Winter Biking and Sheldon Brown

I rode to work today in the worst snowstorm of the winter. On my way in (pushing the bike part of the way because the crusty, chopped up snow kept tripping me up), I wondered why I was doing it. Surely, not riding while 8" of snow is falling would have been justifiable.

But when I finally got home (and glad I was to arrive), I learned that Sheldon Brown had died. That made my snowy commute seem more like a tribute to Sheldon and less like total looniness. Or maybe it was both. Sheldon's love for biking (and obvious love for life) has been my inspiration for a while. The pictures of Sheldon's bikes propped up in a snow drift suggest that he would have understood the need to try the ride today, just to see if it could be done. And even when I was wrestling to keep the bike upright and moving forward, it was a little fun. Tiring, but fun. I was dripping wet from snow and sweat when I arrived home, but very very satisfied.

So long, Sheldon. Thanks for helping to make biking fun.