Riding the Icicle Bicycle
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Biking in the winter

 

SEACOAST BY BIKE 

He’s out there again. Despite record snowfall and plunging arctic temperatures, the Great Balkini will not rest. While most Yankees are in the basement fixing things, our intrepid columnist has donned his high-tech long johns and taken to the chilly roads.

 

 
 

 MORE by the Great Balkini

January 2009 passed with two rides and just 10 in December. Maine and NH winters are nationally recognized for extreme conditions, but here on the seacoast we get far less snow and our temperatures are far more moderate than the frigid brush with which the region gets painted.

This winter’s weather has followed that pattern, but not enough to notice. Snow and extreme cold keep all but the desperately compelled riders off their bikes. It’s minus nine degrees this morning, so it may seem odd to write about the joys of cold weather rides. Perhaps this is my way of singing the blues. Something’s gotta feel good.

What feels good, as I recall, is a ride in the 30’s under bright sun when it’s a crying shame to waste dry roads. Riding in those or even colder conditions is no more bone chilling than cross country skiing or pond hockey. If keeping warm is of paramount importance a properly dressed cyclist is as warm as any outdoor athlete.

Warm Gear Beats Frigid Air

Recreational road bike riding is the fastest growing segment in the market. Road biking offers a menu of benefits and something to please everyone. But when it’s this cold, recreational riding is off the radar -- or is it?

Sane people jump in the ocean in the winter and not only survive, but come back for more. On scorching summer days it’s not much better. Beachgoers at the boiling point are seen taking frenetic, headlong leaps into the frigid Atlantic and exiting faster. Frigid, by definition, is when Long Sands in York, Maine is crowded and yet over the mile of beach, there’s nobody in the water.

My point is – it’s easier to stay warm on a bike on a cold day than it is in the frigid Atlantic in summer – if you have the tools. Staying warm is science. We live in an age of technical clothing and none is more suited to its specific purpose than cold weather bicycle regalia. It works much the same as wetsuits worn by those Long Sands surfers who frolic where the half-naked swimmers fear to tread water. Surfers would not be caught dead without their warm weather gear – literally.

A winter ride, I admit, can be eerie. You’re cycling in a frozen world, but only the slightest hint of chill penetrates the layers. Wind chill, we Yankees know, can be a killer. One can die in these parts, just standing around. Riding, however, is a relatively aerodynamic activity. Cycling makes you a moving target, sparing the rider the full effect of the frigid air. With a tailwind, the safely-dressed rider becomes a bubble boy or girl, isolated from the outdoors, generating more than the needed temp to ride on.

Winter riding is a time to do less and run on cruise control. Shorter and slower rides are comfort food for the psyche.

My time limit is 60 minutes with 90 minutes a possibility if it’s sunny, over 40 degrees, and not late afternoon when the sun can be blinding. Anything below 25F generally sees me looking for something else to do.

Almost always I get off the bike before I want to -- and that’s a good thing. I could go on, but I shouldn’t. I ride loops that see me no further than 15 minutes from home at any time. It beats the gym by miles.

Winter riding is not at all boring. My route rolls by salt water marshes with breathtaking vistas of the open ocean. There are only a couple of mercifully short climbs where accelerating up and over still feels good.

But it’s not all fun. With snow comes sand and road salt that remains until the pounding rains of spring. Here’s where it gets dicey. You really need to have a "beater" backup bike for winter riding. If not, you will have one soon enough. Sand in the gears is, well, enough said. Use your secondary bike, but use it often. Thanks to Arctic-rated outfits, bicycles are not just for summer any more.

© 2009 by David Balkin. All rights reserved.

LINK: The official David Balkin web site