Today marks the official start of Winter. On the eastern seaboard we have enjoyed one of the balmiest and warmest Autumns on record, great riding weather if you have a bike to ride and a body that is fit for it 🙁
However, just to remind us that Winter was just around the corner, one of the fearsome East Coast “lows” formed on the weekend and lashed the coast with high winds, torrential rain and flash flooding. Thanks heaps.
Unlike our colleagues in Europe and the North Americas, we are blessed with mild Winters that allow us to ride all year round, and what a delight that is. I lived in Canberra for over 20 years in total in 2 seaparte stints and, even the cold Winters of the nation’s capital didn’t deter me from riding. I well remember riding around to a friend’s place in the next suburb one night and returing with my beard encrusted with ice. When I got up in the morning, the cheery DJ on the radio blithely announced that the temeprature the night before had been minus 9 degrees. Sheesh, no wonder I was cold.
In my early riding days, Winter WAS a chore. Riding gear was rudimentary and wheezes like sticking half a Sydney Morning Herald down the front of your jacket to keep the wind and the cold out were commonplace. These days, riding through Winter really presents few difficulties. Riding gear is so good, thermal underwear is excellent, a silk balaclava, and Robert’s your father’s brother.
So, don’t mothball the bike because it’s getting cold. Ride through the Winter and enjoy the sights, sounds and smells that only come with this season.
My repairer is back from his O/S jaunt tomorrow so I’m expecting a call very soon to say that BBII is ready.
I can’t wait.
sanoptic says
I must be getting soft in my old age,the cold really gets to me these days.In days gone bye i commuted to work rain ,hail or shine all year round an hour each way without feeling the cold all the much.
Workmates used to say i had anti-freeze in my blood.
Might have to get a pair of those heated grips as my hands are usually the first thing to cramp up in cold weather.
Ever tried them? & if you have did they make much difference?
Cheers
Phil Hall says
Yeah, I certainly feel the cold more than I did when I was younger, but, the gear has improved since then so it probably balances out. I couldn’t manage wither without my heated hand grips, though. They are brilliant. If you don’t have them, you must get them.