Benoit Godin didn't really plan to become a year-round bicycle commuter. It's just that his car battery died.

That was in the spring of 1997. The weather was fine and his Environment Canada office in Whitehorse was only three kilometres away, so Godin decided to ride his bike. And he kept on riding his bike.

"What happened was, I just didn't miss the car."

By fall, Godin had got into the habit of commuting by bicycle. Since his car was still causing problems, he decided to see if he could keep cycling through the winter.

He missed a few days when the temperature dropped too low, but not very many.

"I tried once at minus 40, and I turned back. The gears just wouldn't move," he says. After that, he decided minus 30 was his limit. When the temperature drops below that, he finds another way to get to work or takes a day at home. But it doesn't happen often. Minus 30 days have been scarce for the last few winters, he says.

Martin Raillard commutes daily to another office in Environment Canada's Whitehorse building, usually by bicycle and sometimes by running. His one-way trip is a little longer than Godin's -- about four kilometres through the greenbelt or a bit longer on the highway. Once a week he also rides his bike to meetings in downtown Whitehorse.

Riding a bicycle through the winter isn't as difficult as most people assume, he says. Just like automobile drivers, bicycle riders have to make a few concessions to winter road conditions.

"The important lesson I've learned is that as long as your bicycle goes straight, you're not going to slip," says Raillard. "Also, you have to slow down earlier for curves."

Godin agrees that managing the corners is tricky. He's careful to swing wide on turns in the winter and wait until the road is clear of oncoming cars before he pulls into a lane. He has studded snow tires for his bicycle, but conditions have been good this winter and he hasn't needed them.

"It's not snow that's the problem since I ride on a well-ploughed boulevard -- it's ice," he says. "Snow is fine. Ice is terrible. Snow and ice is worse."

The other important lesson, says Raillard, is visibility. In the dark commuting hours of a Yukon winter, it's important to be highly visible.

Raillard has flashing LED lights both front and rear on his bicycle, and a halogen lamp to light up the greenbelt trail he uses most days. He also wears a bright yellow jacket with reflective tape. Godin, who rides along a well-lit road, has flashing LED lights on his bike and a reflective vest attached to his backpack.

The extra expense of lights, reflective jackets, and studded tires is more than balanced by the money saved in not driving to work, both men point out.

Godin finally sold his troublesome car and hasn't replaced it. He lists the savings: no insurance, no gas, no car repairs, no licence, and no exercise club fees.

"I don't feel I'm obliged to go skiing or swimming or exercise in the evenings. I've done my exercise."

A British Columbia study comparing different methods of commuting found that cycling costs less than 5 percent what it costs to drive a single-occupant car the same distance. With savings like that, Raillard says, he can afford to equip himself and his bike well.

Cycling to work has other benefits too.

"It's a complete break from the office," says Raillard. By the time he's halfway home along quiet snow-covered trails, he has put office preoccupations behind him and he's ready focus on his family.

Godin says riding to work in the morning gives him time to think about the day before it starts. And in winter, he doesn't have to scrape frost off a windshield.

"I hate scraping the car! By the time I've scraped the car, I could be halfway to the office on my bike."

Both men say keeping warm isn't much of a problem in winter cycling. Godin says the exercise of cycling keeps him warm enough that he wears his summer jacket most of the year, although he's still trying to find the right kind of gloves to keep his hands warm below minus 20.

Raillard says sitting in a cold car stuck in traffic is much colder and much less pleasant than riding a bike in the fresh air. He recommends giving winter cycling a chance.

"It's less intimidating once you try it out."

Useful tips about cycling in winter are provided by the Manitoba Cycling Association (www.cycling.mb.ca/wintercycling.htm) and Edmonton Bicycle Commuters (www.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/ebc/winter.htm). Or call Martin Raillard at Environment Canada at (867) 667-3909.