The worst blizzard in nearly 20 years just hit the city. It's 7 a.m., the temperature is hovering near 10 degrees with a windchill of 15 below, and you are about to leave for work.
On your bicycle.
The idea is enough to send shivers through most people. Yet, for hundreds of people in the Twin Cities, that's just what they do: stoically brave the frozen Minnesota winter on the seat of a bicycle. They run errands, do their Christmas shopping, and travel to work and school, all by bike.
Why do they do it? And why do their numbers seem to be growing? Is it the economy? Has environmental consciousness seeped beyond temporary brain freeze? The winter riders we spoke to seem to share at least one genuine motivation: Riding a bike in the winter just feels good.
"[Winter cycling] is looked at by people who haven't done it before as almost an extreme sport," says Bobby Brown, 23, of Minneapolis. "It's not that hard, it's not that crazy. It's something that, for me, gets me outside, gets me moving and makes me happy, just like people ice skate or cross-country ski. For me, I can just go out and ride my bike."
Chelsea Strate, 26, of Minneapolis, does all her running around, all winter long, on her bike. "If I didn't [ride my bike], I would be inside watching movies and gaining weight. It can be really enjoyable. I don't own a car, and I'm pretty impatient, so I don't like being at the mercy of the bus schedule."
Exercise, weight control, fun, avoiding a sparse mass-transit schedule ... all excellent reasons for riding a bike. But isn't it cold out there? Like, really cold?
"People confuse winter riding on a bicycle with winter riding on a motorcycle," Strate explains. "On the bike, your heart is pumping, and you're keeping yourself warm. It's easier to stay warm when you're working to get somewhere."
