Late yesterday afternoon, riding in darkness, with lights, just after 5 p.m., I felt the season’s first snowflakes on my face.
They were just flurries falling in Lititz as I pedaled home, but enough so that - at least for a moment - I saw flakes blowing on the road.
Winter, my calendar says, does not officially begin until Dec. 21. But, I know it is already here.
This morning, the temperature hovered just below 23 degrees, 10 degrees below normal. I rode with a balaclava for the first time this season. When I can see my breath in the afternoon, I know it is winter.
And, just because it is winter that doesn’t mean that you have to stop riding. Chicago Tribune columnist Julie Deardorff this morning has a primer on winter riding. She has tips on what to wear to keep out the cold, bike maintenance and lighting for city riding.
Deardorff’s column also includes a link to Chicago Bike Winter, a group that encourages riding year-round in the windy city.
