Less Than Zero

Finally! I thought it would never happen but this morning winter has started for real. Zero degrees Celsius, that’s what the thermometer in the car said when I drove LL and V to school. This is the moment when all that isolating cycling gear you bought earlier in the season has to pass the real test. Well, let me tell you this, the cycling pants with the built in layer of wind stopper, the neoprene cycling jacket and my winter shoes passed the test glamorously, those gloves on the other hand (no pun intended) are a piece of sh*t; by the time I made it to work the tops of my fingers were like little ice cubes.
I guess commuting will now throw a new challenge at me; will I be able to find the daily motivation to haul my spandex clad ass through traffic while my fingers are freezing of?
So far it seems like I can handle it but then there hasn’t been any snow yet so I don’t want to get too optimistic yet, but it seems like I can keep warm in sub zero conditions (if I get a pair of real winter gloves).
I replaced my front brake pads as well over the weekend, it seems like I wear down at least two pairs of brake pads over a month that’s like 4 pads per 600 km. Those pads go at 10 Euros a pair so that makes these winter months extra expensive.
The genius colleagues think I’m crazy to pay 10 Euros for a set of brake pads but then again these Einsteins believe that you can buy a serious bike for 200 Euros. Honestly if I don’t buy brakes it will be even cheaper but you see I’m a bit odd like that; I'd rather be able to stop before I get under a car, and 10 Euros is a small price I’m very happy to pay.
But then again what do they know a bout riding a bicycle, for them riding a bicycle in the city sounds as odd as wrestling bunch of starving alligators. Actually by moments it feels like I’d rather wrestle an alligator or two; a lot of car drivers are still completely unaware of your presence despite the fact that the number of bikes are on the rise in the city.
The truck driver who opened his door on me this morning looked pretty shocked when I yelled at him. I did not call him names I just signaled that he should be aware of other people on the street. That is the main reason I haven’t been posting so often lately; it seem like I could write at least 3 posts a day complaining about stupid reckless driving and antisocial 4x4 but tat gets all a bit boring in the end.
Let’s see what winter brings perhaps I can get into some snow fight with some drivers who knows; temperatures start to go in the right direction anyway.