This is the lonesome time for year-around bicycle commuters. Our fair-weather friends retreat to their couches and tell themselves, "I need to get some exercise." The number of women commuters drops away even more precipitously, but I know at least three others who are out there regularly.

What keeps you on your couches? Either the ones inside your house, or your motorized couch also known as a car? Do you fear the cold? Are you worried that it might rain on you and you might get wet? Are you afraid of riding in the dark? Does your warm weather confident bicycling attitude dissolve into shivers at the word "winter?" Fear no more. Winter is a great time to commute.

Think about that cold air. Then think about how much body heat you generate when you bicycle. Our body heat is a problem for us in summertime commuting, but as the air chills even here in the south, you can enjoy a "no sweat" commute. Not only do you not sweat on your ride in, when you arrive at the parking rack, you do not break out in a sweat either. Your hair is not soaked! Ah, what voices do I hear from all those couches? It isn't sweat you are worried about, it's suffering from cold air? Let's talk about this.

Have you tried cold weather riding? Saturdays are a good time to experiment with it. What is your comfort threshold? We are not talking about your comfort threshold as you sit in the bleachers of a football stadium shivering in the frigid air. We are talking about sitting on a body heat-generating vehicle. What is your cycling comfort threshold? How chilly a day have you tried? My personal chill limit is around 15?. If it's under 20? and windy, I will probably opt for my own motorized couch. We have few below-20? days in this region, so where are you?

Try establishing your personal chill limit. It may be lower than you realize - you may have more ridable days than you had thought possible. On many of these days you will actually enjoy doing your bicycle commute because winter riding is so invigorating. You will arrive even more highly energized and happy than you do on a regular warm-weather commute. Trust me, it's true.

Dress for the cold. Layering your clothing is the way to go. As you gain experience, you will automatically choose how many layers you need and which ones to use. One rider I know wears a padded jacket. If that works for you, do it. I would arrive sodden with sweat. In fact, I start sweating when I see her on the road ahead of me! Start with cotton (or silk) next to your skin. If it's only mildly cold, put a knit jersey or a sweatshirt next. Top it with a wind-resistant jacket. I invested in a Goretex jacket that is comfortable over a wide range of temperatures. When we drop into the low 30s, I add a scarf, well tucked in to keep the cold air from pouring in at my neck. I do ride with my under-arm jacket vents open year around, even when the scarf is in place! We do generate a lot of heat as we bike.

Pay attention to your head. Wear some sort of liner under your helmet, one that will cover your ears too. Most of our heat loss is through our heads. For seriously cold weather, I use a balaclava which covers my head, ears and forehead and can be pulled up to cover my mouth and nose as well (if it is very cold.). The problem with covering your nose is that your goggles steam, so I usually bring it to but not over my nose. If you know a truly good anti-goggle-fogging system, please let me know so that I may share it with other readers. Most of us simply wipe the steam off as we wait for a red light to change.

The true chill-down areas for cold weather riding are our toes and fingers. Think double socks, reinforced with plastic baggies for really cold weather. I do the baggie routine perhaps three commutes a year. I've also just discovered what many have known about for ages: fleece socks. I may give them a try. After you have done your best toe-layering effort, remember to wriggle your toes as you ride. That will help the circulation.

Fingers! Windproof, full-fingered winter gloves are a must for our winter commutes. For really cold days, try silk glove liners. For really-really cold days, add disposable vinyl gloves to your mix. I can tell the progression into chilly commutes by my glove combos: first my fingerless summer gloves with the silk liners, then full-fingered gloves, then full-fingered gloves with the liner. As you ride along, move those fingers too. It will help.

When you have dressed for the cold, you are also rainproof. Try a weekend ride for a cool-day, rainy day experience. You will be amazed by how refreshing it is. We are so separated from the elements in our present lifestyles that we forget that being pelted by rain can be joyous. My next article will include tips for how to ride safely on wet pavement, with motorists blithely raising streams of water as they fly by. And I know you would never ever be out on those roads without reflectors and adequate lights. We need to help motorists see us in the dark. They'll also help light our own way so that we have a better view of the pavement, rough patches, potholes, steel plates, concrete glurps hardened on top of the asphalt that are so common.

Do I really enjoy winter commuting? All that clothing? Goggles fogging? Wriggling toes and fingers in the chill? Turning my hands into bulky mitts? Rain in my face, riding home with blinding auto headlights glaring in the rain-blackened dark? Oh yes, when I remember to convince myself that doing it is so much better than thinking about doing it. Winter commuting really is fun. The cold, the occasional rain, and the challenges of darkness aren't that big of a deal.