The weather forecast predicted strong winds, snow accumulations and dropping temperatures in the next couple of hours but I decided to head south down the Bow River Trail anyway.  There was a café in Chapparal that looked like a good destination and I had been turned back once before by pathways covered in black ice. On that occasion I had slid off the bike twice.

Setting off this time, I found  the cycle path conditions were fine; in places there were patches of ice after a return to cold weather following the weekend thaw, but the tire studs gripped well.  A steady tailwind reminded me that snow was due to arrive from the north but also helped speed me on my way to Fish Creek Park where I stopped off at the wonderful heated restrooms in anticipation of completing the remaining eight kilometres to my destination.

However, in the space of ten minutes the wind picked up and swirling snow was being driven downriver, rapidly obscuring the bike trail.  Expecting conditions to worsen, I made the decision then  to turn back. Just how long could 18km taken me to get home? 

Within a few more minutes the conditions deteriorated further and at Carburn Park, I was having difficulty seeing through my sunglasses as they were both icing up and steaming up simultaneously. I tried without glasses but biting cold ice crystals stung my eyes;  these were not big fluffy snowflakes.   I had ski googles though these fared no better as I discovered the tiny ice particles were being driven through the ventilation slots  so snow was accumulated on the back of my lenses. 

My clothing was good down to -20⁰C but I hadn’t realized the temperature was plunging to minus 14⁰C and the wind picking up to 50kph, far worse than the forecast had predicted.   I lingered under every highway bridge and attempted to clear my goggles but my hands froze each time I removed my gloves. Luckily, the small battery powered hand warmers restored my circulation enough for me to be able to grip my handle bars but within a few minutes my vison was gone again.  At times I couldn’t see the path at all and just aimed for the gap between the cottonwood trees. 

As the snow built up on the path, I had more and more difficulty making progress.  Drifts up to 30cm deep pulled me to a standstill while loose snow on ice caused me to slide.  The wind tugged forcefully at my wheels whenever there was a cross component.  As I approached the Inglewood Bird Sanctury, I was effectively staring at a white screen and riding by the feel of the snow under my wheels. All the while my face and head were starting to become numb even though I was wearing a ski helmet and face scarf.

Cars in the parking lot suggested the Sanctuary was open but the approach was covered in ice and blowing snow so I had to push my bike across the yard to the entrance.  Abandoning the bike by the doorway, I pushed my way in to the brightly lit lobby where one of the staff gasped in surprise as I shook ice and snow off my clothing and moved to a bench to warm up. While snow swirled around the porch behind me,  I sipped slowly on hot berry drink from the Yeti mug that I had retrieved from my bottle cage and contemplated my next move.    

Feeling began to return to my fingers and my headscarf unstiffened from its frozen state  but then became damp and soggy instead.  My eyes ached from staring at whiteness  and from the stinging ice, and my neck and shoulders ached from being tensed up in anticipation of  another fall.  Should I call for a ride home or wait out the storm. I had no idea how it would develop.

Eventually, visibility was good enough to see the fifty metres across the parking lot once again and I thought the wind had lessened slightly so decided to press on home. Most of the route from there was more sheltered either by the trees in Pearce Park or the high-rise buildings of downtown.  Even so, I still couldn’t ride without eye protection so my vision was blurred once again and the drifts were deeper. Apart from one or two dogwalkers, no one else was outside and no-one was attempting to clear the trails.  

An electric-powered fat-bike overtook me as I approached Eau Claire Plaza and, I mused, it was certainly better suited to the conditions.  I wondered how the other bike commuters I had seen earlier in the day would fare now they had to return home in these conditions?  I’m sure I would be calling for a lift I faced a return ride that afternoon.   My return journey of 16km had taken me over one hour and forty minutes and, even then, my bike computer went dormant two kilometres from home when the battery became too cold. 

I think I learned my lesson not to distrust the weather forecast as conditions became even worse than the prediction that I had played down.  In future, if I see that If storm force winds are predicted with heavy snowfall and rapidly sinking temperatures, then I will assume the outcome will certainly a blizzard and remain indoors!