No Riding Like Snow Riding

Snow riding is a popular topic amongst bloggers, lately. Noah, Apertome and Jill (of course) and many others have posted about it within the past couple of days.

Everyone agrees that riding in the snow is special. Fun. Inspiring, even.

One thing nobody ever mentions, and maybe I'm just a sissy, but snow riding kicks my ass! It is somewhere in the range of twice as much perceived effort, when I compare it to riding on bare pavement.

Maybe it is the cold, combined with the snowy surface, but my legs are pretty wiped out, and it's only Wednesday. Of course, a couple of afternoons of sun and warmer temperatures have altered the road surface on my commute. It is no longer just a "snow" ride.

The road surface varies from sugary snow, to packed snow, ice, bare pavement and something that resemble a Coke Slurpee or a rootbeer float spilled all over the street (sometimes all of the above within the space of a city block). Adjusting to the varying conditions, even with the studded tires, takes a lot of concentration and causes me to tense up a bit. That probably adds to the fatigue induced by the ride.

But, I still can't imagine getting in the car and driving to work.

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