Question from the Readers

How are you getting through the winter?

As for how I'm getting through the winter in general w/ respect to cycling...

I was just ruminating about this yesterday! I can't believe how crazy we were as juniors, willing to go ride five hours in the snow no problem. Now if it's below 60F I have to play mind games to force myself out there!

I live in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and winters here are quite unpleasant for the cyclist - they're cold, grey, windy, and there's often freezing rain instead of snow. We get almost no sun and the cycling community here is almost non-existent to begin with in comparison to a place like Southern California, where the Montrose Ride attracts hundreds of participants every Saturday. Credit though to the local ACA for organizing an ongoing series of local races for almost four decades.

When I was racing full-time I always went somewhere warm during the winter - two years in a row I lived in Uruguay, which was "the bomb," as they used to say, and then my last two years (05, 06) I lived in Altadena, California.

So to survive from now til late-January, when I'm either going to be reborn or ... I don't want to think what the other option is ... I'd like to get an MTB and try to rediscover my love of the trails. I hope to go back to working out in a gym, snowboarding at least once per week and, like others, staying active online in the virtual cycling world, writing about cycling topics, supporting the anti-doping movement, testifying when necessary, and definitely trying to stay in positive spirits.

I notice more now the importance of community, and that's why websites like cyclingtorrents.nl are great - they foster a shared sense of commonality and inclusion amongst people who enjoy an esoteric sport that's not well-supported in certain parts of the world (especially where I reside!).

I do have a standing invite to travel to the San Diego area that I still hope to take advantage of. I'd like to see Moab and the Slick Rock (I've never been), too. For now I'd settle for just getting over being sick!

Bike Weight Marketing BS

Just saw this polished-turd marketing-speak on the Giant Bicycles website. How difficult would it really have been to say, "This bike in size medium weighs 24.8lbs in factory-configuration"? Instead, we get this crap:

"How much does this bike weigh? It’s a common question, and rightly so. But the truth is, there are no industry standards for claiming bike weights—and this leads to a lot of misinformation. Variances exist based on size, frame material, finish and hardware. And as bikes get lighter, these differences become more critical. At Giant, we believe the only way to truly know the weight of any particular bike is to find out for yourself at your local retailer."

Please. Gag me with a raw fork.

At least the bike looks cool, though.