[LaceyCO]

Is it possible for normal humans to commute by bike all year round from either Burlington or Middlebury (or anywhere else in VT)? I am writing a novel, and my main character needs to travel by bike from a college town in VT to a farm approximately 8 miles outside the city. She is not willing to trudge through snow and slush, so the roads would need to be clear most of the winter. She accepts that she would have to stay at home right after big storms. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[68vette]

One of my coworkers is a triathlete who lives near Waterbury. He bikes to work(Burlington) every day he works in the summer months. During the winter he feels it's not worth the safty risk to bike. In Burlington there are some who bike most of the year. At FAHC you may see a bike or two on the bike rack out of the few thousand people who work there. They are always full in the summer.

[square peg]

Well, cold isn't an issue for some riders. Dressed properly I can ride when it's zero. Snow is treacherous to ride on, though. Dry snow wouldn't be too bad, unless there is more than an inch or two. Wet snow and compacted slush make riding even more difficult, and then there's hard ice, which has to be the worst surface imaginable - you just lose all maneuverability, and with it - balance.

But then, we are discussing VT's banana belt. Three years ago I was in Middlebury, Vergennes, Bristol and Burlington every Thursday and there was no snow at all for the entire winter on Rte. 7 between Charlotte and Middlebury and likely other points south of there too. The last couple of years have been totally different.

Good luck with your story!

[KoZmiC NinJa]

Originally Posted by LaceyCO

Is it possible for normal humans to commute by bike all year round from either Burlington or Middlebury (or anywhere else in VT)? I am writing a novel, and my main character needs to travel by bike from a college town in VT to a farm approximately 8 miles outside the city. She is not willing to trudge through snow and slush, so the roads would need to be clear most of the winter. She accepts that she would have to stay at home right after big storms. Any thoughts? Thanks!

Hey Lacey ! I just happened to see this post seredipidously while
looking for the Kentucky forum. I , in fact bike commuted from
Proctor thru Rutland and into Clarendon almost every day, year
\'round for almost two years. 12 miles each way. Obviously if there
was a major snow dump the nite before I couldnt but VT was very
good about clearing the roads enuff for lunatics to bike on.
I subscribe to many bicycle forums and Im not the only one.
Vermont has many \'unique\' individuals and more than a few die-hards
dont give up green lifestyle for the winter

Best of luck on your writing, Ill be looking for it

[harry chickpea]

I used to use my five speed year-round while delivering newspapers up route 100 in Waterbury. I wouldn't dare to try it now, what with the difference in traffic. Riding in snow is tricky, but if you have good balance, the primary issue is that you can spin and lose traction when going uphill, to the point that it is easier to walk. Ice was never a safety issue for me, but I was willing to head into a snowbank if I thought I was getting out of control.

The big problems with winter biking are not what you might expect. The biggies are those days when the temps are lower than about 15 degrees and the wind is blowing hard, and the days when there is freezing rain. Riding regularly in those two weather events were what started my body into over-reacting to cold weather, and drove me to Florida for twenty years to thaw out. Riding in or after a snowfall was fun and usually warm, and a tire track or two was all I needed to keep going.

The terrain is a huge factor. One of my customers was a farm family that had a driveway about 1000 feet long. That driveway was the worst part of the route. Many of the old roads were intentionally built on the ridgelines, to allow the wind to blow the worst of the snow off them, and their drive was an abandoned one of those. That driveway was positively MISERABLE in most weather. There was absolutely no break from wind driven snow or rain, the snow formed stiff little drifts that stopped the bike cold, and all I could do was trudge through and freeze. If they hadn't given me huge tips, I would have dropped them as customers.

[KoZmiC NinJa]

Originally Posted by harry chickpea

The big problems with winter biking are not what you might expect. The biggies are those days when the temps are lower than about 15 degrees and the wind is blowing hard, and the days when there is freezing rain.

You are so right, Harry.
One has to be sure that they are prepared for the worst.
Overdressing is a necessity. you can always take it off but
if you are stuck in a snowstorm at 4:00 pm that is going to
add 1/2 hour to your trip and you are not prepared it could
be disasterous !
Also, I got to the point where I could only use a one-speed
bike because the ice, salt and road junk would render
derailluer type bikes useless. After two winters of this I
can handle ANYTHING that ever comes my way

[harry chickpea]

Originally Posted by KoZmiC NinJa

You are so right, Harry.
One has to be sure that they are prepared for the worst.
Overdressing is a necessity. you can always take it off but
if you are stuck in a snowstorm at 4:00 pm that is going to
add 1/2 hour to your trip and you are not prepared it could
be disasterous !
Also, I got to the point where I could only use a one-speed
bike because the ice, salt and road junk would render
derailluer type bikes useless. After two winters of this I
can handle ANYTHING that ever comes my way

LOL, can tell you have walked the walk. One positive out of that type of riding, I don't think I ever fell off my bike after about age twelve - until I got a fat recumbant, which is a whole different balancing act. Yeah, I was always fiddling with that derailluer. They weren't very well designed back then anyway though.

[LaceyCO]

Hi All,
Thank you for your posts. I'm going to take them as a collective, resounding "NO! Normal (stress normal) people do not ride through Vermont winters." If I ever write a novel about a crazy hard-core, Vermontian cyclist, I will think of you all.

[LaceyCO]

KoZmic Ninja,
Thank you for your colorful post about the colorful residents of VT. The book will be called Adam's Ark if you do want to check it out, although now it will be less about VT than it was before my winter bicycle-riding epiphany!
L