Cold weather alts.

So we have this cinder block shower in our basement that is kind of gross and a little scary. It gets used rarely; really only when I come home so dirty form a ride that I 1) shouldn't really go upstairs and 2) definitely shouldn't get into the bathroom shower, as the amount of crap on me will no doubt clog the drain.
The washer/dryer sit next to it and there are additional water supplies for a utility basin, if I were to put one in. It occurred to me though, that 1) I could hook a hose up to one of those supplies and 2) I could fit a bike in the shower. It works pretty well, but I have to work kind of quickly, as the leakage from the hose drips onto the basement floor, which is bare concrete, but houses the furnace, etc. and I don't want a flood on my hands.
This is, however, an excellent alternative to sub freezing outdoor bike cleaning.

December was a pretty decent month weather wise, but January has started cold. Like single digit cold. I was able to get out a lot last month and even worked in some hard hill efforts (up Beanblossom) on New Years eve. I'm not exactly sure where I fell in terms of time up the hill, and this was the first time I've done these reps since I've had power, but my power was high, despite feeling like I was coming completely unstitched on the second one.
I also detoured up Boltinghouse Rd two weeks ago. I was heading back into town and realized that (I think) I haven't ridden that climb all year. It was Christmas Eve and I figured it would be one my last chances to ride it in 2009. It was damp out and the road was covered in sand for cars to get traction (which means terrible traction for bikes), which worried me a bit, but I made it no problem at all (well, a little wheel slippage, but nothing that would cause me to "foot down").
So it's looking as if the cold front that has plopped down upon us is going nowhere. So this week I'm cutting the hours back for a little break since I've been doing big weeks (for me), and since I'm guessing all of my riding time will be in the basement this week. Wish me luck!