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| Revisiting the November mindset. |
How is November the most difficult time of year? I get blindsided by the darker evenings, forceful winds, and looming snow/ice. I am euphoric, riding in October's colorful embrace, then suddenly plunged into gloom. It's the dramatic shift that gets to me. I have eagerly accepted the Happy Light, boosted vitamin D, and walk during lunch breaks to soak up the only available weekday daylight. And yet, I feel unmoored.
Because I ride year-round, the cold doesn't bother me. I dress well, often boosted with chemical warmers. I welcome the studded tire life, headlights lighting a snow-lined bike path, the quiet, with a blanket of starlight. Sublime winter evenings.
It's the transition that's awkward.
Cycling is my happy place. In November, I have to pay particular attention to weather forecasts. Is it near freezing with precipitation imminent? Ugh, it's raining and 40F - how bad do I want to ride? Will the temperatures plummet when I'm out there in the darkness? Has it been howling, and should I be concerned with fallen tree limbs? After the snow begins to fall, I wonder whether both towns responsible for path maintenance have completed their plowing. And as a last resort, is it best to go for a walk?
Getting over the hump, shifting to less frequent outings and safer riding, is a process. I'll get there.
I get this exactly, Annie. I don't ride in the sort of winter conditions that you do, though I try not to be too easily defeated by the weather. But yes that transition is a process. I do miss being able to set off early and know I can do long rides and still get back in the light.
ReplyDeleteI feel much the same, though I don't have the kit to do full winter riding like you. I ride when I can and walk a lot instead.
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