Recharging the batteries
Globetrotter Steph Jeavons is delighted to be back on a bike
JUST AS THE cabin fever was taking hold of my final threads of sanity, the sun came out and nibbled a tyre-sized path through the stubborn Canadian snow and ice. It was time to jump-start the battery and get out there before the laziness kicked in!
The thought of getting back on the bike after so long filled me with energy and I raced to the bedroom, where I put on my faithful old longjohns with childlike anticipation. Like my sanity, my Jofama longjohns are hanging by a thread. They’ve seen better days for sure. Three years on the road have taken their toll but they still work and, with three more layers quickly applied, I was good to go.
Rhonda the CRF needed a little persuading to start, with the battery having been left out in the cold at temperatures of -15C. But soon we were edging out of the still-icy driveway and onto the gritted road ahead. It wasn’t going to be an epic ride but sometimes you just have to get your ‘hit’ on two wheels and today was my window.
Layers are definitely the key to cold weather riding. A cold rider is preoccupied and reaction times slow dramatically. Working the levers can become difficult when you can’t feel your fingers but too much bulk can present its own problems. Finding a comfortable balance, ideally with thin, good-quality layers and heated grips, allows you to make the most of those sunny-but-subzero riding days.
Here in Canada, it seems I was the only one daft enough to get out on a bike today. A lone Welsh biker in a frozen land, I was getting some odd looks from other road users in their winter-wheeled 4x4s. Unperturbed, I rode around the Okanagan valley, soaking up the sun, enjoying the fresh air and practicing my skills on the odd low-speed, front-wheel slide. Like Rhonda, my battery was crying out for a recharge and this was doing the trick.
It will be some weeks before I can safely cross the rest of Canada and head for my final continent and the total contrast of the African heat. Until then I keep writing, attend the odd Harleybiased bike show or do a presentation - anything to keep my bank balance warm and keep cabin fever at bay.
For ideas on longdistance adventure travel on a budget, check out Steph’s ebook on itunes: Embrace the Cow
“A cold rider is preoccupied and reaction times slow”