Papa Tom

OK, no need to fool myself any longer that I'm going to salvage this year's biking season with a bunch of mid-to-late November rides. The weather here on Long Island is dipping too far below my comfort level now and I just don't have it in me this year to bundle up and hit the roads or the trails anymore.

Perhaps next year, when I am settled in my new job and it hits me that I am pushing 50, I will be inspired to get back in shape and do a multi-day ride or two, like the old days (2-3 years ago).

For now, though, I wish you all some great winter rides, and I will be back to chat in the spring!

v70cat

It is supposed to warm-up latter this week.

However it might be a good time set-up the trainer for days like today.

ct-vt-trekker

Looks like September weather is back for the next few days here in Southern CT. Should be over 60 degrees the next 3 days. Get the riding in while this weather is around. Most likeley it won't be this warm again until April.

Oramas

I am looking forward to squeezing in a nice ride tomorrow, seems as though it will be in the 60's!!!

v70cat

I am riding to Nyack today, get your bikes out and warm-up the engine.

zacster

I'm planning to at least cross the GWB, maybe to Piermont. Nyack is 70rt, Piermont 65. That's a stretch considering how little I've been on the bike the last 2 months. Is River Rd (Palisades Pkwy) still open?

v70cat

Yer 9w & River Road is open a very pretty with the fall leaves.

zacster

I should've stayed home. I only made it to 1st & 57th when a grate swallowed my wheel. I have 13 stitches on my lip now. My tooth went all the way through.

I guess I'm bringing the bikes down to the basement now.

datlas 

Too bad for you.

We had an epic club ride yesterday. Starting temp was a cool 40 but by the end it was 60ish and very springlike.

If you prefer to ride in the basement so be it, but I suggest your get some cool/cold riding gear and ride whenever roads are free from ice. Indoor training is torture IMO.

v70cat

Hope you are feeling better today. I once was carrying some purchases in a plastic bag hung on my handle bars, the bag jammed between the fork and wheel I went flying over the bars.

Kneecop

Oh man - weather on LI was perfect this weekend!

Terex

Kids these days...

tomg

PT:
Most of my bikes are kept in the garage, all year. This is an option for quick access!

I went on a 9 mile ride today in shorts. It was sunny 65 deg F, there are bugs flying around, and light breeze. This is in NJ!

If it gets cold this year, i'll use moutain bike in local trails, dress appropriately.

I was working out in my garage this afternoon and one of my riding friends stopped over after he rode, we talked about future rides this year.

You are as old as you feel.....I am going on age 51, my friend (ex-triathlete) is age 79.

Don't "push" years, pedal miles!

tomg

zacster

I'm 55 and these little accidents are happening with regularity. I count myself lucky so far and I don't want my luck to run out.

I'm very achy from yesterday's fall, and having stitches on your lip isn't pretty. It's ruining my good looks. The only good thing to come out of yesterday's fall was the oral surgeon. She was drop dead gorgeous. Tall, thin, blond, had an eastern European accent. And to top that off, she starts telling me about the new bike she is buying to do triathalons. You would stop in your tracks if you saw her in the streets.

brianogilvie 

It was gorgeous here in western Massachusetts yesterday--temperature in the low 60s, light wind, lots of sun (until it set sometime soon after 4 p.m....). My wife and I did a 14-mile ride up to a lunch spot, with a 16-mile return trip. That might be the last time I go out for a ride wearing shorts this fall, but I just got my carbide-studded snow tires from Peter White, so I'm hoping to keep going year-round this winter.

AdamDZ

Sorry to hear that Riding in cold weather isn't all that bad. I'm 44 and this will be my second year and second Winter of riding to work every day regardless of the weather and I'm going to catch every opportunity to squeeze in weekend rides as well.

AdamDZ

I just remembered this saying: "If it's not too cold for skiing, it's not too cold for cycling"

v70cat

Looks like the weather on Saturday will be nice.

dendawg

Rode (actually walked the bike) across the Henry Hudson Bridge to Riverdale for the first time yesterday. While it was breezy it was actually nice riding weather. Cooler today but I may still go out and do some laps in CP

qmsdc15

Papa Tom does not like to ride and is grasping for a single excuse that will last a season.

Cyclists know our sport is not a seasonal pursuit. Tom is not a cyclist so he thinks he can put his bikes in the basement and be done with it. I doubt he has rollers or even a trainer set up in his basement.

Tom, sell your bikes.

dmac49

GADDS ! My rides would freak out if they even thought they were destined for the (yukk) basement. I'm in my 60's and finally figured out what winter riding clothes are for Too many nice days in the cool months to put bikes up.

Papa Tom

Thanks for all the responses...especially the funny ones and the ones that made me wonder "this guy's kidding, right?" My favorite line so far was "If you prefer to ride in the basement, so be it."

Anyway, no, I am not a cyclist. I'm just a guy who has been riding a bicycle all my life for fun and ecology/economy-friendly transportation. Of course there have been many days since my original post that I regretted having "put the bike away," but I find that once my head gets into winter mode, I'm done riding, no matter how warm it gets.

Again, thanks for all the encouragement (and the berating, when done with good intentions). Enjoy your rides, everyone.

qmsdc15

Sorry for the berating. It was done with good intentions, I guess. I understand you weren't riding much before you put the bike into winter storage anyway... but your mood could change, you might find the time...

Short rides are OK, it doesn't have to be a multi-day tour! Sunny days with dry roads happen year round.

I like the skiing analogy. Nobody has suggested it in this thread but some people down here in the south (mid-atlantic) think exercise in cold air is not particularly healthy but cross-country skiers do it, below 0ºF for example, and they tend to be very healthy people.

Around here the weather in the summer is often worse for riding (hot, humid, poor air quality) than a typical January day. When the roads are icy or snow covered, I'd prefer not to ride, but the roads are often dry. Sometimes it's not even cold! There are days in the middle of winter when I ride in shorts.

I know it's colder up your way, but I'd still encourage you not to bury your bike behind a bunch of other stuff. You never know when you'll get the urge to go out for a spin. Sometimes a good ride does a lot for mental as well as physical health.

Winter can be sort of depressing with the short days, commuting in darkness. Get out when it's sunny, whether on foot, or a bike, or skis. Especially on skis. I hope we get a ton of snow again like last year!

dmac49

Ahh but you are a true cyclist. And I might add one that can take the abuse I too hail from NY abet upstate so I feel your pain. It's just nice to see someone else out there suffering too

Papa Tom

>>>I just remembered this saying: "If it's not too cold for skiing, it's not too cold for cycling" <<<<

One last comment: I definitely do not hibernate all winter just because my bike is put away. Typically, I take a 2-mile walk around my town every night after dark. I particularly enjoy this walk right after a hefty snowstorm. Plus, I also walk to meetings of the many civic and business groups in which I am involved.

I think my distaste for cycling in the winter comes from having all that contact with cold metal. It's not like skiing in that, for me, I don't feel comfortable riding when I'm all wrapped up in thermal undies and a puffy down jacket. I also don't like riding with a full-face mask, as it screws up my visibility. I guess I'm just a wimp.