My wife and I had a really terrific bicycle ride today. For about two hours we enjoyed the sights and smells of the Laurel Mountains. We ride as often as we can so the fact that we were out in the beautiful countryside was not unusual.  What made this so unusual was the time of the year. It was next to the last day of December.  We live in Latrobe Pa which is in the Laurel Highlands region of Southwestern Pennsylvania.  While we often ride during the winter months, generally we are all bundled up and even then it can be a little cold.  Today was very different. It was warm and sunny.

This time of year we usually ride from our house on the roads close to home. Today however we drove to Ligonier Pennsylvania to take a route we ride in the summer. One of the great things about riding in the winter is you get to see many things that are not visible when the trees have leaves.  Today all of that was true.  With the sun shining through the bare trees we could clearly see the rocky structure of the surrounding ridges.  There were many homes clearly visible that we had not seen during the summer.  As we rode up one country road that runs parallel to a stream we could see up stream for three or four hundred yards further than we had ever seen before in the summer. The stream was nicely filled and the water was rolling over many large rocks. This is what cycling is all about.

If you are a serious cyclist you should try riding during the winter months.  It really helps keep you fit and ready for summer. If you have the correct equipment and wait for a dry day it is very enjoyable even when it is cold.  If however you are luckly enough to catch a day in the winter when the temps get above 50 and the sun is shining, you will be rewarded with a terrific ride that will rival any you have in the summer!

 Paul