Winter Woes

[Undy]

Hi guys,

This summer I took up cycling after twenty years slouched on the couch and have made excellent progress getting up to about 150/200 miles a month with my longest ride being 40 miles. But then winter arrived with a thump. Rain, gale force winds and darkness have kept me off the bike for nearly all of November and I am thinking when there is a break in the weather and I have a chance to go for a ride I will have lost some of my progress. Also its difficult to motivate myself when its dark and wet. Have any of you guys done much cycling this winter, and if you can't get out on the bike how do you keep fitness levels up? The reason I ask is I want to go for my first Sportive next April and I need to be training for it.

 

[vickster]

Turbo trainer or MTFU are the main ways. A sportive just needs you to ride your bike a bit beforehand

 

[Mrs M]

Wrap up warm and go for a walk.

 

[Kevoffthetee]

I didn't do well last winter in my budget cycling gear. This year I decided to upgrade the wardrobe and it's been a massive difference. I've been out in all weather and the only thing I don't like is the wind which is still a possibility in the summer.

 

[DCLane]

Good appropriate clothing and I'm on my winter bike; if it breaks/rusts I don't really care. The decent bikes are away for the winter.

Also it's useful to give yourself a regular goal over winter. Otherwise you'll be stuck inside until March then having to start all over again.

Why not try a local club? They'll have shorter group rides over the winter period.

 

[Sbudge]

As a newbie speaking I think the only thing that concerns me about winter is ice. Generally once I get out on the bike and over the first couple of minutes it's just riding. In some ways there's something really special about a cold/wet ride at the weekend, no-one about just you against yourself and the weather.

I've found cold (moderate...0-4 degrees), rain, dark and most recently wind to be less of an issue than expected so long as I get the chance to get warm/dry afterwards. Lots of layers of course but then I've got quite a store of thin/warm layering items from my skiing/hiking/skydiving/etc over the years. Having said all that I tend to limit rides to 3 hours or so max at the moment.

That's the long answer. Short one is 'Go for it, it's better than you think'

 

[Citius]

Turbo, spin class, circuit class, aerobics, running, hill walking, all better than nothing...

 

[Pikey]

Rollers and Netflix, that is all.

 

[MichaelW2]

You need a bike setup for winter, with mudguards, thicker tyres, lights. In ice, you can take timeout, indoor trainer, studded tyres or off road.
Dress for the conditions.
Ride steady distances, no need to get sweaty.

 

[Saluki]

I don't ride as much in the winter, but I do get out. Sure, I've lost some of the summer fitness but not all of it. I quite like night riding, decent lights are the key, that and a bright outer jacket with some nice reflective stuff on it. I just about live for dry winter days so I can get out and ride. I don't mind the cloudy days, they are often milder than the bright sunny ones, in the winter. Just do it
Winter miles = summer smiles.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Our club motto seems to have become 'if it ain't snowing, we're going' ....
Get some reasonable winter kit and good lights and get out there. But don't go 'training' just go for a bike ride instead. A riding buddy helps.

 

[willem]

You will be surprised about the benefits of daily cycling to work, for shopping etc.(if feasible, of course) None if this is particularly strenuous, but it does provide a good foundation. My winter riding is a lot safer with proper winter tyres: Continental Topcontact Winter ii. They have awsome grip, and are more comfortable and faster than ordinary tyres when the rubber gets colder.

 

[RichardB]

I'm feeling this as well at the moment. I don't mind the rain, or the cold, and a bit of wind doesn't bother me either. But recently it has been drizzle or rain and a high wind every time I have set off for work, and many times I have taken the car. I look out of the window, and I think of a wet ride in, changing into work clothes, and then a 12-hour night shift and a wet ride home again, and my spirit weakens. But the worst thing is the mud on the roads. My commute is 90% back roads and with the tractors going in and out of the fields over the last few weeks my route is largely thick mud. I clean and lube the bike at the weekend, and after one day it is covered in mud from front wheel to rear light, as if I had been across a ploughed field. Not to mention the mud all over my lower half - shoes and tights really needing to be washed almost every trip. And there is the constant fear at the back of my mind that I will miss some patch of mud in the dark and come a cropper. Several times I have had nasty slides. My lights are good for dark nights, but they can't distinguish between grey tarmac and brown mud very well.

I think I might knock it on the head for a week or two until the farmers have finished whatever they are doing and the rain has washed the roads clean again. There's always the elliptical trainer in the spare room, which s never used because it is boring to a very high degree, but I suppose it's better than nothing.

 

[outlash]

The hardest part is actually getting out. Once you're on the bike, you'll enjoy it as usual.

 

[e-rider]

Hi guys,

This summer I took up cycling after twenty years slouched on the couch and have made excellent progress getting up to about 150/200 miles a month with my longest ride being 40 miles. But then winter arrived with a thump. Rain, gale force winds and darkness have kept me off the bike for nearly all of November and I am thinking when there is a break in the weather and I have a chance to go for a ride I will have lost some of my progress. Also its difficult to motivate myself when its dark and wet. Have any of you guys done much cycling this winter, and if you can't get out on the bike how do you keep fitness levels up? The reason I ask is I want to go for my first Sportive next April and I need to be training for it.

I do about 400 miles each month during the winter, but there is a guy at our club who still manages 1000 miles each month during the winter. The point of my post is that it's still possible to ride in winter - only the ice should stop you! Buy some good winter clothing, get your bike fitted with mudguards and get out there.