Winter riding in Vermont is difficult, but there are many advantages to taking on that challenge.
If I ride all winter long then when spring rolls round, as it always does, I am in better shape for longer rides. Last summer I was plagued by a sore right knee, but I went to a sports doctor who said that there is no structural damage. I am working with my physical therapist to build up strength during the winter so I can take longer rides next summer. I am also planning to take time off so I can ride more. Winter riding also gets me outside every day. It is one of the reasons I seldom get sick. Riding in the winter is an adventure, one that I can do right from my front door. I think skiing is wonderful but because we don’t have bus service to any of the mountains, skiers are dependent on motor vehicles. I know some people are reluctant to give up their car because they want to be able to ski or hike in the mountains. I can understand that. I am glad that my life circumstances enable me to get by without owning a car. Being able to ride through the winter is one reason I don’t need a car.
I enjoy the relative solitude of winter riding. Most days I ride the multi-use path along Riverside Avenue. When the weather is bad I don’t have to deal with so many pedestrians and other bike riders. I can ride across the Winooski Bridge on the sidewalk without encountering anyone. If I see another cyclist coming from the opposite direction I get off my bike and wait for them to pass. I hope there will be more room for bikes and pedestrians when the new bridge is built.
In the summer I often have to work on beautiful days. I feel an ache to get out on my bike, and frustration because I cannot. That doesn’t happen in the winter. Even sunny days don’t tempt me to go for a long ride. In the winter my riding is strictly utilitarian.
For those of us who like gear, riding through the winter is a great excuse for getting more stuff! Last year I bought a couple of pairs of winter riding boots. I have heated mittens and heated inner soles. Just last month I got a nice thin merino wool balaclava at the consignment area at Outdoor Gear Exchange. I also had some credit at Smart Wool and I bought my self a wool union suit. Very cozy! I have to remember that although I save money by not having a car and riding through the winter, I can easily spend that money and more on new gear.
As I get older, my hands are more vulnerable to cold. I don’t mind some discomfort but I guard against frost bite. I find it very satisfying to create strategies for hand warming on the coldest days. At the YMCA I can park my bike near the front vestibule. The biggest challenge is keeping my hands warm while unlocking my bike, turning on the lights and putting on my helmet. Even with glove liners my hands get cold. I go outside, turn on all the lights, unlock the bike and then bring the helmet inside. I turn on the helmet lights, put on the helmet and then warm my glove liners on the heater in the vestibule. I put on my gloves and head out to the bike. I mount up and leave with warm hands!
Every once in a while I do a winter ride that reminds me of how beautiful snow can be. If there is a light fall of snow in the late afternoon, with the waning light of day all around me, I appreciate that special quiet that riding in the snow brings me.
I enjoy the reputation for being tough that riding through the winter gives me. It comes up in conversation, every once in a while. As more and more people ride through the winter, it seems less and less impressive, but still there is a certain cache to being a year round rider.
Now that I am old, and slow, many people pass me during warm weather rides. I like to say to myself, “OK, you are faster than me but where were you in January?”
I also enjoy sharing stories about difficult winter rides. Many years ago I taught a class at a home daycare in Milton. Every Friday morning from September until December I rode my bike up Route 7 and back. During my final class, in the first week of December, it started to snow. I had a Surly Crosscheck. It did not have studded tires. It snowed during the entire ride back, which took about an hour. It was touch and go but I made it back without wiping out.
One March I rode out to Underhill. I was visiting another home daycare on Hillcrest Lane which is off of Poker Hill Road. Hillcrest is not salted in the winter and it was entirely ice. I had to walk my bike from Poker Hill Road all the way to the home daycare which was at the very end of the road. Later in the spring I encountered some serious mud on those same roads, but the pleasures of mud season riding are the topic of a different post!
(Editors note: it was the topic of this post!)
About the Author: Peter Burns is a long-time bike enthusiast, and one of the original year-round bike riders in the greater Burlington area. In addition to writing about walking and biking, Peter teaches a variety of bike workshops. He also works at a group home for people with psychiatric disabilities, teaches classes for the Vermont Humanities Council, teaches swimming at the Burlington YMCA, and is a regular host of Storytelling VT. You can contact Peter at [email protected].