i rode yesterday! and it was pretty cold - and i'm from la. but it was still fine.
i do have a question for the more experienced winter bikers. why the hell am i so sore today? everything hurts, especially my calves. now, i've not been riding long, i'm woefully out of shape and woefully old. but i only rode a couple miles, which i do all the time. it really was a nothing ride. i might have rode a little faster, but something was kicking my ass. i had to go down a gear or two for a nothing errand run.
am i just aging really really fast??
i rode yesterday! and it was pretty cold - and i'm from la. but it was still fine.
i do have a question for the more experienced winter bikers. why the hell am i so sore today? everything hurts, especially my calves. now, i've not been riding long, i'm woefully out of shape and woefully old. but i only rode a couple miles, which i do all the time. it really was a nothing ride. i might have rode a little faster, but something was kicking my ass. i had to go down a gear or two for a nothing errand run.
am i just aging really really fast??
IITWI, are you happy now with your taunting?
Thanks to you we'll have this next week:
http://www.chicagobreakingnews.com/2010/12/subzero-deep-freeze-to-h...
;)
Yes I did! It was around 22°F, with, by Chicago standards, almost no wind (SSW 7MPH). And I've finally tried that neat My Tracks thingie on my phone :)
With out a doubt winter ridding will wear you down faster than summer ridding. In addition to the reasons Shapeshifter talked about that can’t be helped, pay attention to your layering choices. If something that you’re wearing is limiting your range of motion in a way that makes you ride with bad form, winter will wear you down even faster. For example I used to ride in coat that pulled across my shoulders when I rode on the hoods or drops of my road bike. As a result I avoided those positions and gripped the handlebars oddly when braking. Therefore my forearms were always sore after a ride.
As for the ice, don’t be afraid to mix and match ridding and walking. For most of last winter, I’d walk a block down my poorly maintained side street and then start ridding when I got to a well plowed street. Also don’t be afraid to mix and match cycling and the CTA. In Chicago we’re fortunate to have a range of transportation choices and the ability to combine them. At off peak hours use the El to over the bulk of your trip, but take your bike with you for the last part of your trip and avoid having to wait in the cold to transfer to a bus.
Ironika Leigh said:thanks. i have some health issues and am glad to know it's not related - biking in winter is just going to be harder. i would start out ok - then three blocks later would shift down, like, two gears. it didn't look windy, but it FELT windy. once i stopped to go in a store, i was fine when i came out; same actually for just stopping at lights. my endurance is shit.
on the plus side - i'll be a riding maniac by summer. a little muscle tone wouldn't kill me either.
oh - and now i feel i've earned my bikewinter sticker. i've decided only to adorn my bike with stickers i've earned (so far "fuck gas" and "bike naked" ... i'm not sure how i top this trio.
on a side note: the streets were fine, but two yards into the alley next to my house and i nearly fell twice. that ice is not kidding - will definitely decide days i ride vs days i hoof.
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