Month: January 2013

Most days I would say winter biking is a safe venture, however yesterday was brutal. Along with having to negotiate snow piled up from previous storms yet to be cleared I rode through flurries to get to the Brian Kilrea Arena. I learned lots.

Here are a few things I discovered:
• Should have packed goggles.
• If it’s snowing, flashing lights front and back are a VERY good idea even in the middle of the day.
• Clothing with retro reflective bling is a good idea too.
• Most people these days think you are nuts to cycle in such conditions.
• I was forced to go down roads I would avoid in the summer, like the length of Bank Street between the canal and the Billings Bridge.
• I had to take the lane on many occasions – no choice. Fortunately every driver I encountered was good about it.
• Sometimes along extended stretches of road when I am taking the lane I’m OK with pulling over to let a line of cars pass, as I did somewhere of Kilborn. Within reason. Analogous to a tractor hauling huge bales of hay along a country road who sometimes pulls over for the same reason.
• It helps to be a bit familiar with which streets are slightly more travelled than others and, subsequently, are more likely to be cleared. Like Holmwood in the Glebe (cleared) vs 5th Avenue (not cleared, and impossible to ride down).

Now, why even try to bike in such conditions? Apart from actually wanting to for various reasons (health, environment, etc), folks who don’t have a choice, like those who forego owning a car and still have to commute, need to be able to ride through anything a car can. Here’s hoping these observations help. We have a ways to go.

This morning it was smooth sailing.

Back in October I blogged a bit about the abandoned ski hill up at the Carlington Heights Reservoir. A friend mentioned he toboganned there with his kids so I decided to go check it out early this morning. Blue line is how I got there, orange is how I got back. Red is where I had to get off my bike and push.

It’s been awhile since I’ve gone for a ride at 6:30 am as I do in the summer. That’s because the combination of cold and darkness make my pillow simply irresistible. But this morning I gave it a shot. The thing that struck me the most as I saddled up was the dense hum of the morning city traffic, like that of a huge waterfall just a short ways off. Maybe it’s amplified by the wet roads, and perhaps in the summer it’s all muffled by the leaves on the trees.

I biked through the farm along the NCC Scenic Driveway like so.

On my way to the reservoir ski hill I happened upon another really steep toboggan hill at the top of Edgecliff Avenue.

To get to the very top of the reservoir I carried my bike up a steep incline and across a snowy plateau to be able to look out over the old ski hill like so. The toboggan run starts on the other side of the chain link fence.

Here is the top of the toboggan run. It’s pretty awesome, with built up snow jumps thrown in for good measure. It was so well used and packed that I managed to bike down the hill without sinking in.

Now THESE are one of the winter cyclists worst enemies – icy ruts on icy roads. They seem to thrive in the conditions we are experiencing, whereby accumulated packed snow turns to ice, and slightly warmer conditions allow the ruts to form. Even studded tires are defenceless against these suckers. Fortunately they are primarily found on side roads where there isn’t a lot of traffic. Best way to deal with these is to go nice and slow.