Relay: Necessity Is A Mother
You can bicycle in the snow, you know. It depends, of course, on the type of bike, and the tires. Me, I have a Giant-make mountain bike with broad tires with a deep tread. Bought it about 20 years ago from Chris Pfund’s bike shop in Montauk. Still going strong.
Of course most people would ask, why? Why would you want to?
First, necessity. Car has been off the road all winter. Leaking coolant system, leaking this, leaking that. I am back riding the 10C.
In the dead of winter, the passengers on the 10C bus are almost all Jamaican, headed to work, or, on days off, headed to Bridgehampton to do some shopping.
I feel at home on the 10C. It has a good vibe.
This week I made a happy discovery. Seniors pay only 75 cents per trip, as opposed to the exorbitant $2.25 charged for everyone else. What I learned Friday is that Suffolk County Transit defines a senior as anybody 60 or older. I hit that magic number last month. Who says good things don’t come with getting older?
But back to bicycles in the snow. If necessity is the mother of invention, it is also, occasionally, the mother of fun. And, if motherhood is not always intended, its consequences are always to be embraced.
This winter had been mild until it began snowing the morning of Jan. 23. I got on the 7:05 morning bus out of Montauk, headed to work. My beat is primarily cops, town zoning, town planning. Much of this, happily, can be found in the town’s complex on Pantigo Road.
First, there is the Justice Court, which gives you a brief, unfettered look into what the cops are up to today. From there, I walk over to the office complex just to the east. In that drab building, you will find code enforcement, the zoning board office, the town’s Planning and Building Departments, etc., etc. If you need a quote from a politico, go southwest of the courthouse, to Town Hall.
Then off to the East Hampton Star office on Main Street. Finally, it is up to the train station, where I pick up either the 10C or the L.I.R.R., headed back to Montauk.
By the time I got to Goldberg’s that morning of the blizzard, the town government had already been shut down for the day. Snow emergency.
At that point, I just wanted to make sure I was on the first train or bus back to Montauk. That would be either the 10:27 train or the 10:35 bus, both leaving from the East Hampton train station. I like the newspaper office, but it is not a place I would want to be stranded at.
I had plenty of work to do. I set my laptop on a back table. In 2016, your office is where you are. There is never an excuse for not writing, unless you don’t want to.
At about 10, I suited up my winter gear, accepting the conventional wisdom: You can’t bicycle in the snow.
When I got out to the sidewalk on Pantigo Road, the snow was already two to three inches deep, and blowing. It would be a long walk to the station.
“What the hell,” I thought, and got on the bike. “Might as well see what happens.”
What happened was that I glided through the snow, effortlessly. What started off as trepidation turned to joy. I made it to Railroad Avenue in plenty of time.
I took the train to Montauk and biked down Edgemere Street, headed for town. It was a lot slushier than in East Hampton. Again, no problem with traction, no problem with balance.
Since then, I have biked through all conditions. I have learned the rules of the snow road. Fresh snow, no problem. Ice, no problem, as long as you know what is beneath it. Piles of slush, no problem, until it freezes.
Frozen piles of slush covered in a fresh coat of snow are to be avoided.
Fortunately, East Hampton Village does a great job of clearing its sidewalks of snow and ice, making the trip between the Town Hall complex and Main Street easy.
When I have to go east, toward Amagansett, it’s a little trickier. There will be small areas of sidewalk the town hasn’t gotten to.
I avoid the main road as much as possible. You can bike through the snow, but not everybody can drive through it.
Yes, you can bicycle in the snow.
T.E. McMorrow is a reporter at The Star.