I'll be honest - this winter sucked.
The weather was actually good through late December, but due to some major projects at work, I managed to not have a weekend during that entire time. No rides other than transportation, and no holidays for me this year.
After that, the snow started and the temperature took a major dump. I got a few decent rides in. In a short week or so, my usual winter training hills became impassable on my winter bike, so I stuck to transportation and commuting. I'd logged only 167 (outdoor) miles for all of January, and was losing fitness fast.
In early February, I succumbed and purchased a trainer. I actually used the trainer in my freezing cold basement. In the meantime, I kept riding for transportation and commutes, but was glad that I didn't have far to go. The snow kept coming (we got about 3x normal in February), the main streets became too narrow for normal traffic, and the side streets were no longer maintained. Groceries started to become a problem, as I usually use a bike trailer (no family car) and I couldn't get the darned thing in or out of the neighborhood due to the giant piles of ice and snow. I'm not sure that a car would have helped; I had a bunch of people calling in because their cars were stuck, plowed in, or wouldn't start.
Needless to say, it's amazing to be back riding outside - on clear but sandy roads. I'm generally a fan of snow, and winter - but this year, the weather exceeded the capabilities of our local snow crews, as well as my equipment. Next winter I'll be on a job in NC, and I'll probably start complaining about the lack of "real" winter!
