Cycling in Winter

December 22nd is WINTER! Okay, so I'm a little excited that I could beat my previous outdoor cycling record of Dec. 1. Anyone who rides through the winter might laugh at me, but I think your nuts. It's not the cold, it's the slippery. Once traction gets dodgy, I put my bike on the trainer and ride inside.

I remember that my Dec. 1 personal best was in Calgary. There were most certainly ski goggles involved.

Today I rode hills in High Park. It was a beautiful day, and the workout made me feel better (which is huge). I'll be honest, there was no manning up involved at all. I didn't even have to wear a toque. So warm.

I did have one cold ride a few weeks ago (-3 C or -4 C). I made it an hour until my hands got to cold. I digress.

Speaking of cycling, I had a unique experience a while ago as I was getting back into riding. It was as if I was seeing riding in Toronto through the eyes of a newbie cyclist. I've heard people say numerous times that they don't know how cyclists do it, and Toronto is too busy and crazy for them. I always just chuckled. They I had to get comfortable riding again when I was no longer super confident on a bike, no longer pretty balanced (it's not like there's mountains) and ready to slam on the breaks if I needed too. After surgery, my balance was too screwed to ride a bike from months.

High Park was my choice for a ride back. I can ride to it in 5 minutes on a wide, quite street. The park is quiet and beautiful, and there is a one way bike lane throughout most of it. Perfect. I was pretty slow, pretty cautious, and really just making sure my balance was good enough to be riding. I see what the newbies are talking about. Some asshole taxi (etc.) trying to something stupid to knock you off your bike about every 5 minutes in Toronto. Usually I find that something between an annoyance and game (not counting the really scary stuff of course). It certainly didn't help that just as I finally was getting comfortable, a suicidal squirrel made me wondered how there are still so many of them. Cute, but F they are stupid.

Since that first ride back in Toronto, I`ve quickly turned back into....me. I`ve been on loads of rides since then. Ohdearglobalwarming, but wow, it`s Christmas and I`m still riding.

ps. Can anyone tell me why runners think the bike lane in High Park is fair game for them now? I run in High Park and I`ve never noticed any issues with the sidewalks. I don`t get it.