Honestly not sure people manage to ride so much during the months when it's dark out for so much of the day. Even if I REALLY wanted to ride at 5am in January (I don't), it's dark out. I don't trust drivers not to kill me when it's daylight let alone early morning, mid-winter, in the dark. I suppose there are those that ride in the woods with lights, but I'm not sure that's going to be a "several day per week" kind of thing. So I ride the trainer a handful of times per week, XC ski when there's actually snow, and try to ride when I'm off from work and the weather isn't too miserable (cold is ok, but cold and wet...no thanks). Guess I'm just not that hardcore