Today we meet Diane Desotelle and Andrew Streitz as our featured winter bike commuters of the day! #BikeDuluth
We are an engineer and geologist who have ridden to work together for four years, winter and summer. Andrew started winter riding in 1999.
We commute from east Duluth along the Lakewalk to the Canal Park area. Winter riding is easy because the city keeps the Lakewalk plowed. And, come to think of it, it’s very easy to get around busy Canal Park in the summer as well, as long as you’re on a bike!
We love to watch the lake change through the seasons. Winter is different from other seasons because you’re often riding to and from work in the dark, which exposes you to sights and sounds you’d otherwise miss. Rabbits and fox out early in the morning, brilliant constellations at night, glorious sunrises in the morning, snow quietly falling through your bike headlights, and the sound of ice crystals shattering due to wind pushing the ice around on the big lake.
Biking in the winter changes your view of the weather. A few minutes into your ride and you’re warm, a warmth that stays with you for hours after arriving at work. Heading out into cold or snowy weather is sometimes a challenge, when the car is waiting in the driveway, but we always feel great for thumbing our nose at the weather and going out anyway. And you don’t have to be cold- as the Norwegians say, there isn’t such a thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.
Buy a second-hand bike for winter (it will suffer salt-related damage), put on studded snow tires, get lights for front and back, and find a safe route. Enjoy!
