When things get tough, how tough are you as a bicyclist? After most of the leaves have hit the ground, do you hang up your bicycle? Do you wait until afternoon to go out for a ride, or are the cooler days of fall an invitation to relax in your favorite chair - which just so happens not to be a bicycle seat attached by a wonderfully designed frame to two wheels that go around when you pedal? It begins to get lonesome out on the road as the days shorten and the temperatures dip. What can I do to help you decide to join me out there?

The other day I rode home in a glorious gentle rain. It was wonderful. I had started to put my rain jacket on, but I felt as if I were in a suit of armor. Riding along in my tee shirt was just right. It was a home-from-work trip. Going in to work, I probably would have toughed it out with the jacket. Just try it! Just do it!

Why not use your bicycle for transportation? "I had an accident on my bike and am afraid to get back on." As I was stretched out in a dental chair recently, the nurse observed "I see you are in athletic clothing. Do you walk a lot?" She was taken aback to learn that I am a year-round on-road bicycle commuter. Her riding career was cut short when she flipped herself over her handlebars. When I was able to speak sentences, I asked if her front wheel had hit gravel or sand. Yes, I was right on.

The solution? Find a sympathetic friend or two and go out again. Learn to watch road surfaces. If there is gravel or sand and you cannot avoid it safely, travel straight through it (she was entering the road from a sidewalk). Or, stop and walk your bike through the patch. Then ride on. Do not brake, turn, or speed up when your front wheel is on gravel, sand, wet leaves, or a steel plate.

Why not use your bicycle for fall transportation? "It's too cold in the morning and too hot in the afternoon." It's true that there are seasons when you will need warmer clothing for one leg of your ride and then lighter clothing for the return trip. The solution? Use a backpack or a messenger bag - with reflective patches. Or, use a back rack. My bike has a back rack with a folding basket on the street side and a cloth pannier on the right side. Fold your clothing carefully and roll it. This way, your clothing takes up less space and it arrives unwrinkled. Remember, you don't have to keep the mule train look when you do your next recreational ride. Just strip down to the plain back rack.

Why not use your bicycle for fall transportation? "It gets dark on my way home." Yes, it can be dark sometimes on both legs of your commute. The positive side of riding in the dark is that most motorists have headlights on after dark. Not only can you tell they are behind you, but their headlights illuminate the pavement for you until they pass. The solution? It is vital to have a lighted bicycle. The Lane Ranger, writing in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution a few months back, told of a bicycle that glows in the dark. There is some sort of energy system that makes the frame glow. The technology would make a bicycle cost as much as a car.

The more practical solution is to get a good lighting system. Some cyclists like to have the lamp on their helmets. Says Larry Kloet, who may be seen bicycle commuting at any time of the year, "I like the light on my helmet. It's lighted where ever I'm looking." I use a handlebar-mounted 6W light that works well even on dark, rainy nights. The headlight serves two purposes. It illuminates the road surface ahead of you, and it alerts oncoming motorists and joggers that you are coming. You would, of course, never neglect to have a flashing red light at the back of your bicycle, and reflectors on both sides of your pedals. The reflectors are Georgia law.

Why not use your bicycle for transportation? Do you think you will be better rested if you motor rather than bicycle? Not so. An automobile commute is likely to bring you to work distracted, irked, stressed from trying to find a parking place in the deck, and so on. With a bicycle commute, you arrive refreshed, energized, and feeling good that once again you yourself have brought yourself to work on your very own power.

Amusing bicycling experience: On the recent MS-150, I stopped to explain to a man walking his dogs why so many cyclists were buzzing through Monroe. He was interested and asked, "How far are you going?" When I told him our destination was Conyers, he was astounded and wanted to know if we would make it by evening. (Yes.)

Now, join me on those bicycles, OK? I'll be looking for you steering wisely through the sand bar on McLendon Avenue, with your work clothing in your pannier or bike bag, headlights at the ready for your return trip, enjoying a drop or two of rain along the way.