Bike Commuting in the Cold: It’s Not as Crazy as You Think

I hear this a lot: "You didn't ride your bike to work today, did you?"

I'll admit there's a certain satisfaction with saying: "Yeah, it's a beautiful day."

Which most times is met with a predictable: "You're crazy."

But I'm not crazy.

That's basically what happened Friday afternoon when I showed up at the Results Radio studios for my shift on The Patrick Lalley Show on INFORMATION 1000 KSOO. When I left for work it was something around 32 degrees with a particularly unfriendly 30 mph northwest wind -- gusts to 40 -- beating down on The Best Little City in America.

And it was fine. In fact, I overdressed a bit.

Merino wool base layer on top and bottom; normal weight stretch poly cycling pants; two pairs of merino socks; cold-weather cycling shoes (not the big winter monsters that come out later); Flogging Molly concert T-shirt; Surly merino wool quarter-zip cycling sweater; my old trusty Cannondale cycling coat; a pair of lobster mittens; Smart Wool gaiter around the neck and face; thin Smart Wool skull cap; sweet urban cycling helmet without vents but with ear flaps and goggles.

See, no big deal.

It was a good dry run for what's coming. My toes were a little cold when I got to work but the rest of me was quite warm. In fact, I had to unzip the coat a bit. After about 5 minutes your body starts to heat up.

I was actually sweating as I pulled up to Results Radio HQ after my usual six-mile route.

Repeat on the way home.

I got my workout in. Didn't put any miles on my car. And got to answer the question the way I like.

"It's a beautiful day in The Best Little City in America."

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