FINALLY! / January 22, 2023 by Erin Wade

This was the view as I prepped for a Sunday ride:

When I got up this morning I’d been surprised by the blanket of white that covered the landscape. The winters here in northern Illinois have been notable for decreased snowfall and fewer cold periods for some time now - a change in weather patterns that caused me to switch from cross country skiing to winter cycling nearly a decade ago - and this winter has been particularly recalcitrant (two days of recreationally useless “bomb cyclone” aside), with little snow and high temperatures hovering above freezing for most of January. If it seems odd to complain about a winter season that is too warm, I will admit that I’ve absolutely taken advantage of the additional riding opportunities the unusual temperatures have allowed. But still, as a year-round cyclist, one looks forward to actual winter riding.

All of which is why, when I looked out the window and saw the coating of white, what ran through my head was: FINALLY!

I did a quick check of the forecast and saw that, while I was looking at snow out my window then, the high temperature for the day promised to be at least 33°F. This meant my window for a real snowy ride was limited. I’d have to get out ahead of the warmer afternoon hours, and ideally ahead of the snow plows (I try not to share the road with them). So I geared up and headed out.

I took a route I call Rocks 8 - an eight mile loop, half of which is gravel. This would ensure that, at least half of the time I would be unlikely to share the road with much of anyone, much less a plow. It also had this benefit:

That’s the first section of gravel road, there in the picture. If you are looking at it and thinking that it’s hard to tell that it’s gravel, well that’s pretty much the entire point. A good snowfall has the delightful effect of smoothing over the rocky surface, making it much more pleasant to ride with my road-oriented Catrike Expedition. I pretty much only ride this route when the roads are covered in snow.

Because I got out early, the snow was still falling, and the temperature was still abo freezing, but not by a lot, which means that it sticks to pretty much everything…

But it all means that I get the opportunity to see roads that I don’t typically travel down any time of year…

And ever-so briefly leave my somewhat unique footprint in the ephemeral snow.

The Lightness of Spring; Plus a final-ish follow-up / March 7, 2021 by Erin Wade

As the temperature rises and the snow melts away, there is one key change in equipment that, for me, really heralds the imminent arrival of spring.

...And away it Goes / February 28, 2021 by Erin Wade

Just last week I was talking about how we have had the [snowiest winter I can remember in a long time here in Northern Illinois. But I knew then that the writing was on the wall - or more literally was on my iPhone’s weather app - warmer weather was coming. But I still didn’t expect what we actually got.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow... / February 21, 2021 by Erin Wade

We’ve continually had snow cover now since the first week of January. And a lot of it - inches worth at minimum and there are parts of my yard with drifts that are several feet deep.

What this means for cycling is that I’ve been doing it in a different landscape.

Investigations / February 14, 2021 by Erin Wade

A few weeks I wrote about an aborted ride due to my left brake seizing up on my trike. By my reckoning this is my eight year riding in the winter, and my fourth season riding recumbent trikes in the snow, and I have never had this issue before.

Drifting Away / January 31, 2021 by Erin Wade

Despite the fact that I’ve been riding in the snowy season for the better part of a decade, this season has been one of firsts for me in terms of winter riding experiences…

Choosing among Changing Surfaces / January 24, 2021 by Erin Wade

Over the past couple of weeks here at the top end of the Prairie State we’ve seen daytime temperatures range from nearly 40° F down to 15°, the latter with a windchill taking the “feels like” temp down to 1°.

This is par for the course here in Northern Illinois - ask anyone with any experience out in the windswept countryside about the weather and they’ll probably say something like “if you don’t like the weather, wait a minute: it’ll change.”

Mission Aborted / January 17, 2021 by Erin Wade

Last Sunday was a good day for a winter ride. It was overcast, and cold, but not too cold. I had an open window for riding in the early afternoon. Since the weather does not always cooperate for riding in the winter - I don’t mind the cold, but very slick icy roads and low visibility are issues for me - essentially I try to avoid any road conditions that makes me hard for cars to see or safely avoid - I geared up and headed out.

And it was glorious.

…Or at least, it was for the first quarter mile or so.

Real Winter / January 10, 2021 by Erin Wade

We’ve had an honest to goodness dose of real winter - snow plus cold - here in northern Illinois over the first full week or so of 2021. This should have been a boon for winter riding, but the opportunities have been less present than one would hope.

So - for me that means waiting and wishing. And not patiently.

Chubby Buttons / December 27, 2020 by Erin Wade

No - “Chubby Buttons” is *not* the name of a second-tier children’s birthday clown. At least not the Chubby Buttons I’m referring to, anyway.

It is also not a nickname you should ever give to your significant other. Or maybe it is - what do I know about your relationship? You do you!

Rather, Chubby Buttons is a Bluetooth remote control for your mobile device. What it does is fairly simple: It gives you buttons - big, chubby buttons, with clearly marked functions - to control the audio functions on your touchscreen device.

Winter Cycling - Gear and Preparation / November 1, 2020 by Erin Wade

As I mentioned last week, the temperatures are dropping here in the northern climes of the Midwest. We’ve actually been pretty fortunate here in northern Illinois, relatively speaking - we’ve had daytime temps in the mid-40° (F) range, with predictions of touching into the low 60’s as we sneak into the beginning of November. Meanwhile, across the Mississippi they’ve already seen snow and days below freezing.

Regardless of our relative fortune, rest assured, winter is coming. Given that last time I encouraged folks to give consideration to option of riding through the cold months, I figured it would only be fair to offer up some suggestions about *how* to manage the cold…

Jack Frost Doth Approach / October 25, 2020 by Erin Wade

The days are getting shorter, the wind is picking up on the prairie, and there is frequently moisure in the air. For an astonishing segment of the population here in the US what that means is that it’s time to put pumpkin spice in, well, everything.