Lamenting Bicycle
I am going through bicycling withdrawl. Though the weather is markedly mild for late November in Edmonton, it's still pretty chilly and the paths and roadways are all glazed with a film of ice. If I truly wanted to be hardcore, I'd still be sitting in my saddle beaneath multiple layers - as many hardy folks do and I tip my hat to them - but I just don't enjoy riding as much in these conditions. Cycling in -40c with blowing snow seems a bit too masochistic even for me! Alas, my cycling is relegated to the pages of various magazines that I leaf through on the bog, and the stationary bike at the gym.
I don't do winter well. Those of you who have never spent a winter in Canada (and British Columbia doesn't count), you truly have no idea. As I enter my 41st year next month, I still grapple with living in a climate that can hit +40C in the summer and -60C in the winter. I've tried to find an outdoor passion, but, when the mercury dips too low or there's no snow, things like XC skiing and snowshoeing simply don't seem reasonable. I'm a wimp - I admit it. Sure, there's a lot of indoor activities one might pursue. I do a lot of indoor rock climbing, go to the gym, etc., but I am not an indoor creature.
In the end, I think I'm definitely cut out for a more temperate climate. While I wilt in the heat, I love that feeling... to a degree... up until the nausea and dizziness fell me like a large conifer... But that being said, the Canadian outdoors is amazing, so I suppose that's what keeps me here - living for those 4-5 blissful months when produce is cheap and the trails beckon me lightly layered!
Still, if you are reading this in a warmer climate, enjoy... but I'm jealous.
I am going through bicycling withdrawl. Though the weather is markedly mild for late November in Edmonton, it's still pretty chilly and the paths and roadways are all glazed with a film of ice. If I truly wanted to be hardcore, I'd still be sitting in my saddle beaneath multiple layers - as many hardy folks do and I tip my hat to them - but I just don't enjoy riding as much in these conditions. Cycling in -40c with blowing snow seems a bit too masochistic even for me! Alas, my cycling is relegated to the pages of various magazines that I leaf through on the bog, and the stationary bike at the gym.
I don't do winter well. Those of you who have never spent a winter in Canada (and British Columbia doesn't count), you truly have no idea. As I enter my 41st year next month, I still grapple with living in a climate that can hit +40C in the summer and -60C in the winter. I've tried to find an outdoor passion, but, when the mercury dips too low or there's no snow, things like XC skiing and snowshoeing simply don't seem reasonable. I'm a wimp - I admit it. Sure, there's a lot of indoor activities one might pursue. I do a lot of indoor rock climbing, go to the gym, etc., but I am not an indoor creature.
In the end, I think I'm definitely cut out for a more temperate climate. While I wilt in the heat, I love that feeling... to a degree... up until the nausea and dizziness fell me like a large conifer... But that being said, the Canadian outdoors is amazing, so I suppose that's what keeps me here - living for those 4-5 blissful months when produce is cheap and the trails beckon me lightly layered!
Still, if you are reading this in a warmer climate, enjoy... but I'm jealous.
posted by Ed Meers @ 11/28/2009 05:33:00 p.m.
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