every day this week as i've biked to the university, i've been wondering about when it really is too cold to bike. monday, as my out-of-shape body grunted my way home, was probably when i wondered the hardest. is it too cold when i see my breath? when the canals start freezing over? when it's -10 Celsius? when the roads are too slippery?
and every time i get on my bike, i put on my hat, i put on the wool mittens, have a scarf on, my coat's done up, and sometimes i even have my long johns on. after about a minute on my bike, i'm cold. it takes about 10 minutes before i'm relatively warm again (although sometimes my hands and feet stay cold longer).
and then i think of the alternative: being cold in the subway system (the metro). the newspaper has been reporting that the heating systems on the subway haven't been doing so well lately - and even the free hot chocolate near the end of the line isn't really a decent compensation.
so, i bike. it saves me money, takes about the same amount of time as the subway, gives me exercise, and i have a bit more control over how cold i am. and it makes me feel stubborn and dutch - and i don't mind having an excuse to whine every once in awhile :)
1 comment:
In my books, it's too cold to bike when you can see your breath. But it's also too warm if you need to wear shorts. And too painful if there's any hills.
I obviously don't bike a whole lot!
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