Written by Boston Biker on Jan 28

Don’t you love it when someone manages to read all the way down a several hundred word article you have written and then for some reason chooses to miss the entire point of the article, while at the same time cherry picking quotes from your post so it seems to convey the opposite message of that article? Me too!

Not only was I lucky enough to merit the main pull quote in this rather poorly written piece of drivel parading as news, but I was used in the sensational title as well! The Metro creatively titled it’s anti-cycling flavored article “Boston winter biking ‘a hellish nightmare.”

Nate Homan the guy who wrote it also talked to some other folks I know and they say he misrepresented them as well. Well it’s good to know that he has consistency.

Here is the quote he used from me (by the way he never bothered to contact me):

“In the winter the sidewalks and bike paths become a hellish nightmare of ice and snow. It’s really not worth it to even think about riding on them.”

Sounds like I am really down on winter riding…too bad the article this is from is called “Winter Riding In Boston: Riding In The Snow” which is part of my “how to ride in the winter” series, which is linked on the right. (or here here and here) The series is all about riding your bike safely in the winter and the very first part of the article he cherry picked this quote from is:

You might have noticed, it snowed. Just a smidge here and there, but it is a perfect opportunity to discuss the ins and outs of snow riding. First off we should discuss the most important part of winter riding. It is freaking fun! Nothing is more fun than sloshing around in some newly fallen snow, and if you are properly dressed, and your bicycle is well maintained (see the links above), snow cycling is not only possible, but very enjoyable.

See how “hellish nightmare” and “freaking fun” don’t really go together at all. The article then goes on and on for several hundred words about how fun riding in the snow is, how its not that hard, how it can be done safely, and how the whole experience is really rather fun. Don’t believe me go read for yourself.

The quote he used to click bait his article is waaaaay down at the bottom in the section about what happens when the sidewalks and bike lanes are not plowed, where I suggest that the best way to avoid these problems is to take the lane:

Ride in the road

In the winter the sidewalks and bike paths become a hellish nightmare of ice and snow. It’s really not even worth it to even think about riding on them (even the Minute Man is poorly plowed). Get out into the road where the large salt filled trucks have cleared you a path. This can sometimes mean riding in that little gap plowed out by the car wheels in front of you, or it might mean riding several feet further into the road because the snow plows have filled up the bike lane. Either way, be visible (lights, reflectors etc), and be confident. If there is a bunch of snow and ice in front of you and you need to take the lane to avoid it, DO IT. Look over your shoulder, make sure no one is going to run you over, and take the lane. Be confident, get right out to where you need to be and stay there. If you halfheartedly take a lane, cars will try to pass you, and you don’t want them doing that when you are trying to avoid a bunch of slippery ice and snow. If they honk that is just their friendly holiday way of saying “I see you and approve of your full legal right to take that lane, good show!” Once you can SAFELY get back over to the right, do so and allow the other cars to pass.

These simple tips should help make your snow/slush/ice riding a bit more pleasurable. Have fun out there and be safe.

Homan DRAMATICALLY misrepresented both the message and the content of my piece by selective quoting, so I am going to do the same to him, here is a quote from his most recent article about winter riding in the snow:

Nate Homan “reporter” for the metro had this to say about winter riding, “…Other small details, like checking [facts]…don’t…concern…me…I…have…cobbled…this…pothole-riddled, slush-covered…[article]…[together]…from…nothing. Luckily it’s really not worth…[reading] it.”

The above quote I think sums up his article nicely.

I have written an email to Nate asking him why he felt the need to so purposefully misrepresent what I wrote, I will let you know if he writes back.

Tags: go ride in the snow Posted in bostonbiker