Missing my bike

Winter has set in and as all of my friends and family know, I am not a fan of the winter.  First off, I am not a fan of the cold and then there's the lack of daylight.  I simply can't stand this Daylight Savings Time nonsense.  I know that there is a reason for it that has something to do with saving energy or something along those lines, I've even heard that there is some benefit for farmers as well.  That's all fine and dandy but for me, its simply a source of lethargy and fatigue.  From the time daylight savings time starts until about mid January every year, I go through a serious struggle to stay ahead of depression.  The coming and going from nightfall to nightfall with daylight only available for a few precious weekend hours causes me to lose a lot of my energy and I often find myself dozing off in the early evening because my eyes convince the rest of me that its bed time. 

At this time of year I develop a strong tendency to let my fitness regimen slip, my focus slips at work and I struggle to keep my grades up in school; all because I become so demotivated. 

But the most painful part of winter for me is that I can rarely find time to get on my bike.  Once winter hits there amount of rideable time seriously drops.  The temperature is sometimes too low, plunging to below freezing which exceeds the temperature limits of my cold weather riding gear or, too often, its very windy out, sometimes dangerously so.  This week has been like that.  Usually the good weather seems to hit during the work week which, of course, doesn't do me any good since, by the time I get home from work, its fully dark outside and a bit risky to be riding on ice patched roads when even the cars with  brilliant headlights can't see the black ice that can send me into a terrible fall or worse.

I miss my bike, even though its gotten squeeky and needs some maintenance.  Tomorrow morning I'm going for my first ride with the Fatmen.  During the warmer days and into the fall I was riding with the guys constantly and got to make some great new friendships.  Unfortunately, school started again and then the cold and dark came.  BAM!   No rides.  Tomorrow.  Hope for tomorrow.