The trainer; instrument of physical and mental torture to some, hated by many. Me? I’m OK with it.
According to Weather.com at today’s ride time it was 19˚ with a 12 mph wind out of the west which delivered a “feels like” temperature of 6˚. And that is not even adding in the wind chill of actually moving on the bike. So, where do you think I rode? Ah, yeah, BASEMENT!
As much as I wanted to be outside, there was no way I was road riding today and I couldn’t bring myself to drive 25 minutes to the trailhead, freeze my ass off and maybe ride by myself for an hour before I said “fuck it.”
Every winter I read post after post from hordes of cycling Facebook friends blathering on about how they refuse to ride the trainer, there’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothes, and all that look at what a “hard man (or woman) I am, I almost froze to death” type stuff. To them I say “Good for you, I hope you enjoyed yourself.” Well, that’s what I say at first, then I usually mutter something bitter and real mature like “fuck you, you want to freeze, go ahead and freeze.”
I’ve been on my fair share of cold ass rides. I’ve come back home with frozen fingers and toes, dealt with iced up bottles and snow packed derailleurs. You know what? It made me no tougher and no better… just miserable. For me, there are some days that the trainer is just worth it. All it takes is a plan of attack and some good music and you’ll do just fine. Today’s big bring, knee blaster was made better by rediscovering the ear-splitting heaviness of Helmet and the album Unsung: The best of Helmet 1991-1997.
With that said, riding in the snow and cold CAN be fun with the right gear and the right mind-set. I had neither of those prepared for today’s 6˚. However I am certain that I will be heading out tomorrow for some frozen digit riding. After all, I can’t let all my cycling buddies get the best of me or pass up the chance to give someone else the chance to say “fuck you, you want to freeze, go ahead and freeze” to me.
Time to go find all my layers and maybe order up some new lined bibs. If you rode out in that cold today I hope you had fun.