First winter riding!

Woke up excited about the prospect of snow and riding in the snow. Turns out I was a bit ahead of myself as it was really much more like rain, but my mind was already turning and I wanted to ride. Off down my 20 mile TT "loop" I went with plans to ride the first 14 miles or so and then head into the city for lunch before work. It felt great to be riding in such crappy conditions and I ended up riding a bit more than planned. The ride home was even better- the temperatures had dropped and the road had dried, sure is desolate out there at 2 am and more so the "worse" the weather gets.


Had another idea today about why I like riding so much... the freedom. When you are a kid you love your bike but in the back of your mind is turning 16 and getting a car. It's sort of the american dream to get the car and the freedom that goes with it (I remember a rhetoric class I took where we listed all the things "the car" allows you the freedom to do--- from skip school to a place of your own for sex). However, the car never really provides that freedom. With cars you are hassled by the cops when you do anything fun and you have to feed them gas. The combination means that driving becomes a chore and just one more reason you are bound to stay plugged in to the matrix. This is a sad realization for me- I really love fun cars and driving and I'm sure I always will, but I think this is true. There is so much more legal (mostly) fun to be had on a bike and all you have to do is eat, something I already do a lot of, to fuel it. Not only that, but the more you ride the more freedom you get. Your motor gets bigger and bigger and all the sudden you can ride to the cities if you want to and truly be free. You can leave Rochester in a rain with a 30 mph headwind at noon and cross the river into St. Paul at sunset with a 4 pack of Surly's on your rack and a tear in your eye.