Groublogpon – The Serious Blog of Groupon

Tomorrow is Winter Bike to Work Day in Chicago. Our city’s weather has been relatively kind to us this year, postponing the inevitable snow dump until…Well, we don’t want to jinx it and get too cocky. Last year’s blizzard kept us shoveling for months.

From the Active Transportation Alliance website:

Winter Bike to Work Day takes place on Jan. 20, the 27th anniversary of Chicago’s coldest day, when the official temperature at O’Hare International Airport was 27 degrees below zero.

There are several brave souls at Groupon who continue to commute regardless of the elements. They don their helmets, gloves, second pair of gloves, tights, other tights, booties, balaclavas, two sets of socks, layered shirts, and waterproof windbreakers to head out on the open roads throughout the winter months.

To make this post personal for a moment, I looked like this the other week and thawed at my desk after the windchill clocked in at 6 degrees. Yes, my toes were cold. Yes, I looked like a spelunking enthusiast. But it’s a faster commute, exercise, and until the snow remembers it’s supposed to make a heavy appearance, I’ll be cycling. Some will even be cycling through that snow, but they have super powers and can shoot lasers out of their eyes.

Other bike commuters in the office offered these winter-cycling tips:

Patty: If you don’t have booties, or even if you do, plastic bags over your socks is a good way to keep your feet dry.

Marne: Just a warning–With the plows pulling stuff from the depths of the gutter into the bike lanes, flats might be more likely.

Kelsey: Lights and reflective gear. It gets dark earlier and cars are not as used to watching for cyclists in the winter.

Are you planning on riding through the winter? What’s your winter routine?