Author Topic: Winter biking concerns  (Read 2074 times)

gt7152b

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Winter biking concerns
« on: January 21, 2014, 12:22:10 PM »
I've been a bike commuter off and on for over ten years and in 3 different cities that most consider too dangerous to ride in. I see the danger but it's a calculated risk to stay in better shape and enjoy my day much more than driving. I have more close calls when driving than riding anyway.

Where I live now creates a concern for biking during the winter. Not because of the cold even though this is everyone's first assumption when I say I don't bike commute in the winter (I still mountain bike every chance I get). The problem I have is that the sun stays on the horizon much longer in the morning and evening at this time of year. The sun is very blinding during several parts of my commute and I see this as the biggest risk while bike commuting. I haven't had as much of a problem in the past because of the nature of my route and the terrain where I lived before. Now I take several 2 lane country roads with blind curves in a few places and some of these curves have me heading right into a big ball of light that makes it hard enough to see even on the bike and very difficult when I'm driving due to glare on the windshield.

I know the solution is to wake up earlier so that I'm not on the roads during the sunrise and sunset hours. I've been doing this for the last couple of weeks but still get caught near the end of my commute in some bad situations. Maybe I just need to suck it up and set the alarm about 30min earlier. Any other suggestions?

Russ

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Re: Winter biking concerns
« Reply #1 on: January 21, 2014, 12:58:09 PM »
Yeah I have to ride into the sun both ways and just go to work earlier/later depending on the season.

Might there be a different route you could take that a little more shaded?