I walked out of my office yesterday evening to a snow covered Vespa GTS. After making the picture and brushing off the snow I made an error in judgment—I decided to ride home.
The morning weather forecast called for sun in the morning followed by a chance of snow showers or rain with no accumulation and temperatures approaching 40° F. I had already put my seat and rear bag covers on at noon in preparation for the moisture predicted to arrive. Through my office window I saw the flurries begin not concerned because in my head I was thinking of above freezing temperatures. Let it snow, it won’t stick.
When I saddled up the snow was just beginning to stick on the parking lot surface. I’m thinking to myself that’s OK. The rush hour traffic will wear it away on the road. Waiting to pull out of the parking lot I’m rubbing my feet on the road surface checking the traction. There is enough on the ground to plow little ridges of snow and slush around my boots. Not too bad I tell myself, it will get better once I am on the main road.
A mile later the road is completely covered in slushy grease and it is snowing hard—-ice pellets and snow and the wind is gusting causing the Vespa to lurch. Feet go down in outrigger fashion to help stabilize things. At one point I with a Ford Explorer bearing down on me from behind while I’m traveling at the impolite speed of 20 MPH in a 25 MPH zone and am having a difficult time seeing as ice gathers on the outside of my visor while the inside fogs. I am trying to wipe both sides and control the scooter at the same time. At almost the last moment I see a pile of snow across the road courtesy of some thoughtful sidewalk shoveler who never caught up with the last snowfall. Feet down, slight rear brake to slow a bit before impact, I strike the pile hoping to follow a tire track through. The Vespa shudders to one side and I feel the front wheel break free. A food down holds the scooter up until I come out the other side and regain a bit of traction.
I turn off onto a side street to let the traffic go by and regroup. I’m thinking it was not a good idea to ride home after all. At least not with traffic this heavy. I consider an alternate route but the side streets are even worse. I’m not comfortable abandoning the scooter at this point so I determine that I will continue to ride home. I wait awhile at the intersection until I see a long gap in traffic and pull back onto the road. A long hill is ahead that I must go over and come back down the other side. The scooter navigates the uphill easily with the rear wheel only spinning once or twice. I’m already thinking of the steeper downhill side complete with a reverse banked turn. I pull over at the top of the hill to let traffic pass, clean the visor again, and think about how to approach this next hazard.
Several vehicles beep their horn. They are either indicating support or reminding me that I’m crazy. I can accept either sentiment. Once car stops. It is my daughter Hannah and her boyfriend Jason. They offer a ride home and when I decline they offer to drive behind me to keep the vehicles away from me. Now there’s a plan.
I make it down the hill to the intersection with the main road out of town towards home. Four lanes of rush hour traffic thankfully traveling quite slowly due to weather and malfunctioning traffic lights. Jason and Hannah follow me about two miles where I turn off into their neighborhood and into their garage. The smart rider might have accepted the offer to park the scooter and take a ride home in the VW. I dried my visor with a paper towel and thought about the route home, another four miles wandering through neighborhoods and a back road into town. I knew there wouldn’t be much traffic and I had come this far already so I make a decision to ride the rest of the way home.
I admit at this point it is a challenge. I want to know if I can do it and I assess the risk to be manageable. It is close to the edge though. The route now has seen much less traffic and the quality of the snow on the road is different, deeper, and much slicker. Feet come down more often. The wind is worse when I get to the open areas and I’m breathing heavily from the effort only making the visor problems worse. I stop to take pictures mainly as a chance to clean the visor.
The last long hill into town is slow going because the snow starts to fall faster and I have to keep my speed to about 10 MPH otherwise there will be no chance to stop or pull over if someone rushes up behind me. I’m wiping snow from visor and mirrors and trying to pay attention to my track on the road.
I finally pull into my driveway about an hour and ten minutes after leaving work. A 15-minute ride on a dry day by the direct route. I wiped as much of the snow and slush from the scooter and pushed it into the garage.
Just because I made it home without incident I am not sure if I made the right decision. Had I known at the beginning how bad it would be I might have parked the scooter in the parking garage at work and took the bus home. I admit to some apprehension at leaving it parked all night like that but it may have been an error in judgment on my part. At the very least I was riding at the edge of unmanageability.
That put me on the edge of my seat. Nothing is worse than traffic trying to get around you. Even deep snow can be negotiated if you can plow through it but its the cars behind you that try to push you faster than is safe to go. They scare the youknowwhat out of me.
The Roadbum
That was some adventure! I’ve never ridden in the snow and avoid taking my scooter on those rare occasions that snow is forecast. Although, as you say, it was an error in judgement to ride on that day, I’m certain there was a feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction from overcoming the challenge.
Hi Steve, I was on the edge of my seat too. I actually read the last part first because I couldn’t stand the suspense. Am so glad you made it O.K..
I just want to say, that as Steve’s daughter, it was *very* hard to not feel like an “overprotective parent” when I saw him parked along the side of the road waiting for traffic to clear. I just wanted to blurt out, “okay! park the vespa in this person’s driveway and we’ll come back and get it tomorrow!” It was pretty clear looking at him that he wasn’t about to park the scooter. I admittedly felt a little better once he left our place and took the back roads home – which left only about two miles or so travel to complete. I tell ya though, if I had to watch this stuff on a regular basis – I would be bald. : /
Having passion for what ever it is that we enjoy, makes us do things that others would never do. As the old saying goes, if you have to ask, you’ll never understand. As I was reading about your ride home, it reminded me of many of my own choices “to ride or not to ride?” Lifes journey would be very boring if you only chose the sensible path. Ride On!
Hi Steve,
Had the same situation last November. An 1 1/2 hr commute became 3 1/2 hr ride. My commute consist of 90% freeway. Running 20 mph on a 70mph speed on the freeway was a nerve racking. I was able to balance my bike while riding on cover snow ice but unfortunately less a mile from my house I slipped and dropped my bike which sustained a $500 damage. So I know how you felt while riding on the snow on your way home. Glad you made it home alright..
Art
Steve: At the risk of being reviled by one and all, let me agree that it was an error in judgement. A feeling of accomplishment not withstanding, little good can be gained from dangerous riding.
Next time, think of your loyal readers (I being one!) and what we’d do for enjoyment without your wonderful blog. Also think about how Hannah would look bald… 🙂
Steve, glad you and the scoot survived… I worked nights for a couple years and ran into this, weather would be fine when I went to work, and would turn nasty by the time I got off in the morning. Very harrowing.
When I went through these types of situations, I have to agree, once I got home, whether with out incident or not, I felt like I had pushed my level of risk too far.
Steve man…I have long admired your courage to ride in the elements. But to be honest, I have always felt you pushed the evelope a bit too far, and I often wondered if you would be able to step away from the scooter if things got bad enough. As I can see from your pictures, when push came to shove, you were not able too and this, my friend, is something you should really really think about. I know scootering is more then just a hobby to you – but to ride through ridiculous weather like that, risking your life, your health, etc – just for a scooter, screams insanity and irrationality to me. I am so glad you are safe and were fortunate enough to run into family, but what woulda happened if you hadn’t been so lucky? I think you should think about this from a practical sense – you can always buy a new scooter, but you can never buy your life/time back.
Sorry if I’m harsh in this post, but I sensed something like this would happen to you sooner or later…it was just a matter of time.
This is gonzo journalism at it’s best! Thanks for putting yourself in a bad situation so we could vicariously enjoy your triumphant commute!
Errors in judgement make for interesting stories. If there was room, I’d tell you about the time I unintentionally took my Ford Mustang mud-boggin’.
Anyway, glad you made it without introducing the shiny side of your Vespa to the ground.
Well… can’t say I’ve never done such. I also fell and bent some expensive BMW handlebars. I might’ve fared better with a smaller vehicle like your GTS.
“matter of time…” Puhleez! No personal journey or great accomplishment is without risk of failure. It has been said that we learn more from our failures than our successes. You don’t learn anything, or experience much, if you wrap yourself in a cocoon of safety and never risk anything.
On the flip side, though, try not to worry the Wife and Daughter overly much. “If Momma ain’t happy…”
John
There’s two ways to look at it. My first reaction is to relate from my own perspective. From this viewpoint I say,
“You have tested yourself. You have successfully stared down danger and fear. You may now proudly take your place at my side as a true Warrior.”
As to mistakes in judgement, I offer the words of a well known literary and philosophical figure.
“Good judgment comes from bad experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment.” Will Rogers.
As one who does these kinds of things on purpose, who am I to offer any criticism?
Dan
Life is full of bad judgments negotiated successfully. Ride on MacDuff and damned be he who first cries “Hold! Enough.”
I agree with many of you, but Steve, you aren’t a kid anymore. I could see a newbie rider making this mistake, but not someone who has the experience that you do. Great to hear you go back safe, but my biggest question – why didn’t you just leave the scooter?! You live in the country for pete’s sake – no one steals things out there (I live there too – I don’t even have to lock my scooter, house, car, etc.)!!!
Welcome to my world, Steve.
During my “The Baron in Winter” adventure, I saw many days like that, as you well know from reading that blog.
Everything you describe here gives me flashbacks. I’m glad you were able to meet the challenge unscathed, and came through with a healthier respect for the elements.
And all of that on stock tires? NOW I’m impressed… ;^)
Ride well,
=gc=
Was that an error in judgement? NO WAY! You made a decision and stuck with it, and ended up with an epic ride and a great story to share.
That was great.
Have fun,
Bill
I don’t see the problem with folks riding when there’s snow on the ground. As I said before, the only thing I thought about while reading this blog were drivers around Steve. I haven’t ridden much in the snow the last several years but I truly enjoy a ride in the rain if its at least in the mid sixties. The Vespa with its legshield and floorpan make it that much easier. (I still have my Harley brand rain bibs with the engine heatguard material on the inner right leg haha)
Steve, I never worried about you in that tale, I thought about the people around you who might think they own the road even though we all pay for them.
Harv
First, let me thank you all for your words of encouragement, concern, and congratulations. Thinking about this particular ride and reading these posts reminds me of how varied our riding circumstances and limits are. And what we get back from riding.
As the first anonymous poster reminds I do consider this ride to reflect an error in judgment on my part. That error was to get on the scooter to ride home. The fact that I was able to manage the ride safely doesn’t dismiss the fact that had I considered the situation more closely I would have left the scooter parked and taken the bus. Error, plain and simple.
The second anonymous poster raises similar issues. One thing I must stress is that I did not climb aboard the Vespa for a challenge. I did think the roads would just be wet despite the evidence in front of me. Again, bad judgment. I enjoy riding and often ride in winter. But I am not a snow rider by design past some little experiments I’ve done but not at rush hour.
Once I began the ride I had opportunities to stop and did not. Not wanting to leave the scooter along side the road I could have parked at a store or something. By that point I was more confident that I could manage the ride and risk I found myself in. No error here in my mind. The ride was within my skills to manage but not something I would choose to begin.
lucky, john, irondad and Gary, Bill and Harv: You guys know what this sort of ride is like and how things can just creep up on you. I’m glad to have the experience and to have not dropped the scooter in the process. That was last winter.
I am going to post more about this in the coming days.
Thanks again all!
steve
Bottom line, you did it; and were able to write the tale describing what you did.
Legs as out-riggers can be so handy at times.
There was once a blind, deaf and dumb girl that said ” Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it.
Avoiding dander is no safer in the long run than outright exposure.
Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. “
Helen Keller
Lucky said…
This is gonzo journalism at it’s best! Thanks for putting yourself in a bad situation so we could vicariously enjoy your triumphant commute!
*** I hope you do not mind I copy and paste what you wrote “Lucky”.
My intentions are good, Steve knows that…
The reason what Lucky wrote jumped at me, is because of your last e mail to me, I did reply it… but did not hear from you since… and I hope that, how can I say this, the “pressure’ of outdoing yourself has not taken over… Maybe it has?… I do not agree with Lucky (nothing personal Lucky), I did not enjoy my reading… because, regardless, it is not worth putting your life in danger for the sake of outdoing yourself in your writing… I know I am being blunt a bit… but, it is your life that I think about, surrounded by your loved ones, your friends…
At 59… that is my opinion… 20 years ago… I would have probably said… “Do it again Steve…”
Priorities of life I have learned… I just hope that this all makes sense…
From a Friend that you have yet to meet!
Ara… and of course Spirit agrees!
I’m glad you did it because the photographs are magnificent.
Tom
Glad I found this site.
New reader here.
I think the only person who can say if this was an error in judgement or not is Y-O-U!!!
Nobody else.
Saying this was an error is them judging themselves & their capabilities in the situation you were in.
Not knowing that much about you at this point, I hope that you were prepared for the ‘Plan B’ approach if something prevented you from going further on your scooter. If you were prepared and knew what to do in that situation, I think it’s all up to you if it was a mistake or not.
I’m the type of person who pushes the envelope. I do things that most people would consider stupid…who would get into a ring and fight another person, who would go to the gym a few times a week and train, who would learn how to shoot a firearm, who would learn survival techniques for different scenarios, who would get onto a scooter and drive in traffic with how dangerous it all is???? Yet I understand every bit of it and any other person who does any of the above activities understands it too.
Which brings me back to my point, if you understand how to drive in the snow, had a backup plan and was prepared for the cold, and understand the risk you are taking…I think you were fine and did not make an error in judgement. It doesn’t seem like this was your first rodeo…
I think you are a better driver and are actually better prepared for other ‘extreme’ situations you might face and your scope of driving is now that much more bigger.
Maybe its MP-3 time…
The perfect test bed.
With rear ice creepers attached to tire.
I’ve thought more than once that the MP3 would make a great winter machine. They certainly become available around here in the used market. My fear is finding a technician that can repair them. Pretty complicated machines.
This was a great read, thank you. How do you stay warm? I’ve been out in temps around 20F on Interstate 89 here in VT when my heated jacket liner failed because the cold fog I was riding through condensed on the connector from the jacket liner to the battery power supply and shorted out the in-line fuse. Hypothermia made me very, very stupid. I made it home eventually with bike and body intact.
I remember that ride home after all these years. Staying warm — always a challenge. Back then I had no electrics so staying warm meant lots of layers. Insulated riding jacket, insulated riding pants, insulated boots, heavy winter riding gloves, and a balaclava under my full-face helmet. And I was 13 years younger which made a real difference. Now almost 66 years old I am far less cold tolerant.
Now my winter riding is eased considerably by using a Tucano Urbano skirt on the GTS along with bar muffs and heated grips. I’m comfortable now riding down to 0F with those things and the gear I have.
I don’t rely on electrics. They make things cozy but I can cope if they fail. The main thing is to keep the cold air off my tender flesh!
Something about confidence when riding a Vespa
My modern Vespa is rock solid in pretty much every respect. It definitely inspires confidence, even in those bad, wintry situations.
Have you tried any anti-fog sprays on the visor of your helmet?
No I haven’t. I did purchase a pinlock but haven’t installed it yet.
I’ve not tried any sprays. I purchased a pin lock for my helmet but haven’t installed it yet.
Etter hvert som jeg blir eldre, har min vilje til å sykle om vinteren gått ned. Kanskje jeg blir smartere. Å sykle i kaldt vær krever forberedelse og en god strategi for å være trygg. Vær forsiktig med dine beslutninger og ridevaner!