This is a shameless attempt to save the the most advanced civilization in
history from imminent self destruction by eliminating carbon emission,
dependence on foreign sources of fuel,obesity, hypertension and diabetes.
Cycling accomplishes all those things at once and helps us develop a better
understanding of ourselves, each other and our relationship to the cosmos.

Oh, horse puckey!
I like to ride bikes, have been doing it all my life.
The rest of that crap is just a fringe benefit,
and the blogosphere gives me a chance to share my interior
monologue with virtual rather than imaginary friends.

Saturday, December 17, 2022

Let's get to work

      It seems winter has finally arrived in Michigan after the faux fall temps have teased us the past few weeks.  That's the way it goes around here, early snow storm followed by a meltdown, but now the real thing is coming and the temps promise to be in the 20's for the next week, or whenever.  It brings up the issue of dressing for the weather.  The normal mode of dress for this climate is an insulated jacket with a waterproof finish, basically a ski parka.  That's what everybody grabs to go out the door.  

     Using my bike for daily transportation, I'm no different.  I do wear a wool base layer on my legs (longjohns!) but other than that I dress normally.  That seems to be a controversy among cyclists thinking of practical cycling.  In any weather people seem to think they are obligated to wear special clothes to ride a bike.  I asked the bike, it didn't care.  It doesn't seem to matter to anybody I meet either. People seem to think you have to "layer up" to be active in the cold when actually the opposite is true.  The real challenge is to keep from over dressing.
     When I get to my occasional job as a pretend teacher (substitute) I'm dressed like anybody else.  On the cold days one of the kids will always ask; "Weren't you freezing?"  I say; "No, I worked up a bit of a sweat on the way, did you?"  "No" they say.  "I guess I was warmer."  That's the way things work, walking out to the house in bad weather I curse myself a bit, but after a couple of blocks on the bike I'm pulling off the hood, unzipping the parka and trying to cool off.

4 comments:

  1. Off-topic to this post, but i wanted you to know that the Norton anti-virus on my other laptop is blocking your site as a 'phishing threat.' Don't know why that should be.

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    1. That is an interesting thing to know, thanks, I'll look into it.

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  2. Since I work from home and escape for a ride after 5pm, I wear as much as I can! I suffer from cold extremities and no amount of fast pedaling seems to work. On occasion, though I may unzip the down parka, but just a bit. ;)

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    1. Yeah, the clothes will trap in the heat, sometimes it's good, sometimes exhausting.

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