Here is my forecast and current (minus 22 C) here at home !



Ottawa North (Kanata - Orleans)

Currently Observed on: 21 Dec. 2004 at 9:00 AM EST Cloudy Temp.: -22°C Pressure: 101.5
kPa Visibility: 16km Humidity: 66% WindChill: -33 DewPoint: -26°C Wind: NE21
km/h Yesterday Max Temp. -25°C Min Temp. -30.7°C Precip. Total 0.0 mm Today Sunrise: 7:39 Sunset: 16:23 Moonrise: 13:18 Moonset: 2:46 5 Day Forecast from Environment Canada Tuesday Tuesday night Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Cloudy Freezing drizzle Freezing drizzle Risk of freezing rain A mix of sun and cloud Sunny Low -12°C Low -7°C Low -18°C Low -18°C High -12°C High -1°C High 0°C High -13°C High -11°C These icons are a summary. See complete text below

Text Forecast[/url] from Environment Canada
Ottawa North (Kanata - Orleans): Issued 5.00 AM EST Tuesday 21 December 2004
Today .. Cloudy. High minus 12.
Tonight .. Periods of light snow or freezing drizzle. Snowfall amount 2 cm. Temperature steady near minus 12.
Wednesday .. Periods of light snow or freezing drizzle changing to snow heavy at times near noon. Risk of freezing rain in the afternoon. Snowfall amount 2 to 5 cm. High minus 1.
Thursday .. Snow. Risk of freezing rain. Windy. Low minus 7. High zero.
Friday .. A mix of sun and cloud. Low minus 18. High minus 13.
Saturday .. Sunny. Low minus 18. High minus 11.

Normals for the period .. Low minus 12. High minus 3.

Paul, all I can say is 'you poor bastard'.

I'm guessing you don't get out much on a bike or running. Do you switch over to skis and snowshoes for the winter?

I love to go play in the snow, I just wouldn't fancy living there too much.

J.

Freeflyer...ever noticed all the fast run split from Canadians at Kona or Ultraman...

of course we run all winter !

Biking goes indoors, but you can ride your MTB in the snow. Personally, winter training is on skis and running shoes. To tell you the truth, I'd rather run in minus 15 on a crisp cold clear day with sunshine, then deal with zero to 5 degree rain and constant cloud cover (like in England) :-)

Agree completely on the clear day vs cloud. First day here was beautiful, 0C and clear as a bell. Since then it's been the usual england gray. I don't miss it.

J.

You Ottawans are nuts! I don't know how you can survive in that city in the winter.

I was in Ottawa last January for a week, and thought I was going to freeze to death. A friggin' bottle of water sitting in a heated car will freeze solid in 30 minutes after the car is turned off. Now that's COLD!

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Steve Perkins

Forecast for San Jose, CA (95130) 10-Day Forecast Free Trial: Faster Radar Maps & No Ads

High /
Low (°F) Precip. % Today
Dec 21 Sunny 63°/39° 0 % Wed
Dec 22 Sunny 63°/39° 0 % Thu
Dec 23 Sunny 63°/37° 20 % Fri
Dec 24 Sunny 62°/36° 20 % Sat
Dec 25 Mostly Sunny 61°/38° 0 % Sun
Dec 26 Partly Cloudy 57°/40° 20 % Mon
Dec 27 Showers 54°/35° 40 % Tue
Dec 28 Partly Cloudy 53°/33° 20 % Wed
Dec 29 Partly Cloudy 54°/33° 10 % Thu
Dec 30 Partly Cloudy 53°/36° 0 %

Damn! It looks like we are getting a little rain next Tuesday :([/url]

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"your horse is too high" - tigerchik

I'd rather run in minus 15 on a crisp cold clear day with sunshine, then deal with zero to 5 degree rain and constant cloud cover (like in England) :-)



Me too, Paul. Good job I live in England and have about 1/3rd of the rain that somewhere like Vancouver gets! When I looked into moving to Vancouver I was disappointed to see that the temperatures are only warmer there for 3 months of the years and only 2 months are drier. That's a little different to your perception, EH?

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"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS

Damn! Looks like it is going to be chilly out there later on. Reminds me of my trip to San Jose a couple of weeks ago when the news people called this "bitter" cold.

0? ZERO? I wish it was zero. I'd be out in a t-shirt. I'm not too far from Ottawa and with Montreal's humidity its butt friggin cold out here. And this don't include no wimpy ass windchill numbers. After the last two days today's high of -12 sounds like a breeze...

Yesterday Max Temp. -19.6°C Min Temp. -26.7°C

Hey Julian, I was originally from the UK (a South London boy!) and been in Vancouver for 10 years. There is no way you will get me (or the wife) to move back to the UK. For some reason the cold here does not "feel as cold" (wind chill?), sounds like of weird I know. Its warm enough in Vancouver most winters to be able to ride all winter in knee warmers and a 3 layers. We have yet to miss a ride this winter due to the weather (usually there is a week or so of snow) and I have fingers crossed we get to ride outside all winter (I am a basket case when I dont get my weekend ride outdoors)

Simon

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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

I'm not trying to be an a-hole, though it will sound like it. Seriously, how could you live there, and why? Better yet, how did that land EVER get settled in the first place, well before the days of nice heating, etc? I'm going to guess that many who live there do so because they are from there (or relatively nearby). And people must fall victim to thinking that wherever they are from is "good" or "normal."

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Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

Aztec, good point. Anything minus or less is truly inhuman and unbearable, even for the diehards like myself.

Many of us continue to live here cause we have family and friends here, there are good jobs, very low rates of crime, minimal traffic compared to other cities south of the border with 1M people, nice culture, great sports facilities (both winter and summer), excellent affordable universities, and a lower density of firearms per capita than in some parts of North America. Its actually a very nice place to live for 10 months a year...and you can do a triathlon every weekend from May 18th to Sep 15th within 20 min to 2 hour driving radius.

If I had my choice though, I would live near Lake Tahoe, or in the French Alpes, but alas, I will have to save that for another life as my family would not go for it :-)

Aha! Yes, the family nearby part. All the rest, ehhhhhh, easily dispensed with. Tahoe would be sweet, though many of my Cali friends here think I'd be nuts to do that. "WHAT? With that WINTER???!!!!" Nevermind that it's really sunny up there despite the heavy snow!

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Too f@ckin depressed from various injuries to care about having a signature line.

Sponsored by Blue Shield PPO.

I grew up in Nova Scotia so I know cold damp weather very well. Now that I have had sunshine and warm weather for about 14 years, I don't really want to live through another Canadian winter (my coldest run: -29C in London 20 years ago). Summer is another story - I love the Maritime summer and go back every year. I believe there a couple of factors that keep people in the north:

1) Many people don't mind the weather. My parents like winter and until a few years ago used to skate and cross country ski regularly. They grumble like everyone but the only time they really complain is in April when it has gone on for 6 months.

2) Most lifestyles don't involve running and biking outdoors so the weather is mainly something people see through a window. Hot or cold is mainly an inconvenience on the way to and from the car.

3) Until you have lived (not just visited) in warm weather, the grass cannot be greener. Most people don't really know what it is like to live anywhere else so they are content where they are. I did not experience warm weather until I was about 22 and I was shocked at how nice it was to get up every day in the sunshine.

Kahleefourneeyah, God's country...

I'm so glad the sun will shine on our two big holiday rides! Tuesday will have to be a swim day.

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Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...

From Sarf of the river, boy? Blimey, and me a Chelsea man! I live on the coast in Bournemouth, and when I say on the coast I mean on the coast. If I look out of the lounge window I can see what the sea conditions are like for a swim or run on the beach. We haven't had a frost for 3 years, and the only rain in 6 weeks was on Friday and Monday this week. I was surprised with the weather stats for Bournemouth and Vancouver but not as surprised as I was at how roder unfriendly Vancouver seemed to be. Where do you guys head if you want a solid 60 mile ride without constantly stopping for traffic lights? I would hope to base myself in Port Moody if I emigrate although I'm not sure of the riding.

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"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS

Wimbledon and Putney! I avoided Stamford Bridge area every time Chelsea played at home! Funny, I am listening to jazzfm (London) right now through the net.

I have a very sketchy memory of Bournemouth, all a bit hazy as the only time I was there was on an Easter rugby tour!. However I do recall an attempt to steal a stuffed moose head off the wall of an old peoples home, and being chased up the front by the nurses!

From Port Moody there is a lot of really good riding. A good friend who is the president of Coquitlam tri club can take you for 200km of varied terrain no problem. The main problem are rednecks especially when you get out to Mission area. We use to do a 180 km loop starting in Coquitlam to Mission, Fort Langley and back. Very good riding around there, with good climbs and quiet roads.

Also near Port Moody is a tri store, the owner is a very good cyclist and can show you the roads (or at least hook you up with some of his buddies) When you visit you should drop in on the store, does not look like much but he has got some good stuff (http://tri-actionsports.com/) Greg, the owner, knows both of us (Khai)

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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

That's interesting, I guess you would have to head East and then North from PM? Thanks for that info, Simon. When you say red-necks should that not be mountainmen from there? I did drop into Tri-action when I was over in September and spoke to another guy who sold me some Kestrel pro bars, Zero-gravity brakes and a wheelbag so I know that it is an Aladdins cave of goodies despite the exterior's appearance. I also chatted to Carol Montgomery who sent me to swim at Kitsalano outdoor pool on the following day which was the last day before it closed for winter!

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"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS

From PM head either a) east to MapleRidge and Mission then south then west to Fort Langley north back to Maple Ridge, if you want to go nuts detour to Harrison Hotsprings or head to Langley and 0 avenue (this becomes a long ride) or b) do it in reverse - Maple Ridge, south to Fort Langly east then north to Mission then back via Maple Ridge.

Rednecks: not sure best way to describe them. Here is dictionary.com's defintion -:)

1. Used as a disparaging term for a member of the white rural laboring class, especially in the southern United States.
2. A white person regarded as having a provincial, conservative, often bigoted attitude.

Any way they usually drive pick ups and wear baseball hats from John Deer or such like. Generally adverse to a group of cyclist wearing lycra! Actually definition 1 is interesting, when I raced IMF I noticed they had shotguns on the back of their pickups and the confederate flag flying over the US flag. Now bear in mind I am Chinese, plus I was wearing skin tight lyra riding solo around rural Florida!

Greg, in my view is the best mechanic around here for race prep. I understand that is where Carol gets her gear prep. You spoke to Grant who I gather worked for nytro and cervelo in the past.

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Simple Simon
Where's the Fried Chicken??

That's him, Simon. It was Grant that helped me a very helpful and pleasant guy, it was amazing to me how little (some) pro athletes know about their bikes, but then I expect Tom wouldn't be in the least surprised!

Hmm, Rednecks, eh. I associate them with the deep south, down Louisiana way not the West coast of Canada but I guess it's a frame of mind more than a geographical demography.

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"How bad can it be?" - SimpleS

Fortunately here (Switzerland) it is not as cold as in Ottawa I prefer to go there in summer). But this morning run 2 hours in -10C temperatures. The night was clear (surprise no fog) and it became very cold.
Yesterday I rode 50k with temperatures at -2C. With the wind chill (av 30kmh) it was also quite cold.
But I would prefer to live in Spain, Greece or Southern Califonrina for the winter (where 5C is cold :) )

Felix

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http://www.weilenmann.ch.vu

Do you have a link for Jazz FM - used to love that station when I lived there..

Julian - I live in Port Moody - and plenty of good riding without lights - first few mile heading out thought Coquitlam can be irritating with the lights but once you are beyond that it is fine....besides nothing like climbing some of the north shore mountains for strenght work

Julian trust me if Simon S claims to be friends with Bob you are in deep s%$t here..