Weather or Not...

There's no denying it, fall is here. The days are growing shorter, the nights are getting colder, and the threat of snow isn't that far off. It seems like if I want to avoid riding in the dark, I need to rush home and get out right away.

....Yes friends, the summer is over.

Fallen leaves gather in a puddle on Driftwood Lane

With this change of season, it seems the time for cycling is over for the year. The forums I frequent have less activity, the local auction sites aren't being updated, and I am seeing less and less cyclists on the road. I too have been considering getting my bikes packed up and stored in the basement until spring rears it's head.

I can't bring myself to do it.

In fact, I am enjoying cycling more right now than I have since I got back into it in March. Perhaps this is because I am in better shape, or maybe it's that I have grown used to the more aggressive riding position of my road bikes. While I am sure these things have a lot to do with it, I think that it mostly comes down to the weather itself.

Soaked to the bone after a recent Sunday ride

Instead of avoiding weather, I have been experiencing it, and it is both challenging and exciting. Just last week I was complaining to my wife that the rain, which had lasted for several days, was going to keep me from riding yet again. Instead of spending the evening lamenting what I was missing, I decided to get out in it and ended up having one of the most enjoyable rides in recent memory. With a decent rain jacket, some gloves and the wits to brake earlier than usual, I rode through the same streets I had this summer but saw them in a new setting. Even on good weather days, things seem somehow different with the expanded view from fallen leaves and a new colour palette. The crisp air feels rejuvenating and my legs don't seem to tire as fast as they do in warmer weather. The large full-moons of this time of year make night riding seem less intimidating, and the lack of foot traffic in the uptown makes riding there more enjoyable.  

It's only a little rain

 

I do intend to ride outside less as winter approaches, but not just yet. While I am clearing out a space in my basement for my indoor trainer, I'm also enjoying everything that this beautiful season brings with it.

I hope you are too.