Originally Posted by
rumrunn6
did you ride as much as you intended? I did not.
I also didn't get a blizzard ride in. we have all of March
so maybe I will get lucky, but so far this winter has been a snowy bust in our areaI would really enjoy some rock hard dirt with about 2" of fresh powdery snow during a dry storm. then get done in time to watch all the roads close, light a fire & have a wine on my 1 day off a week ... is that too much to ask? 
Spoken like a true Winter Velominatus, @rumrunn6, and it’s not been too cold either.
Originally Posted by Velominati
Rule # 9: If you are out riding in bad weather, it means you are a badass. Period.Fair-weather riding is a luxury reserved for Sunday afternoons and wide boulevards.
Those who ride in foul weather – be it cold, wet, or inordinately hot – are members of a special club of riders who, on the morning of a big ride, pull back the curtain to check the weather and, upon seeing rain falling from the skies, allow a wry smile to spread across their face.
This is a rider who loves the work.
and I can feel winter slipping away as we approach March.As I previously posted:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
what are your favorite conditions?
...Nice descriptions @rumrunn6. 2019 is for me a re-building year after a bad 2018 (link), so since January I've been trying to ride, on abbreviated commuter routes using Commuter Rail. As I have frequently posted:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
I have previously posted to this thread,
”Why didn’t I ride”
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
My job; either too much to do, so I stay (comfortably) overnight and resume very early in the AM, missing my commute; or have to travel afar for a meeting….
And to a lesser extent, family activities. …
You’re certainly right about this being a friendly winter for riding. During the single-digit, last week of January, I was (fortunately) stymied by attending a week-long conference in Boston.
At such conferences I usually offer to take visitors on an evening walking tour in downtown, but no takers.
This February though, I posted to this thread:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
Getting serious about getting into shape
…Just prior to reading this thread, I posted to the Winter Cycling Forum: Fitness is my prime motivator for winter commuting, as my only tenable activity, though indeed just last week I looked at indoor trainers, to keep at work, but time and disinterest in indoor riding is still a limitation.
Sufficient outdoor riding prepares me for the Spring (link) and builds up tolerance for the cold in general.
Anyways, apropos of the title of this thread, one of the best motivators I experienced was in 2016:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
What is your average miles per week (or hours) for us old guys...
…Just this week [in 2016], I was presented with a golden motivation to achieve my optimal mileage. The organization I work for is promoting an “Activity Challenge,” for teams of five members to track their physical activity: type, intensity and duration, from March 6 to June 6, and points are assigned.
Two of my co-workers are on an opposing team. Results will be posted weekly.
This February, another facility that I work at has set up a much less "stringent" Winter Challenge for February.
So far this February as of Feb 8, I have no miles due to work and family activites, but despite temperatures of about 32 °F. with a wind advisory, I’m planning a nine-mile ride from my workplace this Saturday to home (but I can drop out along the route and take a bus. 
)
So later this February, nearly totally inspired by the challenge, I did three, ten to 14 mile rides in the 30's ͦ F
, eschewing a confortable train ride directly home.
In particular though, I rode about 4 miles this morning (2/27) at 13 ͦ F without discomfort. On my ride, I noted these two seemingly February-specific phenomena that I might consider harbingers of Spring:
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
…this morning [2/5/18, and 7:30 AM, 2/27/19] at about 7:30 to 7:45 AM on my southbound commute, the bright, low-lying Winter morning sun was directly at the level of my left hand rearview mirror, and the sun glare made it difficult to get a fix on that mirror.
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
+10 to overcast, especially in the AM, or PM around sunrise / sunset with the sun directly at about eye level. It seems that sometime in early February though, I start to notice some welcome radiant heat from the sun.
These rides, though in the Winter, might seem trivial, but I am riding a heavy hybrid bike after a long (months) layoff from my usual riding schedule.
Last edited by Jim from Boston; 02-28-19 at 06:46 AM.