South bikers won’t let a little cold stop them

Winter has arrived. The roads are covered with snow, the wind picked up and it is always colder. The number of people who walk has decreased while the drivers has increased. Everyone would probably rather spend the day at home in the warmth, but there are brave people who still plan to bike even during the winter. In fact some students and teachers at South are already coming to school by bike. But how dangerous is winter biking? And why do these people still bike with such a low temperature?

“I mean why not? I just chose to bike also during the winter because it’s environmentally, friendly and a good form of exercise that prepares me for the day” said Sean Mattner an english teacher at South.

“I love winter biking because there is a peacefulness, it’s calm, like in the city when you ride a bike it’s really actually calm. So you know during summertime there is a lot of people biking and you have to share the trail with everybody while during the winter it seems like you have the trail for yourself. So it’s a kind of nice when you feel like you are the only one out there.”

Mattner finds winter biking relaxing, others find it exciting or adventurous. “I like winter biking because it’s fun, it’s not normal biking, it’s a little bit dangerous,” said Nick Carter. But dangerous in what way? How can people be more safe in winter biking?

“It can be really dangerous if you don’t have experience and if you don’t have equipment because it’s really icy here, especially with melting and then freezing again so if you don’t have studs on your tire, like little metal grips, you can fall a lot” said Sage Hagans. She really cares about her safety during winter biking and gives advice that:”People should definitely wear helmet even if they think it doesn’t look cool but it’s even more dangerous when you bike in the winter and it can be really windy too so even if you think “oh okay I will be fine on ice” it’s gonna be really windy and it’s dangerous, so WEAR A HELMET. Don’t care if you look stupid, you’ll be more stupid if you die” she said smiling.

Others responded that it is very important to dress in layers and padding, so as not to get hurt for a possible fall. Another thing that is important for safety is also to look at the stop sign and get more attention from drivers. “It’s really important have lights because it gets so dark so early and I think that the most dangerous time to bike is actually in the morning because everyone is going to have a rush to go to work and sometimes drivers don’t clean all the snow on their window or they just make a hole so sometimes they can’t see you and it’s pretty dangerous. So you have to be actually aware of what cars are doing. Watching out for the drivers is the main thing” said Corbin Doty, the graphic art teacher here at South.

Being hit by a car can cause much harm and can definitely put lives at risk. This happened to Nick Carter, some winter ago, who luckily wasn’t hurt, “There was someone pulling out of their driveway, he wasn’t looking in their mirrors and then they tried to slam on their breaks, they slid out and hit me.” Drivers can be very dangerous, especially during the winter because sometimes they may do not have a clear view of the road.

Another great curiosity non-winter bikers have is what winter bikers wear at such low temperatures. “I usually wear a face mask and obviously gloves that put your fingers together so you get more circulation, I wear wool socks and a winter biking pants and then a jacket, a good jacket that keep your body warm,”  said Sean Mattner. It’s very important to dress in layers. Warm sweaters, heavy jackets, hats that fit under your helmet, boots and a scarf covering the nose and mouth are all recommended.

Many of those who practice winter biking are also very environmental. “I bike in the winter mostly because I don’t really like pollution and cars and all that stuff, and in my opinion biking is the more healthy way to go for your body and for the environment and I love biking, I do it all the time and I bike race, it’s really fun, even now that it’s cold. Also I like seeing stuff and like when I am not just looking out the window, or whatever else. It’s kind of adventurous and I like adventurous. I really like to ride alone on my bike” said freshman Ethan Peterson.

Some winter bikers choose to bike great distances to avoid the pollution of cars. As is the case of teacher Corbin Doty’s, “I remember one time some years ago, when I was living in Saint Paul and I was working in Minneapolis, I had a 14 mile commute every day by bike, and I had to open up this bakery at 6 a.m. I knew that it was gonna snow so I got up at four in the morning because I knew that I would take at least two hours. When I first started there was maybe a foot of fresh snow and I remember that I was coming across the Mississippi River during a snowstorm and I was the first track. Nobody else went through there on the sidewalk, and there was a low railing there. The wind was blowing and the wind blew side of me and I hit the railing so hard that I thought that I would fall off it so I got off my bike and just walked for the rest of the bridge because I was so scared. A lot of people have died falling from the bridge!”  he concludes smiling at the memory. This however did not stop Corbin’s passion for winter biking.

So despite temperatures there are many ways to have fun with winter biking. One of these is also riding on an icy lake, as told senior Ethan Nelson, “One time me and my friends were just riding and it was so cold that we were able to ride on the river because it was freezing It was so fun. For me winter biking is a challenge, it’s challenging.”

In conclusion if you do not know what to do during the winter and you’re bored at home, a nice ride with a bike outdoors might make you feel more alive and get active in making you enjoy the scenery and tranquility that this sport and this city offer.