So this evening, myself and a co-worker decided to grab a bite to eat for dinner about a mile away down the hill from the University. As usual, we rode our bikes. The forecast for today was for rain, starting late in the day, turning to snow tonight and snowing all through tomorrow, so we looked outside, saw that it was barely misting, and figured we were good to go.
Wrong! By the time we got maybe halfway down the hill, the mist had turned to freezing rain and ice chunks were hurdling at our faces at the combined speed of us heading down the hill and the wind furiously attempting to blow us backward. By the time we got where we were going, the freezing rain had turned to snow and was almost sticking to the roads. By the time we ordered and got our food (which is saying something; it wasn’t a fast-food place, but it was still the style establishment where you order at the counter and get your food just as you start wondering why the hell you thought it was a good idea to ride out to eat when it was snowing out), the outside tables and the sidewalks had a good inch or so of wet snow on them. By the time we left, our bikes were covered in snow and any conceivable route back to the lab (where our stuff was) was buried in 3 inches of snow and even more where it had drifted.
By the time we got back to the lab, four inches had accumulated and everybody else at the lab thought we were crazy. My colleague continued to point out that it had been my idea to go out for food (he had sandwich-making materials at the lab), but i countered that it was he who had followed me. Either way, I think we both deserve the VAST Lab “Crazy Cyclist” award.
We took some time to dry off, utilizing a space heater that the University had apparently left in the current lab when they vacated it and gave it to us (about two years ago, I believe). As one would expect, I decided it was time to go home just as I was finally dried off (as did everyone else at the lab). Having ridden in show before, and being confident with the route home, with my riding ability, and in my bike’s ability to not throw me off in such conditions, I hopped on my bike and rode through what was, by that time, 6 inches of powder. I do believe I was actually capable of traveling faster than the cars were, but I played it safe and didn’t actually test that theory.
Needless to say, I survived the trip home, but it was quite interesting. Between the accumulation of snow on the ground and the dropping temperatures, the roads were beginning to ice up, so the safest route was through the deep powder, which meant that more and more snow built up on my foot at the bottom of every pedal rotation. In addition, it had the effect of limiting the bike’s speed, which was helpful since my brakes got caked with snow and essentially stopped working. By the time I got home, my bike was well covered in snow (the picture shows this, and that’s even after I knocked off the larger chunks of packed snow outside; click to get a larger view).
I plan on posting more pictures of the accumulation tomorrow when it’s light out, which I suppose will mean that I’ll have to modify this blog to support multiple pictures per post. If it keeps snowing at the rate it’s expected to, I’ll be skiing to the lab tomorrow.