Neither snow nor rain nor heat can keep these cyclists from their appointed rounds

An arctic blast means Friday is shaping up to be one of the coldest days of the year. That’s perfect weather for the brave souls taking part in International Winter Bike to Work Day. For cyclists such as Todd Lane, cold alone isn’t enough to force him onto the bus.

 

“I try to do it every single day — there’s very few days that I won’t commute,” said Lane, who began cycling regularly to his Center City job this year. “It’s really opened up the city to me. Nothing seems as far anymore … I just do so much more now with my bike.”

Lane’s gear of choice for a frigid day includes a North Face jacket, a hoodie, and a good attitude. “I have a face mask that I only wore once, that’s it,” said Lane. “And I have a car, but I never take it out of the garage.”

According to the Philadelphia Bicycle Alliance, about 13,000 Philadelphians bike to work each day. That number has more than doubled in the last 10 years. Winter Bike to Work Day is an international competition now in its third year, in which cities vie to get the highest participation rate; last year’s winner was Oulu, Finland.