by Kristin Butcher
Growing up in Florida, fall was the time of year when we traded out our tank tops to bundle up in short-sleeved shirts. After a few years in Colorado, I now see fall as the time of year when trees transform into brilliant-colored beasts, bathing suits and tank tops hibernate in plastic bins under the house, and my Florida friends warm-weather pictures taunt me on social media.
Normally, after a Rocky Mountain summer filled with mountain biking, urban commuting, family touring and copious amounts of ice cream-destined cruiser rides, my trusty two-wheeled steed is ready for a break while I enjoy snow sports (assuming, of course, that sledding is a sport). Except after a summer of less riding than I hoped, I?m not ready for a break at all. Instead, I?m ready to get started.
Spring gets all the attention for being the time to kick your riding into high gear, but I say to hell with spring. Instead, here are a few reasons why fall?the season of change, pumpkin-spiced everything, and obscenely early holiday music?is the best time to up your riding game.*
Experience fall with all your senses. Fall is about more than watching trees turning pretty hues. It’s about the smell of moisture and decomposing leaves. It’s about tasting your version of grandma’s soup and knowing she would have been proud. It’s about pulling off to the side of the road just to listen to leaves floating down, watching as each flourish of color follows its own course to the earth.
Unpredictable weather creates memories fonder than predicted. Watch the steam rise as the chilly air clashes against your sweating skin on a dreary ride. Notice the incredulous looks of drivers wondering why you?re smiling while stuck at a stoplight in the rain. Love the hot summer-like ride in November. Curl up in a dryer-warm blanket two hours after deciding you weren’t going to let a little sleet cut the ride short. Enjoy the taste of a hard-earned shower beer. All these experiences and more are brought to you by the season of unpredictable weather.
The trainer will be calling soon. In areas where snow and ice make riders turn indoors for their fix, stationary bike trainers are the hero everyone hates. For some, the trainer commands its disciples to endure monotonous workouts several times a week. For others, the trainer spends the winter haunting us from under a pile of laundry. But right now, trainers across the country are still packed away and labeled ?For emergency use only.? So get out and ride while the biking doesn’t require mittens and studded tires, because although a trainer may not be the hero we want, it’s the hero that will be driving us crazy in a few months.
The calm before the storm. Calendars will soon be filled with potlucks, family gatherings and more ?mandatory-fun? holiday events than you can shake a cinnamon stick at. Now is the time to get into the habit of riding so that when the storm comes, you?ll be prepared to ride out of it.
Seize the day. I?ll let you in on a secret: A few months from now, I will argue just as vehemently that winter is the perfect time to start riding, soon followed by passionately advocating spring, then summer. That’s because the perfect time to start riding isn’t a season; it’s right now?and now just so happens to be fall.
*I understand that the above list is irrelevant to my southern state brethren for whom snow comes from a can and cool breezes from a vent in the ceiling. To address this, I compiled a highly researched list detailing why fall is also the best time for my fellow Floridians and lower latitude residents to begin riding:
1. It’s not summer.
Kristin Butcher is a freelance writer based out of Boulder, Colorado, she spends her time writing about people, the outdoors and, of course, bikes. You can read her column, Butcher Paper, in BIKE Magazine.
