The Bleak Mid Winter

I have a friend who used to cycle in NYC. “You can definitely ride in the Winter in New York,” he says. “The trouble is, it’s just not much fun.”

Through the holidays, through travel to warmer climates, through sheer determination (and doggedly tweaking my attire), I have pushed the limits of my denial about riding in the Winter, but now we’re really in it. We don’t just have cold and darkness. We also have snow. And ice. The jig is up.  Am I going to ride?

I look at the street. It does not look inviting. 

I don’t feel prepared to ride on ice or slush; I’ve never done it before. My fear once again, is doing a number on my confidence. I can feel its voice getting louder. If I don’t take action, it will win and I’ll spend the rest of the Winter indoors in a rotten mood - and miss some potentially great rides. Meanwhile, I look around and see other intrepid cyclists getting out there.

As a matter of fact, just the other day I came across a fellow in Riverside Park on a road bike. His tires had zero tread. He was riding on packed snow (pretty close to ice), going slowly. Sometimes he had to paddle, or dismount, but mostly he rode. And he made it to the Hudson River Greenway – which was plowed. Well, why can’t I do that?

Janet (my road bike) didn’t sell, and to be honest my heart wasn’t in it. She’s a great ride and the things I loved about her - especially her hydraulic disk brakes - I still love. So a month ago, I had her outfitted with winter tires and fenders hoping I might use her as an all-weather bike. And today’s as good as any to try her out.

We carefully make our way towards 7th Avenue.

I have more traction than I expected, and the bike lane is pretty clear as we head towards the River.

The path at the Greenway isn't perfect.

But it gets better and Janet is steady.

There’s no wind, my extremities and core are toasty. Hooray! A Winter ride - I think I can do this!

The horizon is beautiful, dark and moody.

The few cyclists I see are wearing balaclavas like mine.

Ah, the balaclava. Accessory of bank robbers and cyclists alike. I love my balaclava. It’s a big improvement over the little cap I had and it really protects the face. And just as I’m feeling completely self-satisfied with my new purchase, I stop to blow my nose – and find the one disadvantage of wearing a balaclava. Ewww? I think I’m going to have to work on my technique.

Ah well, it’s washable.

The path to the Lower Promenade is plowed, but the through path isn’t. If I want to make it to the tennis courts, I'll have to retrace my steps, back to the Greenway. There’s some hairy navigating (nothing I haven't seen before but a little scarier downhill).

But the more I do it, the more confident I become. I gradually learn when to paddle, when to dismount, when to just muddle through. And Janet’s brakes and tires perform phenomenally. This was a great decision.

I love going to new places – it’s one of the best things about riding. But no matter where you ride, eventually you know all the paths. And that’s what’s great about riding in New York because not only do we have real seasons which change everything; we also have a constantly shifting landscape of people - and they’re always up to something. Like these kids:

They could easily pummel me with snow, but I am such low-hanging fruit it’s not much of a challenge for them, and they continue to focus on each other.

And then I come upon this. It’s so unlikely, I almost do a double take. Can you see it?

However depressing the Winter season must be for cyclists, for fly fisherpeople it’s got to be hell. In fact, in what season is New York ever a fly fishing town? I’m thinking she must be headed for the Caribbean. And snow is just powdered water after all – as good a place to practice as any. This lady seems determined to be ready.

Up the Promenade we go. The path is clear until we approach the tennis courts.

Where, using my newly-developed muddling through technique, I make two discoveries:

1. No one is playing today – this wasn’t such a surprise (though I wonder whose footprints those are?).

2. My battery-heated insoles conked out somewhere back on the Lower Promenade; my feet are freezing. WTF? I only just got these. I try moving my toes, but with my damaged capillaries everything’s numb; it’s hard to tell if they’re moving at all. Well, there’s nothing to be done. It’s a long ride home but I’ll just have to do it. I’m glad I didn’t find this out on one of the 5BBC “Frost-bite series” rides. Those rides can be far from home, and I’d hate to live the title.

When I get back, I do a search for customer reviews of this product. The news is not good: everyone has had the same experience as I did (and many have worse). Looks like I’ll be going back to those clumsy socks. But they’re reliable and they do work.

Meanwhile, I warm up my toes (no damage) and bask in the glow of a good ride. An exercise bike doesn't come close to giving me this. The breathing isn't the same - and  it doesn't take me anywhere.

So. Was my friend right about Winter riding? At the moment, we’re headed for more snow and a real deep freeze, and I can certainly see his point. But as for me, as long as I'm properly dressed, I think I can actually have a pretty good time in the Winter. I may not ride as often as I’d like - and I certainly won't ride as fast - but I’ll keep riding.