Think NY Citi Bikers are Totally Turned Off by Arctic Weather? Most, but Not All-- Finnish Man Quips "It's Like Home" as he pedals off to work; another says he wore too many layers but had to to placate his wife "and arrived at work all sweaty"--this on coldest day since 1934, when it was well, like CHICAGO type cold ( "Which is nothing," say those in Minneapolis and even less impressive to people in say Minot, ND).(Canadians , while freezing worse, enjoy idea that Americans now know what a real winter tastes like)....
Polar Vortex Be Damned — New Yorkers Will Still Citi Bike
Tuesday, January 07, 2014 - 10:43 AM
Citibike commuters brave frigid temperatures as a polar vortex hits the city on January 7, 2014.
(Stephen Nessen/WNYC)
New York's bike share program is experiencing its first winter,
and even though ridership is dipping with the temperatures, Citi Bikers
are riding anyway.
The golden days of early fall (40,000+ trips a day) have been
replaced by New York in January. On the third of this month, the
temperature dipped to 9°, and the system recorded a record low number of trips -- 1,230.
The day before, the high temperature was 33° — and the system had nearly 9,000 trips.
Tuesday morning's temperature was the lowest yet this winter, and New York woke up to single digits.
Early morning Citi Biker (Stephen Nessen/WNYC)
And Citi Bike tweeted this (note: today is the coldest January 7 in 118 years, not the coldest day ever in NYC. That record belongs to February 9, 1934, when the temperature hit -15°.):
The day before, the high temperature was 33° — and the system had nearly 9,000 trips.
Tuesday morning's temperature was the lowest yet this winter, and New York woke up to single digits.
Lesson: 22 blocks on a CitiBike in this weather today: It's gonna hurt.
— Peter Shankman (@petershankman) January 7, 2014
But WNYC reporter Stephen Nessen, who was documenting New Yorkers in the cold, spoke to this man:
Finnish Navy man says NYC weather reminds him of home. He'll still be biking to work today. pic.twitter.com/GvgtPNV9xW
— Stephen Nessen (@s_nessen) January 7, 2014
Early morning Citi Biker (Stephen Nessen/WNYC)
And Citi Bike tweeted this (note: today is the coldest January 7 in 118 years, not the coldest day ever in NYC. That record belongs to February 9, 1934, when the temperature hit -15°.):
2,485 trips have been taken today, the coldest day NYC has seen in 118 years. #Citibike is here for you year-round, #polarvortex or not!
— Citi Bike (@CitibikeNYC) January 7, 2014
Citi Biking this winter? Share your cold weather biking tips below!-
Kate Hinds
Kate Hinds is an Associate Producer for WNYC News. She also reports for WNYC and Transportation Nation, a public radio reporting project that combines the work of multiple newsrooms to provide coverage of how we build, rebuild and get around the nation.
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I rode a Citibike in today from
Brooklyn (Schermerhorn & Bond) to Manhattan (47th & 2nd). The
first minute was no fun but once I started generating heat I was fine. I
paused for a 4ยบ (according to Yahoo weather app) selfie at the top of
the Manhattan Bridge and arrived with chunks of ice in my beard from my
breath freezing. It was great!
For winter cycling the key is warm fingers, warm toes, warm ears. I was perfectly comfortable until about 23rd street when my toes started getting cold, but it never got bad enough to be a concern. I wore good windproof winter cycling gloves, many layers of thermal tops & fleece, and a hooded cycling jersey and a cycling skullcap under a helmet to keep my neck, ears and head warm. I actually was overdressed and had to unzip my jacket. I would have taken off a layer or two but my wife would have killed me if she found out, so I arrived at work hot and sweaty today! :-)
Jan. 07 2014 05:05 PM
For winter cycling the key is warm fingers, warm toes, warm ears. I was perfectly comfortable until about 23rd street when my toes started getting cold, but it never got bad enough to be a concern. I wore good windproof winter cycling gloves, many layers of thermal tops & fleece, and a hooded cycling jersey and a cycling skullcap under a helmet to keep my neck, ears and head warm. I actually was overdressed and had to unzip my jacket. I would have taken off a layer or two but my wife would have killed me if she found out, so I arrived at work hot and sweaty today! :-)
Score: 1/1
