1O TIPS TO STAY FOCUSED
HOW TO KEEP RIDING ALL WINTER
“One of my riders was out with a slow group and wore nine layers, but you might get away with just a couple” John Bremner
OUR 10 -STEP WINTER SURVIVAL GUIDE WILL HELP YOU ENDURE, EVEN THRIVE , THROUGH THE SEASON CYCLISTS DREAD MOST...
There are three certainties about riding your bike in the winter: you'll get wet, you'll get cold, and you’ll get no sympathy from non-cycling friends, family or colleagues. Just accept their cynicism – it’s one of the unspoken hazards of cycling at this time of year, and a reminder that surviving a British winter is about much more than just wearing the right kit. Route planning, risk assessment and self-motivation are all crucial, too. Here is our 10-step guide to surviving the cruellest season….
01 WINTERISE YOUR KIT
CYCLING IS FULL of profound proverbs – ‘Eat before you’re hungry’, ‘The only way down is up’ – but none rings truer than, ‘There’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad kit’. And with the range of technical fabrics available these days – they breathe, wick, repel and insulate! – there’s no excuse not to be prepared for the extremes of winter.
In the old days, your choice was limited to either a rain cape – a piece of heavy tarpaulin that you stuck your head through and hooked over your brake levers – or a boil-in-the-bag jacket that packed down to the size of a suitcase.
Everyone has their favourite combinations. Geraint Thomas swears by, “Merino base layer, soft jersey and a good rain jacket, plus overshoes”, though the advice he gives in his book, The World of Cycling According to G, is more about a state of mind than state of the art accessories: “The best way to keep warm? Ride hard. Still cold? Ride harder.”
For End to End record-holder Mike Broadwith, who last year cycled from Land’s End to John O’Groats in a variety of climatic conditions, it’s a Castelli Gabba jacket and “decent leggings. Staying warm and dry will make all the
di erence between winter rides being enjoyable, rather than a chore that you don’t want to do again,” he says.
When it comes to your extremities, road and track coach John Bremner of Ride to Race Coaching has a pair of winter shoes half a size larger than normal to accommodate an extra pair of socks or “a good pair of woollen hiking socks”. Another trick is a layer of cling film over your socks, he says.
For the daily 35-mile round-trip commute to his previous job, he would wear three-quarter length bib shorts under a pair of padless tights (“It’s warm and saves on washing the tights – you can just change the shorts”), and he recommends latex gloves to provide an extra layer of warmth for your hands.
“Layering is important,” he adds. “The number of layers depends on how fast you’re riding. One of my riders was out with a slow group the other day and wore nine layers, but you might get away with just a couple.”
And do winterise your bike. So, chunkier tyres, mudguards, lights or going single-speed – less moving parts to be corroded by all that gunk on the road.
02 LET THEM EAT CAKE
IT COULD BE taking the long way to the shops, or making your goal a cafe, but giving your ride a purpose will justify your su!ering. Of course, if you’re a regular commuter by bike, you already have your incentive. But if it’s a training ride, it suddenly takes on a whole new significance if you occasionally replace your usual loop with an out-and-back to a nice warm cafe you know serves good co!ee and cake.
It doesn’t have to be a cafe. A household errand will su"ce – how about the incentive of buying a pint of milk to get out on your bike in the rain and wind.
But if it is a cafe ride, coach Bremner has this advice: “If you’re stopping for co!ee and a cake, make sure you strip o! a layer or two, take o! your hat and gloves and let some of your sweat escape. I see riders sitting there with all their kit on. They are going to freeze when they get back outside.”
03 MI ND OVER MATTER
THE TOUGHEST PART of a winter ride is the journey from bed to shed. Even if you manage to extricate yourself from the cosy cocoon of your duvet, it takes another level of willpower to drag yourself and your bike out into the cold/ wind/rain/snow (delete as applicable).
There are several tricks that can make this process easier. First, put your kit on as soon as you get up. Layering up is a chore in itself and a psychological impediment to going out at all, so get it over with as quickly as possible.
Turn your central heating o in the morning. This is pretty hardcore and is probably only recommended for those living alone or in a cycling household, but if your flat or house is already cold, you’ll find it much easier to get out and start riding.
Peer pressure is another trick – no-one likes letting their mates down. Audax rider Alex Pattison is a veteran of 15 Super Randonneur series, two Round the Year series (at least one 200km ride a month for 12 consecutive months), and holder of a Brevet 25,000 Award (25,000km over a six-year period in certain audax events including ParisBrest-Paris). Most of those miles have been achieved on his local Scottish roads.
“We had a drizzly, uninviting morning recently and I wasn’t at all inclined to go out,” he says. “But I’d arranged the night before to go out with a few others. In the end, about six of us went out – but we all admitted that had it not been for the fact a group ride had been organised, none of us would have got out the door!”
“Strip o a layer or two, take o your hat and gloves and let some of your sweat escape” John Bremner
Layering chore in itself up is and a a psychological impediment to going out at all, so get it over with ASAP
04 READ & RI DE
THERE IS SOME truly inspiring stu! to be found in the pages of literature. It’s not just the plethora of pro riders’ memoirs o!ering all kinds of anecdotes and reflections on their own winter riding regimes, it’s also the accounts of daring exploits by riders in awful weather conditions. Reading about Andy Hampsten (Giro, 1988), Bernard Hinault (Liège-Bastogne-Liège, 1980) or Gerald Ciolek (Milan-San Remo, 2013) risking frostbite and hypothermia as they battled through blizzards to win races will have you fired up and raring to get out in those sub-Arctic temperatures.
Failing that, Tim Krabbé’s cult classic and homage to su!ering on the bike, TheRider, should do the trick, especially its most famous passage: “After the finish, all the su!ering turns to memories of pleasure, and the greater the su!ering, the greater the pleasure. That is nature’s payback to riders for the homage they pay her by su!ering... Nature"is an old lady with few suitors these days, and those who wish to make use of her charms she rewards passionately.”
05 MILES IN THE BANK
IT USED TO be said that miles ridden on Christmas Day counted double. That’s certainly an incentive if you’re paid to ride your bike and win races, but for most of us, 25 December is a well-earned day o . Unless, that is, you’re riding the Rapha Festive 500 – attempting to ride 500km during the eight days from Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve.
The challenge was started 10 years ago by the brand’s lead designer, Graeme Raeburn, who wanted “to experience the life of a professional rider”. The number of entrants has risen from just 94 in 2010 to 82,000, and for most of them it’s simply a great incentive to get out on their bikes at a time of the year normally associated with mass overindulgence and inertia. Maintaining the attitude that it’s all “miles in the bank” throughout the winter is key to surviving those long, dark months, says Alex Pattison.
“A big motivating factor to getting out is knowing that it all goes towards putting something in the bank for the spring,” he says, “and that when you get to the first events of the season, you’ll be a lot fitter than you would be if you’d just sat on your backside all winter.”
Entrants Festive 500 to the have Rapha risen from just 94 in 2010 to 82,000; for most it’s an incentive to get out on the bike
06 THE DI SCOVERY OF SLOW
WINTER RIDING INVOLVES a certain degree of compromise. Realistically, you are not going to be able to ride for as long or as fast as in the summer months. Everything is heavier in winter – your kit, your bike, even the air you are riding through. Consider slowing down.
Instead of chasing KOMs, embrace the simple pleasure of riding your bike, and take the time to immerse yourself in the scenery instead of staring at your stem.
“Try to concentrate on keeping your sessions manageable and realistic,” says Mike Broadwith. “Short, simple sessions that actually get done on a regular basis through the winter are far, far better than long, complicated sessions that might seem overwhelming and then end up getting canned. Consistency of e ort is key: ‘little and often’ should be the mantra.”
07 STAY SAFE
THERE’S NO POINT being so gungho about winter riding that you literally risk life and limb. Yes, it can be frustrating being confined indoors by icy conditions or gale force winds, but a broken collarbone or fractured hip will keep you o the bike for even longer. Discretion is the better part of valour. Heed the weather forecast.
If you really must get out, change your route to avoid untreated roads. “Stick to your local bus routes, as they are always gritted,” says John Bremner. “And be aware of the low sun – make allowances for the fact that this might make it harder for drivers to spot you.”
Or take a look at tip number 10 for the ultimate safe option.
08 INST A RIDE IT…
WHILE YOU’RE RIDING at a slower pace than normal, why not Instagram your miles? Social media has revolutionised the way we record, communicate and exchange information about our rides. Following other riders on Twitter, Instagram or Strava and sharing your photos with them is a great way to inspire, motivate – or just amuse – each other.
If those photos happen to show you grimacing in a blizzard or battling through a hailstorm, you’ll not only earn major kudos and likes, you might even inspire someone else to get out on their bike.
“I get more kudos when I upload pictures of me and my kids out for a Sunday afternoon ride than I do for any of my PRs, and that’s what inspires me to go out and do another ride,” says Mark Gainey, co-founder of Strava.
Just remember to allow extra time for pulling o bulky winter gloves to be able to operate your camera shutter.
“I when get I more upload kudos pictures of me and my kids out for a Sunday ride than I do for any of my PRs” Mark Gainey
09 CHASE THE SUN
IF THE BRITISH winter does threaten to crush your spirit and sap your enthusiasm for the sport, you probably need an industrial dose of vitamin D. Winter training camps are all the rage these days, and road cycling has helped to boost the economies of popular destinations such as Majorca, the Canary Islands and southern Spain. Let's face it – a week of cycling, sunshine and tapas in the depths of a British winter can’t fail to raise your morale. If you just want an incentive to get you through the winter, choose an early season sportive somewhere sunny to train for. Next year’s Douro Gran Fondo (3 May) or Évora Gran Fondo (29 March) o er testing routes – and almost guaranteed warmth – in two beautiful regions of Portugal.
Alternatively, just ditch the bike and enjoy a week (or two) on a beach. Sometimes it’s good to spend time o the bike and allow the body to rejuvenate, and winter is as good a time as any to do this.
10 RIDE I NDOORS
THESE DAYS, THERE’S no shortage of fancy gadgets and gizmos to make indoor riding much more interesting – though no less painful – than churning away on a turbo while listening to Eyeofthe Tiger on full volume. Brands such as Zwift o er you the chance to take part in real-time races on a choice of real-life courses against real-life riders, occasionally including a smattering of pros – Mark Cavendish regularly gives notice of his upcoming Zwift sessions.
An alternative is Su erfest, which o ers a choice of structured workouts designed to improve your performance in disciplines ranging from climbing and endurance to racing and time trialling. But, beware, it's not easy – the clue’s in the name.
Or you could choose another option that is now more readily available to us than ever before – track riding at one of the UK’s world-class indoor velodromes. Public sessions are available at the London, Manchester, Derby, Glasgow and Newport tracks, although they can be booked up weeks in advance so you’ll need to plan accordingly.
A week of cycling, sunshine and tapas during the depths of a British winter can’t fail to raise your morale