An Urban Boychick Takes on the Outdoors

Reproduced from  http://www.bikearlington.com/pages/news-events/blog/cold-weather-newbies/ Cold Weather Newbies January 27, 2016 Jesse, Grace and Jonathan all ride fairly often (or all the time) in the milder seasons—but had previously opted out of winter. Until this year! For those curious about winter riding, we chatted with these awesome newbies to see how their cold-weather biking is going. So why bike in the winter? Some people are baffled by the choice and others feel the answer is obvious. So why are the newbies biking through the winter? Grace has been in DC for eight years and digs the mild Decembers compared to those of her Michigan home, but still found winter weather reports keeping her off her bike last year—leaving her with a bit of FOMO. “I was disappointed with myself of how often I would Metro in, only to discover the weather was not that bad at all! I'd see the folks on bikes and wish I was one of them. “ For Jonathan, an office location change in th...

OK, so when I signed on for Freezing Saddles , Bike Arlington's friendly competition, I vowed I wouldn't get carried away. It was just a casual bit of encouragement to ride through the winter. I wasn't going to care about points, or standings, or anything. Right. I mean, yes, it is serving the intended purpose of being effective motivation to keep me riding through the winter. I've biked to work more frequently in January than in September. But I've also gone a little nuts. I mean, not so nuts that I went out riding during the blizzard, the way my neighbor SJC did. I saw him out schlepping along on his bike when I was out XC skiing on the W&OD trail w Gina (of course, we were skiing in a blizzard - but that's not important right now). But, yes I did go out riding the next day, even though it required me to carry my bike three blocks to get to a plowed trail (yes, in car-hating Arlington they plow the bike trails *before* the streets). For a brief mom...

My childhood coincided with the chaotic tail end of the 1960’s, a time when idealism had long since faded into the drug-fueled cynicism which would soon transform into the hedonism of the 70’s. Hippies and Yippies were much in the news, and not in a positive way. I remember as a child fearing that I would grow up to be a hippie as if it was a disease you would catch. I currently once again have a similar fear of becoming infected with a disease, except this time it’s bicycling. Regular readers of this blog (both of you!) know that I have a mixed relationship with cycling. Starting this past year I have been spending more time cycling and have been enjoying it – but I really despise the Lycra®-clad cult that cycling has become. This winter I decided to sign up for Freezing Saddles, a contest sponsored by the Washington Area Bicyclist Association to encourage people to keep riding through the winter. The contest runs from New Year’s to the spring solstice. About two hundred fift...