Waiting to Ride
After days of watching the weather forecast and the road surface in the front of the house, I deemed it time to go for a winter Vespa ride. Over the years, winter riding has become almost normal. Before retirement, daily commuting on the scooter often meant navigating cold weather and the things that come with it. As I’ve gotten older the physical challenges of cold temperatures have increased and my riding window has contracted. No longer will I venture out for a winter Vespa ride when snow is falling. Or if the roads are covered already with snow. There’s no need to get to work and the adventure of navigating those conditions has largely evaporated. Still, I love to ride and can’t fathom a riding doldrum stretching from October to May. When the roads are dry it’s easy to manage the cold. I may not ride in sub-zero temperatures anymore, but there are plenty of 20 degree days in which I can easily ride in the winter.
After monitoring road conditions for days I decided it was time for a winter Vespa ride.
It was 28F when I left the house. No wind and bright sunshine. My head-to-toe winter gear had me wearing my winter hiking boots, thermal underwear, jeans, armored overpants, T-shirt, wool sweater, First Gear Kilimanjaro riding jacket, neck gaiter, and a full-face helmet. More than adequate protection against the cold. And with muffs on the handgrips along with heated grips, my regular insulated leather gloves kept my hands toasty.
Dry Roads Except for the Salt and Grit
The road was dry for the most part with large, abstract patterns of salt stains. I’ve been on so many winter Vespa rides over the years that I’ve become immune to any potential damage by salt and grit to my scooter. It’s taken a beating and will take a lot more.
RIding in the bright sunshine fully protected from the cold can give a false sense of safety. Despite the clear road, the surface is cold, the tires aren’t as sticky, and the moment you pass into shadows moisture, slush, and ice often remain. Potential disasters for anyone on a winter Vespa ride who doesn’t know how to adjust to the changes.
It didn’t take long for me to fall into the groove and my radar was on for potential traction hazards. Only once during the ride did I encounter something unexpected yet I was expecting it. Traveling along a clear, dry road in the open valley under bright sunshine I felt comfortable at 50 mph. Straight lines, even on the cold pavement are ok. The road undulated and as I approached a rise I saw a pair of orange traffic cones begin to appear as I came toward the crest of the hill. I immediately began to slow, mostly because I wasn’t sure why they were there, and cresting the rise I came upon a snowdrift across the entire width of the road, trampled down my many vehicles, but still presenting a sizable icy speed bump. Had I not instinctively reacted to something that seemed out of place, I would have met with disaster. A car or truck can fly over that. Not a scooter though.
The Winter Landscape
Safe to say I get antsy when I can’t ride. I’ve sought other avenues to soothe the nervous beast but nothing works quite as well to temper the darker side of my personality. Not only does the solitary motion have a calming effect, but the visual stimulation of exploring the world reaches an itch I’ve had all my life.
I’m a lifelong tourist.
The Diamond in Boalsburg
I didn’t have a lot of time to ride. Forty miles is all I could manage. Enough to shake the cobwebs out of the Vespa scooter. Adequate time to reset my emotional and psychological clocks. By the time I road back into the neighborhood the temperature had risen to the freezing mark. Things were melting in the late day sunshine and I was hopeful that soon the weather would support more leisurely riding.
A Stop at the Pump Station
The end of the winter Vespa ride drew towards its end as I stopped at the Pump Station minutes before they closed to buy two croissants for Kim and me to enjoy with our afternoon tea. I know Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and declared six more weeks of winter. But after this latest ride through winter, I see a lot of cracks in the cold.
I think that famous rodent is just wrong.
That’s a whole lot more courage than anything I have this time of the year. Stay safe!
I’ve come to see it less about courage and more about endurance. Enduring the cold. The rest is just adjustment of my riding style and habits.
Wiarton Willy agrees with you ! 🙂 Strolling yesterday at 3C ( -11C with wind chill) it felt like spring was indeed in the air! My heart lifted…then the wind picked up and my chin tucked into my neckie yet again. We are ready. This morning your post had a similar effect, and as my sweetie entered the kitchen and I said ” there’s a scooter” I saw a smile fill his face and his eyes light up. Thank you! It IS coming!
It’s the little things that give life meaning. A stroll, the wind, the sudden presence of a loved one. And of course the scooter…
More power to you. My 250 is sitting in the garage with the battery out.
I’ve never gotten to the point of winterizing anything, but my riding in winter definitely has slowed down. I’ll be posting a video on YouTube this evening about my last winter ride.
Like minds…My first scooter ride yesterday – a Lincolnshire hot day of 4Celsius…to a Church Council meeting 2.3 miles from here. Sun shining, breeze almost unnoticeable. Took me 45 minutes and 15 miles and I was still two minutes late for the meeting. Our lady Vicar said, “Was it a nice journey ?”. What can you say?
I saw some hyacinths out by the garage door -yes, it’s nearly here.
Regards Chris
It is a nice journey! Even if you’re late for a Church Council meeting. As riders, we have to acknowledge those spiritual needs that are encountered while riding.
You know a day like that would be perfect for a Himalayan break in run. Plus the RE is a tad bit better for questionable road conditions. Better the RE than Scooter in the Snowbank.
I’m not sure I would consider the Himalayan a better choice for snow and ice. I haven’t put enough miles on it yet. But the Vespa has allowed me to negotiate just about anything I’ve encountered so far except some deep water. Deep for the Vespa is about 8 inches.
I plan to take the Himalayan out tomorrow!
A ground hog is a rodent? They call them whistle pigs and wood chucks too. What about a beaver 🦫 is that a rodent too? When I get my motorcycle salty I wash the salt off. More than anything thats why I don’t ride in the winter. Because its murder washing a vehicle outside at 35F ugh.
Yes it is. I looked it up before I wrote that awful word in regard to a woodchuck. I’m not sure about a beaver. You’ll have to research that one.
Hopefully today the roads will at least be dry. The salt stains will remain until we have a good rain to wash it all away.
I actually saw the video before the blog post. Nicely done video! I like the vlog style with live narration. I do miss riding in the winter but I look forward to the snow and the biggest challenge on ice is stopping. I don’t have studded tires for the Ural now so I won’t venture out when I’m back home in a couple of weeks. Too many hills.
Thanks Richard for your comments on the video. Live narration is a challenge for me. I realize I need to plan a bit about what I might talk about, and then time those comments to an appropriate place on the ride where the camera will be recording. I have a much better appreciation now for people who create riding videos. It’s not easy.
Ice and snow. I’m done with it. I’ll ride if there might be patches of it. But not when it’s the primary riding surface for the reasons you outlined.
Warm weather can’t arrive soon enough.