I’m not into proselytizing but winter road riding is hugely misunderstood. Sure winters are cold, but a constantly working body generates a lot of heat. Properly wrapped it retains most of it. Shoveling snow offers a perfect parallel. Working up a sweat is easy, making the cold incidental. With the bike it’s not the cold, but road conditions that make winter road riding virtually impossible for days or weeks on end.

Until now this "warmest" winter has also provided dry roads and it’s heartening to see I’m not the Lone Ranger. More than a few riders are taking advantage of weather conditions that skiers, for instance, find ideal. Also, bike riding is 90% mental and my determination to really enjoy winter riding makes it self-fulfilling. Mind over matter works most of the time.

X-treme Winter Antics
Caution: Don’t try this anywhere near your home or mine, even if it is legal.

On dry roads winter riding is like found money — never enough, but always a delight. Forget about distances, duration and average speed. It’s time to cash in on all those summer miles, do less work, and ride completely within yourself. Winter has become my season for playing games that aren’t possible any other time of year.

There’s a steep downhill on the way to Seapoint Beach with a yield sign at the bottom of the hill. Halfway down the hill it is possible to see the roadway clearly. That is decision time. When there is not so much as a parked car and I appear to be the only person on the planet -- I jump on it. That sends me sailing around the first bend at a speed even cars don’t do in winter, and then I am through the estuary, up the serpentine roadway and across a pristine salt marsh that glows a dozen shades of strawberry blonde in the yellow winter light.

And if that’s not spectacular enough, during the last of these downhill runs I came off the hill and startled a flock of maybe 75 grackles, that took off en masse and escorted me up and around the bend before veering sharply left and up and away.

I was blown away by their proximity and the instantaneous changes in formation -- like the Blue Angels on steroids. I, meanwhile, was on autopilot doing my own version of flying. It was over almost before I knew, and that’s a good thing, since the next turn was on me a bit sooner than expected.

Warm Reasons for Cold Rides

While you’re out there, check your form. The low angle of the winter sun paints a moving profile of your personal "motor" in action from every imaginable angle. Watching your shadow is a good time to reflect on your style. Quirks and jerky movements are easy to spot and fix. Stiff elbows and hunched shoulders afflict too many otherwise accomplished riders. If you look like Frankenstein on wheels, take a deep breath, bend your elbows a bit and relax.

Winter rides are also fun because they’re shorter. There’s no better feeling than getting a decent workout and knowing there is still a lot left in the tank. They may be shorter, but they are still tiring. That’s because better riding skills and more focus are necessary. On cold, dry roads anything can happen. Frost heaves can quickly turn rural tarmac into a shifting minefield. Frigid road beds and water run-off from snow melt, or even someone washing a car, can turn a shady black spot into a treacherous icy patch.

Remember, it’s no crime to repeat a loop and stay close to home. The enlightenment comes with getting to know a ride inside out. Momentum is a bike rider’s best friend. A thorough understanding of the terrain and riding with a plan makes the miles go easier and the rider more accomplished.

And again, average speed is irrelevant. Muscles need more time in cold weather to get warm before they are up to harder work. Days a little below freezing are as low as I willingly go, but temperatures in the single numbers on sunny days are not necessarily awful. Chemical foot warmers have everything to do with that. They’re to die for. In between a layer of light socks they keep feet truly toasty and, thankfully, heat rises. Warm feet make a body smile.

Finally, here are a couple of hazard alerts for early spring rides. Road sand and salt residue on rural roads doe not go away until after a few hard rains. There is not enough vehicular traffic to disperse it, and at any speed, this stuff acts like ice. Be alert for that silvery glint when riding downhill, and particularly while going around bends and into corners where it accumulates.

Also beware frost heaves. They can wreak havoc on rural road beds and in early spring they’re at their worst. The roads settle after a spell of warm weather, but early on there are very lumpy heaves that -- caught wrong --will destroy a wheel or worse. Winter riding is attractive, but not worth a summer in traction.

MORE cold weather biking tips