No joke --- one of these spandex idiots was riding his bike through the slush and ice on Freeport road last winter right at evening rush hour. Had traffic all backed up because drivers were afraid he would slip on the ice and down in front of them.
In Toronto in the middle of february you will see quite a few bike messengers going through traffic in -20C. With special tires, clothing and breaks it is not a big deal. Lots of companies pay premium to have deliveries made very fast in that weather (matter of minutes instead of hours)
“spandex idiots”
Nice, but in my neck of the woods, we prefer “shell heads”.
We prefer that they not screw up our road traffic on weekends, nor raise their neon spandex butts in the air, or ignore basic traffic signs and rules. We prefer that they just go away, but they never do.