry me a bit. And the frost on the trail looked scary. But the bike stayed firmly planted on the surface I was riding on at any moment. After a few miles I felt comfortable. It was like riding above the stars as the ice crystals reflected back at me. Pretty. Fascinating. Ultra-kewl.
I knew there would be ice and planned accordingly. Always the usual places on the trail where draining is not up to par. recent snow melt has not helped. These spots showed up as black splotches on the trail. Hold firm but not overly tight. Make sure bike is not leaning. No curving or leaning. No turning. Keep still as possible and float over these areas. Not even a minor wiggle. I was impressed with myself.
After getting to work without incident I began to talk to others. "Oh it was terrible," they said. "Slick," they cried. "Slid through my intersection." Ect, ect, ect. I was a bit shocked. Are we on the same planet? Did we not travel to the same location?
Here I was on the most dangerous bicycle I could have chosen for the morning commute and I did not encounter any issues. NADA! On racing tires! 4.5 miles on streets including a few down hills. I will note that the west wind prevented me from exceeding 21.4 mph. on my final descent. The day before I hit 27 mph.
And they think I am crazy for riding a bike to work. Some people will never understand how much safer and easier and less expensive bicycling truly is.
No comments:
Post a Comment