Paul Rainbow

Lives Bristol Age 47

So many people - myself included in the past – tend to treat winter like a quiet o -season, but I love riding over winter now. The winter sun is so beautiful. The light is di erent, as is the air pressure. You can go out when it’s dark and see the sunrise.

I love those crisp winter days. You get to see the colours changing and it’s especially nice to see routes that you did in the summer suddenly look so di erent, with coloured leaves and scenery. There’s nothing like it.

I ride a fixed gear bike over winter because it’s so much less hassle maintenance-wise. I work as a mechanic and, with a fixed gear bike, I’m not really worried about wearing stu out. I have a belt-drive fixed wheel at the minute, which is even better because you don’t even have to put oil on it or anything. But when I use a normal fixed wheel, I just get a new chain and some sprockets. It only costs £30, so doesn’t matter if it gets messed up with salt and grit.

I ride more over winter now because I have been taking part in an Audax award called the Randonneur Round. It’s an award for riders who complete a 200km or longer event in 12 successive months. I did it for one year, got hooked, and then completed the next five years unbroken. It was a tough challenge with some of the winters we have had, but in recent years the weather has been much milder. Another challenge is the Rapha Festive 500. I have completed three of them, two of which were done in one single 500km ride. Our local club runs a 500km event each year for those who fancy getting it done in one go.

With the right gear, the cold isn’t an issue. I rode around Iceland a few years ago, and it was covered in snow the whole way, but I loved every minute of it.

“The winter sun is so beautiful and the light is di erent. You can go out when it’s dark and see the sunrise. I love those crisp winter days”