I was asked why I like to ride my bike all the time. Doesn’t it get cold in Reno? Well, yes it does, but I find that I need to ride.

It has been well below zero for a week at a time in the winter. I still ride. I might take the short cut to work when it is that cold, but I still ride. I only live two miles from my employer and on a normal day I take a short detour and ride at least 10 miles (got to get that oil nice and warm). But, in the miserable part of winter I might only ride the 2 miles direct. Partly, I ride because people don’t expect me to. I love to ride to work in the rain (doesn’t do that much around here) because people think I’m nuts. I’m not crazy about riding in the snow (Valkyrie has too much torque and too wide a tire for this), but a little cold never hurt. I tell my wife that my electric vest gets me warm faster than the car does. The other reason I ride is because I just get so much enjoyment out of the trip. When I have to drive the car - it is just transportation. One I "ride", the other I "drive" and therein lies the difference. When I ride - I arrive at my destination in a better mood. On the way home I have to concentrate to keep from being run off the road and that pretty much washes the worries of work away. I arrive home with a clear mind and a smile on my face. The fact that I feel alive makes me feel good. That I think about kissing my kids goodbye and hello when going and coming (because some idiot may run me off the road) is a GOOD thing. Riding forces me to be awake - alert and cognizant of what is going on around me. Folks at work always ask me what the weather is like (they don’t seem to know) because they know that assuredly know if it was raining or snowing or blowing. I can also tell them about the dead skunk in the road or about the smell of the leaves that are decomposing along the roadside. I like the fact that I know where the temperature rises and falls in the valley. I love the smell of the bakery that is down the street a couple of blocks. I like the sounds of the neighborhood and the voices of kids waiting for the bus. The dog down the street that lives for chasing me down its fence line - what would it do for its morning entertainment? These things make me feel good about the world around me and consequently, good about myself. Because of this - I probably do a better day’s work.

On the other hand… if it is gorgeous out, I might have to play hooky and go for a ride!