Winter complaints pt. IV

Paris-Roubaix is a race for wussies. I mean, there are a couple short stretches of cobbled road on the route, but what's the big deal? That's nothing compared to the hardships that we, bicycle commuters in Helsinki city, have to suffer all winter, each winter:

• unplowed routes
• uneven routes
• frozen routes
• slush-covered routes
• routes covered in a mixture of road salt and shit
• routes that have completely vanished under several metres of snow
• routes blocked by incorrectly parked vehicles
• extreme coldness
• sleet raining horizontally
• harassment by bus drivers
• murder attempts by car drivers
• ridicule by onlookers
• terrorism by dog walkers
• contempt by authorities
• etc.

No sign yet of the Pugsley I'm legally entitled to. Therefore, I'm still legally entitled to criticize the Public "Not" Works Department, the instance responsible for not plowing the bicycle routes. Well, luckily, my cubicle at the workplace was moved away from the window with a nice view and into a dark cleaning closet with no windows. That way, I don't have to watch the P"N"WD licking the road clean all day while the cycle path next to it is left to slowly deteriorate. As a result, I've been much happier lately, brooding in the broom closet. Also, I've vented my frustration by sending the P"N"WD numerous petty complaints about parking violations and lack of maintenance on my commuting route. We'll see if they're as proficient at not ticketing parking violators as they're at not plowing.

Lately, the freewheel of my trusty Kona has began to malfunction. Occasionally, it seems to stick somehow, and when I pedal, the force isn't conveyed to the rear wheel. The cranks just spin freely forward. It tends to feel slightly silly, pedaling furiously without moving, at least when it happens in the middle of a busy intersection, with a truck coming on at a great speed. I suspect that the mixture of road salt and shit is to blame. When the temperature is near 0 ° C, salted roads become wet, and the drivetrain gets totally soaked. Typically, the next morning, the temperature is well below zero, and the derailleurs and drivetrain are frozen solid. Also the salt seems to rust the chain efficiently. I hate road salt.

There's a sort of a grass roots type movement that is trying to accomplish the establishment of a "backbone" of cycling routes in Helsinki. Sadly, the proposed main routes go nowhere near my commuting routes. So, if they manage to get the backbone established, service levels for said routes agreed and the maintenance actually improved, it will not benefit yours truly (and other, less (or more) esteemed residents northern Helsinki) in any way. It will probably take about 100 years for my commuting route to be granted the status of a "main route" and the maintenance to stop sucking. I'm depressed.

I've even done everything humanly possible to advance this noble cause, namely, commented on a blog post related to the matter. Now, hopefully, up to 5 puny hipsters may read my suggestions and as a result, "do the needful". What else can I do (except whine at great length on this personal blog that no-one reads)? I'm just one... man.