who says you can't ride outside all year round?

It was kinda of nice this weekend to be off and yet stay at home, yes we still rode our bikes. For the past few months every weekend that I've been off has seen us traveling somewhere to ride and sometimes it's just nice to stay at home and ride the local dirt.
Yesterday a group of us headed up to Bays Mountain for a group ride in probably the coldest weather we've experienced yet. Yes it was cold, especially in the places where the sun hardly shines but it wasn't so cold that we broke out the winter riding boots & gloves. I've heard alot of talk as of late about the weekly outdoor rides becoming the weekly trainer rides. I've heard alot of folks talk about purchasing trainers, I've even heard talk of the end of the, gasp, riding season.
I can remember when I took the winters off, before I knew about gore-tex, fleece lined boots & gloves, before I knew about headlamps bright enough to outshine your car's headlights. Yes I have a trainer that I bought back in the day and yes I hate to ride that thing. Our trainer collects dust more than anything and I have a hard time understanding how some people can ride trainers all winter. I really feel for the roadie types who never hit the singletrack and have yet to discover cyclocross. Cycling is a sport that in our part of the country can be done outdoors all year round. Yes there are days when I throw in the towel, I rarely ride when the temps dip below 30. My hands and feet hurt to the point where riding is no longer fun no matter what I'm wearing. I've even thought about buying heated grips.
When it does get that cold I tend to go running or start lifting weights. Riding a trainer is something I've just never gotten used to and I doubt I ever will. If this unusually warm winter keeps up there won't be many days this year where I'll have to worry about it. All this week the weather man is projecting temps high in the 60's and 70's.
Too me the winter is a time for riding for fun not worrying about how fast your lap times were, just cruising and getting back to the best part of riding, having fun. Well as much fun as you can muster when it's freezing outside.

See you at the Thursday Night Rides.